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AP PsychCivicsIB HOTA
APPAP Psychology
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Course syllabus

AP Psychology

Fall 2026 · CED-aligned

“The only normal people are the ones you don’t know very well.”

— Alfred Adler (1870–1937)

Course description

Psychology is the science that studies behavior and mental processes. Through the study of psychology, students will acquire an understanding and appreciation for human behavior, behavior interaction, and the progressive development of individuals. This will better prepare the student to understand their behavior and the behavior of others.

Lectures, discussion, group and individual projects, issue analysis, critical writing, cooperative learning, panels, journals, case studies, debates, tests, and quizzes. Unlike most studies, active and consistent participation is a MUST in this course.

Bring these to class every day:

  1. One binder with sections for notes, homework, handouts, returned assignments, and warm-ups
  2. Writing utensils (blue or black pens and pencils)
  3. Loose-leaf paper
  4. Colored pencils

Course texts

  • Laura Brandt: Multiple-Choice and Free-Response Questions in Preparation for the AP Psychology Examination (4th Edition, 2019)
  • Michael Sullivan & Michael Hamilton: Multiple-Choice and Free-Response Questions in Preparation for the AP Psychology Examination (3rd Edition, 2011)
  • David G. Myers: Psychology for AP (2nd Edition, 2014)
  • Roger R. Hock: Forty Studies That Changed Psychology: Explorations into the History of Psychological Research

Reading expectations

It is not feasible to address every single concept in class; therefore, to be prepared for the AP Exam, the responsibility falls significantly on the student as well as the teacher. In each unit you will be assigned a chapter reading from our textbook, AP Psychology (Brandt, 4th Edition). Take notes on each chapter’s associated graphic organizer.

Semester pacing (~87 days)

The AP Course and Exam Description organizes the course into five units, at the weights below. Subject to evolve through the semester.

Unit 1 — Biological Bases of Behavior · 15–25% · ~18 days

  • Intro to Psychology / course overview; Science Practices preview (concept application, research methods & design, data interpretation, argumentation — embedded throughout the course)
  • Research methods & statistics: IV/DV, controls, ethics, correlation vs. causation, descriptive statistics (mean, median, mode, SD)
  • Nervous and endocrine systems, neurons, neurotransmitters
  • Brain structures, neuroimaging, case studies (Phineas Gage, split-brain research)
  • Genetics and the interaction of heredity and environment; twin/adoption studies
  • States of consciousness: sleep, dreams, drugs
  • Sensation & perception: thresholds, signal detection theory, vision and audition, other senses, Gestalt principles, depth, perceptual set, illusions
  • Unit practice + Assessment

Unit 2 — Cognition · 15–25% · ~15 days

  • Memory: encoding, storage, retrieval, forgetting, amnesia, interference
  • Thinking, problem solving, and decision making: heuristics and biases
  • Language: acquisition and structure
  • Intelligence: theories, testing, reliability/validity, bias, multiple intelligences
  • Practice FRQs on memory and intelligence
  • Unit practice + Assessment

Unit 3 — Development and Learning · 15–25% · ~18 days

  • Prenatal development and newborn reflexes
  • Cognitive development (Piaget, Vygotsky)
  • Social/emotional development (Erikson, Harlow, Ainsworth, parenting styles)
  • Moral development (Kohlberg, Gilligan); adolescence and adulthood
  • Classical conditioning (Pavlov, Watson, Little Albert)
  • Operant conditioning (Skinner, reinforcement/punishment schedules)
  • Observational learning (Bandura) and applications to behavior modification
  • Applied practice + Assessment

Unit 4 — Social Psychology and Personality · 15–25% · ~16 days

  • Attribution theory, fundamental attribution error, attitudes and persuasion
  • Conformity and obedience (Asch, Milgram, Zimbardo); group processes (polarization, social loafing, bystander effect)
  • Prejudice, aggression, altruism, and attraction
  • Motivation: drives, incentives, hunger and sexual motivation
  • Emotion: theories (James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, Schachter-Singer), physiology, expression
  • Personality: Freud, trait theories, social-cognitive, humanistic, assessments
  • Unit practice + Assessment

Unit 5 — Mental and Physical Health · 15–25% · ~13 days

  • Stress and health psychology: general adaptation syndrome, coping, positive psychology
  • Defining abnormality: DSM-5-TR criteria, biopsychosocial and diathesis-stress models
  • Major disorder categories (anxiety, mood, schizophrenia, personality, neurodevelopmental)
  • Treatment approaches: biomedical, psychodynamic, CBT, humanistic, group/family therapy
  • Treatment evaluation and ethics
  • Practice FRQs
  • Unit practice + Assessment

