Chapter WPM - What is Psychology?
Chapter BRN - The Brain
Chapter S & P - Sensation and Perception
Chapter SOC - States of Consciousness
Chapter L & M - Learning and Memory
Chapter M & E - Motivation and Emotion
Chapter G & S - Gender and Sexuality
Chapter PER - Personality
Chapter ABN - Abnormal Psychology
Chapter SOP - Social Psychology
Chapter WPN: What is Psychology?
Chapter Objectives:
1. Know the names of the subfields of psychology.
2. Compare and contrast past and contemporary approaches to psychology.
3. Know "real" psychology from pseudopsychology.
4. Increase your understanding of you own approach to psychology
5. Begin thinking about your own thinking.
Research in psychology
1. Define and discriminate between the basic concepts in research methodology.
A. Independent and the dependent variable
B. Experimental versus control variable
C. Random assignment of subjects
D. Experimental versus correlational research
E. Bias and placebo effects
Links for What is Psychology?
Chapter BRN: The Brain
Chapter Objectives:
1. Describe the neuron
A. Know the basic structure of the neuron and the relationship of its structure to its function.
B. Comprehend the process of neural communication and demonstrate this by being able to:
a. Describe the structure and the function of the synapse.
b. Describe the function of neurotransmitter and provide an example.
2. Peripheral nervous system
A. Discriminate between the structures and the functions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
B. Define homeostasis and give examples of mechanisms which promote it.
3. Central nervous system
A. Name and locate the various structures in the central nervous system on a diagram or model.
B. Describe the function of named structures.
C. Apply knowledge of function in the central nervous system to understanding the effects of brain injury by describing the effects of injury to a particular structure in the brain.
D. Structures to be identified and described include:
1. Cerebrum
2. Lobes of the brain
3. Cortex
4. Nuclei
5. Cerebellum
6. Brain stem
Links for The Brain
Clickable Map of the Brain Surface
Chapter S & P: Sensation and Perception
Chapter Objectives:
1. Describe the basic processes of sensation.
A. Absolute threshold
B. Difference threshold
C. Sensory adaptation
2. Label the basic structures of the visual system.
A. Cornea
B. Lens
C. Retina
D. Pupil
E. Fovea
G. Rods and cones
3. Know the Gestalt perspective of perception.
A. Discuss the concepts of figure-ground and simplicity as basic organizing principles in perception.
B. Discuss the interplay of visual and environmental cues which allow us recognition depth and distance.
C. Describe common errors of perception and how they occur
Links for Sensation and Perception
Chapter SOC: States of Consciousness
Chapter Objectives:
1. Describe consciousness and distinguish among its various levels.
A. Explain levels of consciousness.
1. Sleep/awake
2. Hypnosis
3. Meditation
4. Drug induced states
B. Demonstrate an understanding of:
1. Sleep
2. Biological rhythms
3. REM and NREM sleep
4. Purpose of sleep and dreaming
5. Sleep abnormalities
6. The effects of sleep deprivation
7. REM rebound effects
2. Describe how drugs influence consciousness.
3. Discriminate between and give examples of:
A. Stimulants
B. Depressants
C. Hallucinogens
A Link for States of Consciousness
Consciousness Research Laboratory
Chapter L & M: Learning and Memory
Chapter Objectives:
1. Describe the principles of classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and social learning as they are used to produce, maintain, and modify behavior.
