Psychology: 9-12

Course Description: In Psychology High School, students study the development of the individual and the personality. The six social studies standards of essential content knowledge and four process skills are integrated for instructional purposes.

Standard Number: 1.0 Culture

Standard: Culture encompasses similarities and differences among people, including their beliefs, knowledge, changes, values, and tradition. Students will explore these elements of society to develop an appreciation and respect for the variety of human cultures.

Learning Expectations:

The student will

• 1.1 understand the impact of diversity on the individual.
• 1.2 understand cultural biases in the field of psychology.

Learning Expectation:

1.1 understand the impact of diversity on the individual.

At Level 1, the student is able to

• compare learned behavior across cultures;
• understand and recognize cultural differences.

At Level 2, the student is able to

• recognize that cultural beliefs strongly influence the values and behavior of the people who grow up in the culture, often without their being fully aware of it, and that people have different responses to these influences;
• describe the impact of ethnic, national, and cultural influences on human behavior;
• analyze environmental constraints on learning opportunities.

At Level 3, the student is able to

• demonstrate why individuals often have negative responses to unknown ideas and customs;
• predict the behavior of people who live in diverse societies;
• interpret patterns of behavior reflecting values and attitudes that contribute to pose obstacles to cross-cultural understanding.

1.2 understand cultural biases in the field of psychology.

At Level 1, the student is able to

• describe the components of culture;
• identify major social categories in U.S. culture e.g. gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientations, and disability.

At Level 2, the student is able to

• explain how U.S. culture is both similar to and different from cultures in other countries;
• identify situations in which bias occurs;
• list examples from early research on prejudice and discrimination;
• examine the cultural differences of Americans, including beliefs, values, accepted behaviors and environment;
• relate how bias and discrimination influence behavior;
• examine a personal example of ethnocentrism.

At Level 3, the student is able to

• role-play the nature of in-group/out-group dynamics;
• speculate how life would change if different social categories changed race, ethnic group, and gender;
• speculate on the sources of opposition to the 1954 Supreme Court’s decision regarding Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka;
• predict how self-fulfilling prophecies can fuel stereotypes about ethnic groups.

Sample Task:

Psychology students will study how culture affects a society’s behavior and the individual’s personality development. Students will work in pairs to locate community citizens and or leaders who were reared in another culture and who represent diversity in the community. (Asians, Central and South Americans, Middle Easterners, Australians, Pacific Islanders, Eastern Europeans, Western Europeans, Africans, Canadians, Scandinavians, and Far Easterners, etc.) Students must have at least five of these people. Students will develop interview questions and arrange for the interviews. The questions must be developed to cover the person’s views on education, religion, government, economics, sports, marriage and family, crime and violence and their reflection on how their culture shaped their behavior and personality. The students will demonstrate their findings to the class through a visual: skit, model, chart, overhead, videotape, audiotape, etc. If students use an interview with live speaker for their presentation they still must have a visual. (Two weeks)

Students will investigate how other cultures react to both the aging process and their older citizens. In pairs students will find citizens in their communities who have lived in other cultural areas. Students will interview these people. They must have at least four different cultural areas. If this cannot be an outside the school project, the teacher can set this up as a Web Quest or have students do library research. Students will present their findings in a compare/contrast product. (Two Weeks)

Students in groups (five or six) will explore the nature of bias and discrimination by producing a skit, which demonstrates a situation in which bias occurs. The skit must illustrate how bias and discrimination influence behavior.

Standard Number: 2.0 Economics

Standard: Globalization of the economy, the explosion of population growth, technological changes and international competition compel students to understand, both personally and globally, production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Students will examine and analyze economic concepts such as basic needs versus wants, using versus saving money, and policy-making versus decision-making.

Learning Expectations:

The student will

• 2.1 understand how different socioeconomic stratifications influence personality development.
• 2.2 understand how individual values and beliefs influence economic decisions.

Performance Indicators:

2.1 understand how different socioeconomic stratifications influence personality development.

At Level 1, the student is able to

• identify the basic economic goals of individuals in American society;
• infer that social economic distinctions are a part of every culture, but they take many different forms (e.g. rigid classes based on parentage, gradations based on the acquisition of skill, wealth, and education.).

At Level 2, the student is able to

• recognize that people often discriminate on the basis of speech, dress, behavior, and physical features;
• recognize that different behaviors are expected from different socioeconomic classes.

At Level 3, the student is able to

• analyze how the characteristics of the American economy such as freedom of choice, competition, private property, profit, freedom of enterprise affect personality development.

2.2 understand how individual values and beliefs influence economic decisions.