Review & exam prep · ~7–8 days

  • Practice multiple-choice exams (timed)
  • FRQ practice with rubric debriefs
  • Thematic review games (Jeopardy, Kahoot, etc.)
  • Student-led review presentations
  • Final comprehensive review day before the exam

Important days and events

  • AP Psychology Exam — Friday, May 14, 2027 (Session 2, 12:00 p.m. local time for most schools). Start reviewing in April 2027; after-school review sessions and Saturday “Psych + Pizza” reviews to be announced.
  • Midterm — October 29, 2026 (estimated). Timed assessment half the size and scope of the AP Exam: 50 multiple-choice (35 min) + 1 FRQ (25 min).
  • Final — January 15, 2027 (estimated). Timed assessment matching the AP Exam: 100 multiple-choice (70 min) + 2 FRQs (50 min). May run over two days (Jan 14–15).

See the course calendar for the current version.

The AP Psychology exam

Administered digitally in Bluebook. The exam is 2 hours 40 minutes and includes 75 multiple-choice questions and 2 free-response questions.

Section 1 — Multiple choice

75 questions with 4 answer choices each, 90 minutes total (72 seconds per question), questions in random order rather than by unit. Worth ⅔ of the overall exam credit.

Section 2 — Free response

Two equally weighted FRQs, 70 minutes (35 minutes each). Worth ⅓ of the overall exam credit.

  • Article Analysis Question (AAQ) — one summarized peer-reviewed source. Identify research design elements (methodology, variables, ethical guidelines) and interpret the basic statistics used in the source; explain how well the findings can be generalized and how the article supports or refutes the psychological concept being explored. 25 minutes, including 10 minutes of reading time.
  • Evidence-Based Question (EBQ) — three summarized peer-reviewed studies on a common topic. Make a claim and use evidence from the sources to support it; explain why the evidence supports the claim and apply related AP Psychology content to justify the response. 45 minutes, including 15 minutes of reading time.

Sample course activities

  • Activity 1 (Skill 1). Using split-brain patient research, students identify the stages through which a visual stimulus is recognized in the human brain.
  • Activity 2 (Skill 1). Given scenarios of physiological changes related to the endocrine system, students identify the hormone and explain why the change is occurring. After Topic 2.3 of the CED, students compare and contrast neurotransmitters and hormones.
  • Activity 3 (Skill 2). Given graphed data, students interpret it in relation to a unit topic, using the data to develop a strategy for application to resolve a problem or address a stated situation.
  • Activity 4 (Skill 2). Given hypotheses from a research study, students articulate an appropriate analytic strategy to test them.
  • Activity 5 (Skill 3). Given a research study related to a unit topic, students analyze the report, then explain and apply the concept through a description of behavior, theories, and/or perspective specific to a situation.
  • Activity 6 (Skill 3). Students generate operational definitions of psychological constructs throughout the course and analyze research studies within a specific content area.

Science Practices: SP4 — experimental design and argumentation

A debate-style discussion in which students propose a claim about the effectiveness of a psychological intervention (e.g., cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety) and argue it. The class divides into two groups, one supporting the intervention’s effectiveness and one refuting it.

  1. Research phase. Review a selection of empirical studies on the intervention, focusing on the population studied, research methods, and outcomes.
  2. Claim proposal. Each group develops a claim supporting or refuting the intervention’s effectiveness, based on the research reviewed.
  3. Argumentation. The supporting group presents evidence that the intervention is effective; the refuting group presents counter-evidence, emphasizing study limitations or conflicting findings.
  4. Class discussion. The class discusses the strengths and weaknesses of each argument, evaluating the validity of the evidence and how it supports or refutes each claim.

Learning objective. Students use evidence from empirical research to propose and defend claims or to refute existing claims, developing argumentation skills within psychological science.

Grading

Assignment types Weight
Minor assignments (classwork, homework, warm-ups) 30%
Major assignments (tests, quizzes, projects) 70%

Grading scale: A (100–90), B (89–80), C (79–70), D (69–60), F (59–0).

Term weights: Quarter 1 — 40%, Quarter 2 — 40%, Final Exam — 20%.

Late work

Late homework is accepted until the unit test from which it was assigned. Late work is penalized one letter grade for each day it is late.

Success strategies

For successful completion of the course, students should:

  1. Take notes from lectures and assigned readings.
  2. Ask course-related questions.
  3. Turn in assignments on time.
  4. Rationally discuss issues.
  5. Seek extra help when needed.
Units in this course11 units