2. Discuss the role of reinforcement in acquiring and maintaining behavior in all three forms of learning.
3. Compare and contrast major similarities and differences in the three forms of learning.
A. Classical Conditioning
1. Identify the UCS, UCR, CS, and CR in examples
2. Illustrate:
a. Stimulus generalization
b. Stimulus discrimination
c. Extinction
d. Higher-order conditioning
e. Spontaneous recovery
f. One trial taste aversion
B. Operant Conditioning
1. Illustrate and identify the use of the following in examples
a. Positive reinforcement
b. Negative reinforcement
c. Positive punishment
d. Negative punishment
C. Social learning
1. Illustrate and identify examples of:
a. Observational learning
b. Vicarious learning
4. Explain the acquisition, transfer, storage, retrieval, loss and improvement of memory
A. Include factors involved in encoding such as:
1. Attention
2. Levels of processing
3. Elaboration
4. Imagery
B. Include differentiating the three types of memory in terms of:
1. Storage capacity
2. Duration
3. Function
C. Include factors influencing retrieval from memory.
D. Distinguishing between the various reasons for forgetting:
1. Ineffective coding
2. Decay
3. Interference
4. Retrieval cue failure
Chapter M & E: Motivation and Emotion
Chapter Objectives:
1. Distinguish between the following theories of motivation:
A. Instinct
B. Need/Drive
C. Incentive
D. Opponent-process
E. Maslow’s theory
2. List, describe and provide examples of the three components of an emotion:
A. Physiological
B. Cognitive
C. Behavioral
3. Compare and contrast the dominant contemporary theories of emotion relative to their assumptions about the interaction of the three components of emotion.
A. Common-sense
B. James-Lange
C. Cannon-Bard
D. Schacter-Singer
Links for Motivation and Emotion
Chapter PER: Personality
Chapter Objectives:
1. Formulate an accurate and defensible definition of personality.
2. Compare and contrast the major perspectives of personality and its development.
A. Humanistic
B. Psychodynamic
C. Biological
D. Cognitive/Behavioral
1. Explain what each of these perspectives assumes about personality and its development.
2. Recall or recognize important names associated with each perspective and describe his/her theory.
3. Explain what the major theorists assume about personality and its development
3. Compare and contrast objective versus projective testing techniques used to measure personality.
4. Explain the meaning of validity and reliability as it relates to the measurement of personality.
Links for Personality
Chapter ABN: Abnormal Psychology
Chapter Objectives:
1. Explain what is meant by normal and abnormal.
A. Describe the medical student syndrome
B. Outline changes in the definition of normality as a function of scientific advances
2. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of diagnostic labeling.
A. Explain what DSM-IV is and how it is used to label disorders
3. Discriminate between schizophrenia and multiple personality
4. Discriminate between abnormal and bizarre
Links for Abnormal Psychology
Internet Depression Resources List
Chapter G & S: Gender and Sexuality
Chapter Objectives:
1. Define gender and distinguish between gender identity and gender role.
2. Discuss the role played by androgens and estrogens in embryonic development.
3. Distinguish between the following theories:
A. Identification theory
B. Social learning theory
C. Cognitive developmental theory
D. Gender schema theory
4. Describe gender-role stereotyping.
5. Describe the characteristics of androgyny
6. Discuss the biological and sociocultural factors that are involved in sexual arousal.
7. Identify and describe the four phases of the human sexual response cycle.
8. Discuss homosexual attitudes and behavior.
9. Discuss the results of research into the factors that determine an individual sexual orientation.
10. Identify and describe the various types of sexually transmitted diseases.
Links for Gender and Sexuality
Psychological Aspects of Human Sexuality
Chapter SOP: Social Psychology
Chapter Objectives:
1. Discuss the relationship between attitudes and behavior.
2. Distinguish between cognitive dissonance and self-perception theory.
3. Describe the process of persuasion, including the source, message medium and target.
4. Describe attribution theory and fundamental error attribution.
5. Define conformity and identify factors that contribute to conformity.
6. Define obedience and discuss techniques for resisting social influence.
7. Describe the factors that influence the attraction process.
8. Distinguish between norms and roles and identify the following:
A. Deindividuation
B. Groupthink
C. The great person theory of leadership
9. Identify the main characteristics of culture.
10. Distinguish between prejudice, stereotyping and ethnocentrism.
11. Discuss racism and the various forms of contemporary racism.
Links for Social Psychology
Social Psychology Resources on the Web