AP Psychology 2016-2017Summer Assignment (Also on DaltonAPPsychology.weebly.com)

Hello Friends,

You have made a wise choice joining me in AP Psychology next year. This subject will not only give you the opportunity to understand what makes other people tick, but it will also help you learn more about yourself. AP Psychology is challenging because there is a great deal of information to cover (and master). However, my goal is not only for you to pass the AP test and get college credit, I also hope that you leave this class feeling like your life has been enriched by the subject. Yes it is an AP Class. The AP exam is only one of our aims. It is important to remember this. Psychology is fun, interesting and engaging. If you do the work consistently and thoroughly, you have a really good chance of passing the test in May.

Understanding the history of this field is incredibly important, but not something I would like to spend our class time on. I would like you to review Unit 1 in our Myers textbook as your summer assignment so we can jump into the good stuff when school starts.

If you have any questions this summer please feel free to e-mail me: Jasonmusselman85@gmail.com or jmusselman@daltonschool.kr . I will do my best to get back to you as quickly as possible.

All I can ever ask of you is that you TRY YOUR BEST. ALWAYS. Your best may change from day to day… but if you do your best, I promise to try my best as well.

Have a great summer,Mr. Musselman

PLEASE BE PREPARED TO TURN IN THE FOLLOWING ON THE 2ND DAY OF CLASS.

Create a google doc foldero Label it: YOURNAME_APPSYCH (Ex. JasonMusselman_APPsych)o Share it with: jasonmusselman85@gmail.com

Read and take notes (digitally) on Myers Unit 1 (Mods 1,2 & 3)o These will be placed in the folder created above.

Join the AP Psychology Google Classroomo Password: kbn7egd

Perspectives Assignment (on next page)o Submit via Classroom

WHO I AM Assignment (see following page)o Submit Via Classroom

Review AP Psychology Syllabuso Found on my webpage (DaltonAPPsychology.weebly.com)

o It is important to understand what you will cover.

I highly suggest reading the following books if you are as excited as I am for this upcoming year in Psychology (e-mail if you would like more suggestions). I LOVED these books:

50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology by Lilienfeld, Lynn, Ruscio & Beyerstein Opening Skinners Box by Lauren Slater How We Learn by Benedict Harry Thinking Fast & Slow by Daniel Kahneman The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

Perspectives Assignment

In the world of psychology, there are several different perspectives that psychologists use to describe and explain human behavior and mental processes. You can think of these perspectives as different “lenses” you can wear to study psychology.

For instance, if you approach psychology from a Biological Perspective you might ask questions about how a person’s biology determines their behavior/thought process. If you approach psychology from a Socio-cultural Perspective you might try to explain a person’s behavior/thought process by looking at how others may have influenced it. These different “lenses” help to create various explanations from which we can analyze various phenomenon. For example, if you wore sunglasses with blue lenses-everything you’d see would have a blue hue to it. If you wore sunglasses with orange lenses, what’d you see would be an orange hue. Your perception of things would likely change based upon the color of your lens. In our class we’ll focus on the following seven psychological perspectives:

Biological, Evolutionary, Psychodynamic/Psychoanalytic, Behavioral, Cognitive, Humanistic and Socio-cultural.

Use the internet or your textbook to find information about each of the following perspectives in the field of psychology: For EACH of the perspectives, you will answer the following questions and provide information on a famous psychologist/theorist related to that perspective (replicate the chart below and type in your answers. Information for each perspective should be thorough and may take up as much as a half to a feel page).

1) What are the basic beliefs, assumptions, or approaches of the perspective? This question is essentially asking how each perspective explains human behavior/experience. Psychology does not offer a ‘one size fits all’ explanation, but rather varies depending on the perspective.

2) How would this perspective treat depression? Each perspective has a unique way of looking at/explaining a phenomenon. For example, Johnny is a five-year-old who is acting out and hitting other children on the playground at recess. The Biological perspective might explain his adverse behavior by saying that his blood sugar levels are out of balance at this time of day, causing Johnny’s mood to become disagreeable and violent. The biological perspective would say that in order to stop Johnny’s behavior, he should have a healthy

snack mid-morning so as to prevent mood swings related to blood-sugar imbalances. On the other hand, the Behavioral perspective might say that Johnny is being violent with other children because he has observed other kids hitting on the playground without consequence. This perspective would say that the violent behavior is a result of observational learning and associations, so in order to stop and prevent it from continuing, new behaviors must be observed and/or rewards and punishments based on Johnny’s behavior must be applied.

3) Who is a famous psychologist/psychological theorist associated with this particular perspective?

For each individual, include the following information:o Name and imageo Lifespano Specific area of study (1-5 word description)o Basics of the individual’s study/work/theory- include the names of any famous studies or

theories they are particularly known for (bold and underline these – see below)o Use each of the following psychologists/theories (one for each perspective): Sigmund

Freud, B.F. Skinner, Elizabeth Loftus, Stanley Milgram, Roger Sperry, Abraham Maslow, and Charles Darwin.

*** Be sure to keep track of and provide references as to where you found your information ***

EXAMPLE: (create a chart for each perspective like the one below):Psychological Perspective

Focus of the Perspective (Basic Beliefs/Assumptions)

Application Example: Depression (How would this perspective treat

depression?)(You will need much more space than what is given here)

(You will need much more space than what is given here)

Psychologist Life Span Area(s) of Study Basics of Research/StudyErik Erikson 1902-1994 Theories on

Development

Psychoanalytic

Erikson developed a theory that viewed development as a sequence of psychosocial stages defined by common problems that emerge throughout life, each with two possible outcomes. His development theory provided an approach to personality, expanding on Freud’s theory. He believed that the success or falure of meeting the challenges in each stage helped shape one’s personality. Stages of Psychosocial Development; Identity Crisis (Sharkey, 1997)

REFERENCE: Sharkey, W/ (1997). Erik Erikson. Retrieved April 6, 2013 from www.muskingum.edu/-psych/psycweb/history/erikson.htm

WHO I AM Assignment

Please write a 1-2 page letter to me about yourself. I would like you to be as honest as possible, and as open as you would like. We are about to embark on an exciting journey together, and if I am to make this year worth while, its important that I know what you are bringing to class so we can use it! Psychology can be made much easier if we can make valuable and real connections to the material.

In your letter please address the following questions:

o What is your background like?

o What are your interests and talents?

o What would you like to improve this year?

o How can I help you with this?

o How has your background influence your personality and goals?

o Why are you taking Psychology?

o Is there anything else you’d like me to know? (or think I should know)