At Level 1, the student is able to

• identify the values and beliefs of the different socioeconomic stratifications.

At Level 2, the student is able to

• analyze how the difficulty of moving from one social class to another varies greatly with time, place and economic circumstances;
• describe how socioeconomic status and other group and cultural influences contribute to the shaping of a person’s identity.

At Level 3, the student is able to

• compare a person’s ability to purchase with what they do purchase.

Sample Task:

Students will study how socioeconomic levels have their own values and behaviors. In groups students will illustrate how socioeconomic status and other group and cultural influences contribute to the shaping of a persons identity. The product will be a chart, a graph, a power point presentation, an overhead presentation, a video skit or a clever collage.

Standard Number: 3.0 Geography

Standard: Geography enables the students to see, understand and appreciate the web of relationships between people, places, and environments. Students will use the knowledge, skills, and understanding of concepts within the six essential elements of geography: world in spatial terms, places and regions, physical systems, human systems, environment and society, and the use of geography.

Learning Expectations:

The student will

• 3.1 understand the environmental influences on human behavior.
• 3.2 understand that human needs are met by the places they create.

Performance Indicators:

3.1 understand the environmental influences on human behavior.

At Level 1, the student is able to

• give examples of how people adapt their needs to their physical geography.

At Level 2, the student is able to

• demonstrate how where you live influences your interests, abilities, needs, goals and values;
• compare and contrast how different geographical locations affect cultural values and how these become shared learned behaviors without people realizing they are different from others.

At Level 3, the student is able to

• predict how changing demographics affect human behavior;
• compare and contrast between people of varied geographic regions.

3.2 understand that human needs are met by the places they create.

At Level 1, the student is able to

• give examples of how human migration movement influences human behavior;
• illustrate how people are changing the environment by removing old structures and replacing them with structures that better meet modern human needs.

At Level 2, the student is able to

• construct a web-quest that gives examples of how people have changed their physical geography to meet human needs.

At Level 3, the student is able to

• evaluate how the changing environment today in the American Southeast and around the globe has changed human behavior.

Sample Task:

Students will research materials in the library or do a Web Quest to prepare an essay on how people create places that reflect culture, human needs, government policy and current values and ideas as they design and build specialized buildings, shopping centers, super sports domes, temples, industrial parks, recreational areas, churches, etc. (Last year I had two excellent products on Neyland Stadium, the Nashville Bell South building and The World Trade Center). (One Week)

Standard Number: 4.0 Governance and Civics

Standard: Governance establishes structures of power and authority in order to provide order and stability. Civic efficacy requires understanding rights and responsibilities, ethical behavior, and the role of citizens within their community, nation, and world.

Learning Expectations:

The student will

• 4.1 understand conditions, actions, and motivations that contribute to conflict or to cooperation.
• 4.2 understand political current events that are relevant to the field of psychology.
• 4.3 understand conflicts, cooperation, and interdependence among individuals, groups, and institutions.

Performance Indicators:

4.1 understand conditions, actions, and motivations that contribute to conflict or to cooperation.

At Level 1, the student is able to

• describe actions that can cause conflict or cooperation;
• list motivations people have to be good citizens.

At Level 2, the student is able to

• analyze how conditions lead from conflict to cooperation;
• compare and contrast individuals who gained power and examine their personality traits.

At Level 3, the student is able to

• evaluate the various ways of thinking consistent with personal mental health and responsibility, self-esteem, and successful management of conflict.

4.2 understand political current events that are relevant to the field of psychology.

At Level 1, the student is able to

• identify political and social issues that affect an individual’s role in a democratic society.

At Level 2, the student is able to

• evaluate, take and defend positions about the functions of leadership and the importance of public service in America.

At Level 3, the student is able to

• design a graphic organizer that illustrates positive and or negative governance of various groups.

4.3 understand conflicts, cooperation, and interdependence among individuals, groups, and institutions.

At Level 1, the student is able to

• describe how one individual’s exercise of freedom may conflict with the freedom of others.

At Level 2, the student is able to

• explain how being a member of a group can increase a marginalization of an individual’s social power can also can increase hostile actions toward or from other groups or individuals;
• analyze the idea that conflict between people or groups may arise from competition over ideas, resources, power, and or status;
• explain that conflicts are especially difficult to resolve in situations in which there are few choices and little room for compromise.

At Level 3, the student is able to

• demonstrate informal ways of responding to conflict such as pamphlets, demonstrations, or cartoons.

