Ap Psych Journal
Psychology Journals
These journals should be written in essay form, and they will be graded as an AP essay. These journals may require you to integrate different content areas and to evaluate and analyze psychological constructs. You are to use analytical and organizational skills to formulate cogent answers. Consult your calendar for due dates. Chapter 1: The study of Psychology has had many contributions in history. Explain the contribution of functionalism and structuralism in psychology. How are these two forms different? Chapter 2: Control is often called the hallmark of a good experiment.
Describe randomization, group matching, counterbalancing, placebo, and double blind as control techniques. Briefly develop an example of the way each could be used or has been used in an experiment. Chapter 19: We conducted a variation of Asch’s (1951) conformity study in which participants made judgments about the length of lines. We randomly assigned participants to one of two conditions and told them that the study involved perceptual abilities. In the first condition, participants estimated the length of lines after hearing five people pretending to be participants (confederates) give inaccurate estimates.
In the second condition, participants estimated the length of lines without hearing estimates of confederates. As we expected, participants in the first condition were less accurate in their estimates of line length, demonstrating the tendency to conform to majority influence.
A) How would each element below be related to the specific content of the experiment reported in the abstract?
- Control group
- Deception
- Operational definition of the dependent variable
- Hypothesis
- Debriefing
B) How might participants’ estimates of line length in the study be related to the following? Social Facilitation *Group think
Chapter 3: The human organism displays various reactions that are characterized by opposing tendencies. Using a specific physiological or psychological mechanism to explain how both aspects of opposing processes apply to each of the following.
- Appetite
- Autonomic nervous system
- Nerve Firing
Chapter 4: Define the following terms
- Schema
- Assimilation
- Accommodation
- Egocentrism
- Conservation
Describe how each of the above terms applies to Piaget’s Cognitive development theory.
Chapter 5: The Smith-Garcia’s are planning for their first baby.
Both parents-to-be have had a psychology course and are looking forward to applying the principles they learned from theories and research that address child development. A) Summarize one main idea or finding of each of the following four researchers.
- Harlow’s theory
- Erikson’s Psycho-social theory
- Ainsworth’s attachment research
- Baumrind’s research on parenting styles
B) Provide a specific example of actions the Smith-Garcia’s might take to raise their child to produce positive outcomes using each of the theories below to address the corresponding psychological concept.
- Harlow’s: social adjustment Erikson’s psychosocial theory: independent
- Ainsworth’s attachment research: self-reliance
- Baumrind’s research on parenting styles: self-esteem
Chapter 6: : Define the following: -Sound localization -Sensory adaptation -Absolute threshold -Difference of threshold Explain how the following help an individual perceive the world.
Chapter 7: Describe the psychological concept of expectancy or set. Discuss a specific example of how expectancy or set affects each of the following. Human Perception Opponent Processing theory The effects of psychoactive drugs on a human Object permanence
Chapter 8: Compare and contrast Freudian theory on dreams, and activation synthesis theory in interpreting dreams.
Chapter 9: 5 year old Jessie is used to getting everything that she wants. Define the following terms and explain how each of the following terms were either used to create this behavior or could be used to extinguish her behavior. *positive reinforcement *negative reinforcement *punishment *classical conditioning
Chapter 10: Although you genuinely enjoyed studying hard for your Psychology test, during the test you feel frustrated and irritable because you can’t recall the answer to a series of fairly easy factual questions. What techniques could you use to effectively remember the information previously learned?
Chapter 11: Describe several heuristics that you might use or that you have used when deciding whether you should (a) study especially hard for a test, and (b) ask someone for a date or accept a date. Under what circumstances are these heuristics likely to contribute to poor decision-making? (3 for each, total of 6 different problem solving strategies).
Chapter 12: Based on the research of Gardner and Klein: answer the following in detail. Must be in essay form with arguments and evidence. What do you think the goal of intelligence testing should be in Education?
- Does acknowledging the existence of Multiple Intelligence help or hinder that goal? Explain.
Chapter 13: Define drive reduction theory, set point, Yerkes-Dodson law, hypothalamus, and intrinsic motivation. Explain how each of the following could lead to an eating disorder.
Chapter 15: Explain how Jung, Adler, and Horney modified Freud’s psychodynamic theory on personality.
Chapter 16: A classmate argues that “the best way to handle stress is to work harder and meet life’s challenges head on. Evaluate both the strengths and weaknesses of you classmate’s position. (Think Seyle and the coping strategies)
Chapter 17: A student becomes overwhelmed with anxiety when he is faced with major exams. How might the different viewpoints of psychology explain this reaction? -Psychodynamic -Cognitive -Behaviorist -Biological -Humanistic
Chapter 18: Describe how a therapist might use both aversive conditioning and operant conditioning techniques in order to help a client overcome a compulsive habit of sweeping the front walkway 3 times a day.
