Psychology Curriculum*

Objectives: The learner will:

PSY-1 Define the goals of psychology.

PSY-2 Identify the various approaches to the study of psychology.

PSY-3 List key historical and contemporary psychologists and approaches.

PSY-4 Identify careers in various fields of psychology.

PSY-5 Describe the research methods used by social scientists.

PSY-6 Explain problems and solutions in research.

PSY-7 Explain the development of language skills.

PSY-8 Identify how children develop emotionally.

PSY-9 Categorize selected activities by the stage in Piaget’s cognitive theory.

PSY-10 Summarize the cognitive-development theory.

PSY-11 Identify key ideas in social development theories.

PSY-12 Evaluate the effectiveness of different parenting styles.

PSY-13 Describe the cognitive and ideological changes that characterize adolescence

PSY-14 Identify Kohlberg’s stages of moral development.

PSY-15 Summarize how people adjust to old age.

PSY-16 Identify the stages of grief related to death.

PSY-17 Describe the principles and outline the techniques of classical conditioning.

PSY-18 Outline the principles of operant conditioning.

PSY-19 Describe the three processes of memory.

PSY-20 Explain the three stages of memory.

PSY-21 Identify memory retrieval processes.

PSY-22 Recognize strategies for, and obstacles to, problem solving.

PSY-23 Describe theories of motivation.

PSY-24 Characterize features of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

PSY-25 List examples of the psychological theories of emotion.

*Students may take this semester class and then complete additional independent study reading under the direction of the Psychology instructor during a second semester in order to be prepared to take the Advanced Placement exam for Psychology.