The purpose of AP® Psychology is to introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals. Students examine some of the differing approaches adopted by psychologists, including the biological, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, psychodynamic, and sociocultural perspectives. Students are exposed to the psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology (see below). A variety of activities, demonstrations, and projects will be provided to meet this goal of instructing scientific and empirical approaches. The course teaches ethics and research methods used in psychological science and practice. Most important, students will come to an appreciation of how psychologists think (or at least an appreciation of the kind of critical analysis that psychologists espouse and hope to model in their words and actions).
This course will prepare each student for the AP Psychology exam that will be given on May 7, 2018.The AP status of the course indicates that the material in class will be covered more quickly with a strong emphasis on critical thinking, higher-level learning, and independence.