Sample Task:

Students will find and critique examples of Civil Disobedience to authority. (Two-three days) Students will set up experiments to examine why obedience to authority is a common phenomenon. (Five days) Students will work in groups and role-play the four types of conflict. (Two days)

Standard Number: 5.0 History

Standard: History involves people, events, and issues. Students will evaluate evidence to develop comparative and causal analyses, and to interpret primary sources. They will construct sound historical arguments and perspectives on which informed decision in contemporary life can be based.

Learning Expectations:

The student will

• 5.1 understand psychology as an empirical science.
• 5.2 understand contemporary and historical data as it relates to psychology.

Performance Indicators:

5.1 understand psychology as an empirical science.

At Level 1, the student is able to

• identify people who are part of the history of psychology;
• identify any historical data relative to psychology.

At Level 2, the student is able to

• describe the form psychology took prior to the 20^th century (e.g., Aristotle, Locke);
• describe Wilhelm Wundt’s contributions to experimental psychology;
• describe the major 20^th century schools of psychology such as Behaviorism, Gestalt, Psychoanalysis, and Humanistic;
• describe historical experiences, opportunities and processes affecting minority groups.

At Level 3, the student is able to

• determine how philosophical issues become psychological when tested empirically.

5.2 understand contemporary and historical data as it relates to psychology.

At Level 1, the student is able to

• recognize the impact social and political issues have on the individual.

At Level 2, the student is able to

• describe historical experiences, opportunities and processes affecting minority groups;
• compare and contrast individual leaders who influenced history.

At Level 3, the student is able to

• evaluate why the field of psychology is one of the youngest of the sciences;
• evaluate historical factors that influenced the popularity of the different perspectives.

Sample Task:

In groups of five students will construct a time line that illustrates the history of the field of psychology in relation to major world events. (Give some class time over five days) In pairs students will chose a famous person or leader from world history. After researching this person the students will explain this person’s behavior from the viewpoint of the six approaches to psychology. (Four days)

Standard Number: 6.0 Individuals, Groups, and Interactions

Standard: Personal development and identity are shaped by factors including culture, groups, and institutions. Central to this development are exploration, identification, and analysis of how individuals and groups work independently and cooperatively.

Learning Expectations:

The student will

• 6.1 understand personality approaches and theories.
• 6.2 understand Psychological concepts, methods and theories in analyzing how humans think learn, feel and behave.
• 6.3 understand the major sub-fields and career opportunities that accompany the field of psychology.
• 6.4 understand ethical issues in the use of psychological theories and tool.
• 6.5 understand the influences of heredity and environment on humans in terms of learned and inherited traits, personality and intelligence and other individual differences.
• 6.6 understand how heredity interacts with environment to influence behavior.
• 6.7 understand the relationship between brain, sensory perceptions and behavior.
• 6.8 demonstrate knowledge regarding mental disorders, theories of causality and methods of treatment.
• 6.9 analyze the role of perceptions, attitudes, values and beliefs in the psychological growth and development of humans.
• 6.10 apply the use of technology to explore (web-quest) the different areas of the lifespan and other topics in psychology.

Performance Indicators:

6.1 understand personality approaches and theories.

At Level 1, the student is able to

• define personality and identity;
• identify thoughts, feelings, and behavior in a personal experience.

At Level 2, the student is able to

• describe how personality can explain individual differences and individual consistencies;
• explore the influence of variables such as culture, family, and genetics on personality development;
• analyze the different personality approaches;
• compare and contrast the various approaches and theories of psychology.

At Level 3, the student is able to

• analyze the influence of free will and determinism;
• analyze how each approach would assess a case history.

6.2 understand Psychological concepts, methods and theories in analyzing how humans think learn, feel and behave.

At Level 1, the student is able to

• identify biological, behavioral, cognitive, and socio-cultural terms;

At Level 2, the student is able to

• analyze how each perspective would explain a concept such as aggression;

At Level 3, the student is able to

• evaluate the limitations of each perspective in assessing behavior and mental processes;
• compare and contrast primary emphases of the different perspectives.

6.3 understand the major sub-fields and career opportunities that accompany the field of psychology.

At Level 1, the student is able to

• identify the different sub-fields of psychology;

At Level 2, the student is able to

• explain the differences between a psychologist and psychiatrist;
• describe applied specializations such as cross-cultural, sports, industrial/organizational, forensic, rehabilitation.

At Level 3, the student is able to

• consider career opportunities for college graduates with psychology majors.

6.4 understand ethical issues in the use of psychological theories and tool.

At Level 1, the student is able to

• define ethics and ethical issues;
• list situations students would find unethical.

At Level 2, the student is able to

• describe the ethical obligations of psychologists;
• role-play an ethical dilemma related to psychology.

At Level 3, the student is able to

• judge the importance of adhering to APA ethical standards in working with human or animal subjects;
• appraise the pros and cons of the use of human and other animals in psychological research, including their ethical treatment.

6.5 understand the influences of heredity and environment on humans in terms of learned and inherited traits, personality and intelligence and other individual differences.

At Level 1, the student is able to

• define terms related to personality and intelligence.

At Level 2, the student is able to

• explain how heredity and environment may influence personality and intelligence;
• analyze studies demonstrating how environmental variables influence the development of intellectual skills;
• compare the differences in the behavior of individuals arising from the interaction of heredity and experience.

At Level 3, the student is able to

• evaluate studies about twins and whether heredity is the key factor in determining individual differences. Consider the interaction between children and parents relates to differences in motivation and personality.

6.6 understand how heredity interacts with environment to influence behavior.

At Level 1, the student is able to

• identify the relationships among DNA, genes, and chromosomes.

At Level 2, the student is able to

• differentiate between genotype and phenotype;
• explain how chromosomal abnormalities can cause Down or Turner’s syndrome.

At Level 3, the student is able to

• analyze twin and adoption studies to assess the influence of heredity and environment on behavior;
• construct a graphic organizer showing results from inbred and out bred strains of rats and mice.

6.7 understand the relationship between brain, sensory perceptions and behavior.

At Level 1, the student is able to

• list the five known senses;
• label a diagram of the parts of the eye and ear and explain the role of each part.

At Level 2, the student is able to

• explain the operations of taste and touch;
• devise a demonstration that illustrates threshold, adaptation, and constancy;
• analyze advertisements for the use of sensory information.

At Level 3, the student is able to

• find examples of sensory principles in music or textbooks.

6.8 demonstrate knowledge regarding mental disorders, theories of causality and methods of treatment.

At Level 1, the student is able to

• list criteria that distinguish normal from abnormal behavior;
• identify how judgments about abnormality have changed through history.

At Level 2, the student is able to

• describe the impact of mental disorders;
• classify major explanations for the origins of abnormality;
• categorize the major categories of abnormal behavior;
• cite historic or fictional examples of stigmatized behavior.

At Level 3, the student is able to

• evaluate strategies to promote support for individuals with specific mental disorders;
• develop some characteristics for effective treatment and prevention;
• speculate about factors that prompt ethnic minority group members to stay or leave treatment provided in state or county mental health facilities

6.9 analyze the role of perceptions, attitudes, values and beliefs in the psychological growth and development of humans.

At Level 1, the student is able to

• describe physical, social, and cognitive changes from the prenatal period throughout the lifespan;
• compare the students’ life experiences with general patterns of others from their generation.

At Level 2, the student is able to

• examine the nature of change over the lifespan;
• identify the complex cognitive structures found in the early development of infants and young children;
• describe transition from childhood to adolescence;
• explain the transition from adolescence to adulthood;
• identify limitations of stage theories;
• explain the characteristics of the longitudinal and cross-sectional methods of study.

At Level 3, the student is able to

• appraise the stage theories of development (e.g,. Piaget, Erikson, Kohlberg, Gilligan, Cross, Helms);
• apply developmental theories to life situations.

6.10 apply the use of technology to explore (web-quest) the different areas of the lifespan and other topics in psychology.

At Level 1, the student is able to

• identify standard of living/quality of life idea;
• discuss the effects of media violence on aggressive behavior.

At Level 2, the student is able to

• compare and contrast definitions of quality of life across cultures that vary in technological development;
• demonstrate an understanding of how global conflict as seen on TV can influence anxiety, depression or other disorders;
• examine the moral dilemmas surrounding assisted suicide;
• examine cultural perspectives and values as they influence attitudes toward medical interventions.

At Level 3, the student is able to

• appraise medical interventions for fertility and premature baby care.

Sample Task:

Students will study and discuss the six psychological approaches. In groups they will select a case study of an individual and show how each psychological approach would analyze that person. (Case Studies provided by the Instructor) If it’s a large class six groups can choose a different approach and the class can present the same case history from six different perspectives. This is great for skits. (Two days)

After studying methods of research in psychology, students (in pairs) will brainstorm and write down topics, which could be researched through any of the psychological research methods. Students in small groups of three will choose a topic (hypothesis) and use one of the methods to prove/disprove hypothesis. Students will make a formal presentation to the class explaining their findings. A chart, graph or table will be used to present the data and conclusion found. Each group will answer any question other students may have about appropriateness, procedures, or ethics. After all groups have presented, each student will write a short paper evaluating the use of the different methods and stating which method they would select to research this topic and why. (One week)