Psychology 12 Semester 2 YCMHS Mr. B. Goreham

Teacher Information Mr. Brennan Goreham Bachelor of Science, Acadia University, 2010 Bachelor of Education, Acadia University, 2011 Previous Teaching 9 Math and Science, Centre Consolidated School 8/9 French and 9 Social Studies, Barrington Municipal High School Elementary Guidance Teacher, Barrington Family of Elementary Schools 9 Math, 9 Science, 9 Social Studies, Yarmouth Consolidated Memorial High School

Teacher Contact Information Website: Phone: Room Number: 2028 Extra Help: Thursdays from 12:20-12:55 or other times by previous arrangement

Course Objectives Provide an overview of the history of psychology, research methods used in psychological investigations, and compare major perspectives of psychological thought Link human physiology with psychology through the investigation of brain structure and function, methods used to analyze the brain, and the processing of sensory information Investigate human behaviour and its relationship to motivation, emotion, and social and cultural phenomena Introduce students to the processes of learning, memory, thought, and language acquisition Provide an overview of normal, abnormal, and disordered psychological behaviour and the underlying causes and types of treatments for abnormal and disordered behaviour

Units Unit 1: Introduction to Psychology: Historical Background, Research Methods, Research Ethics, Careers in Psychology, Major Psychological Perspectives Unit 2: Biological Processes: Brain Structure and Function, Senses, Nervous Systems, Brain Analyzing Techniques, Inter-relatedness of Body Systems, Stress Unit 3: Sensation, Perception, Consciousness: Thought processes, Interpretations of Sensory Information, Perceptions of Reality, Expectations, States of Consciousness, Sleep Unit 4: Learning, Memory, Intelligence: Creating and storing memories, Learned Behaviour, Classical and Operant Conditioning, Motivation and Rewards, Language Acquisition, Types of Intelligence, Measurements of Intelligence Unit 5: Social Psychology and Personality: Persuasion and Influence, Judgment and Attitudes, Self- concept, Group dynamics and Relationships, Types of Personality, Personality Disorders, Emotions, Personality Assessments Unit 6: Abnormal Psychology (Research Presentation): Normal, abnormal, and disordered behavior, Characteristics and treatments of disorders

Expectations 1.Come to class on-time and prepared. 2.Submit assigned work on due date. If circumstances do not allow for this, see the teacher well before the deadline. 3.Keep an organized binder. 4.Respect S.O.L.E. (Self; Others; Learning; Environment) 5.Take pride in your work. This course is designed to prepare you for future study in Psychology. 6.You earn the grade you are assigned. If you deserve a 90%, you will get a 90%. If you deserve a 30%, you will get a 30%. 7.Marks are earned not given. Do not thank me for a good mark, thank yourself.

Assessment Scheme 1.Tests/Quizzes- 20% 6 Unit Tests Periodic Small Quizzes 2. Classroom Observations/Conversation- 20% Presentations, Discussions, Debates, Oral Questionning 3. Research Assignments- 30% 6 Journal Responses 6 Part Research Design Experiment 4. Final Exam (Mandatory)- 30%

Journal Article Assignments Expectations: 1. Journal articles are to be found online at Mr. Goreham’s website ( or by searching on the web address on the back of this page. I will not be providing print copies to all students. Should internet access be an issue, please see me well in advance of the assigned due datehttp://sharepoint.tcrsb.ca/ycmhs/webpage/bgoreham/default.aspx 2. You are to submit your article review to me via at by no later than midnight on the assigned due date. I will return assessed work to you within one week of 3. Articles are to be typed in size 12 font and properly formatted (Indentation of new paragraphs, citation of quotes if any, double-spaced) 4. You are to include a bibliography (in most cases, referencing just the article assigned). This will give you practice in recording sources for your work. 5. There will be six article assignments assigned, submitted, and evaluated this semester. There will be an option to complete a seventh response to counteract any previously incomplete/unsatisfactory results. 7. Each article review is to be between words and is to be double-spaced. 8. You are to respond to the content of the article. You may choose to: – Relate the content to your experiences both in and out of school. – Either agree or disagree with the statements and arguments of the author. – Find other research that contradicts that of the article author. – Relate the article content to in-class work and discussions that have taken place. – Discuss main points of the article and any new information that you find interesting – Please do not simply provide a summary of the article. The purpose of this writing is to investigate your thoughts and learning as opposed to write about the main points of the article.

Journal Article Schedule Assignment Number AssignedDueTopicArticle TitleAuthor 1February 4 th February 25 th Psychology as a Science Is Psychology a Science? Robert E. Silverman 2February 25 th March 18thThe Brain Carl Zimmer 3March 18 th April 9thPerceptionFalse EyewitnessDouglas Starr 4April 8 th April 29thDreams Dream a Little Dream… Richard Fisher 5April 29 th May 21stStress This is Your Brain in Meltdown Amy Arnsten et al. 6May 21 st June 10thMemoryMaster Your MemoryNew Scientist 7 th (Optional)Make-Up Assignment InfluenceThe Art of InfluenceCarlin Flora All articles can be found on-line by searching for the article title at

Research Methods Assignment Psychology research is a fundamental component of the discipline of Psychology. Psychologists of all backgrounds and specialties conduct research on a regular basis to gain a better understanding of their work. This Semester, we will undergo the process of designing, conducting, and writing about psychological experiments. This will be an on-going component of the course and will be completed in stages. In order to successfully move onto one stage, you must have completed all previous stages (You cannot possible record results of your experiment if you haven’t developed the methods of conducting the experiment). Each stage will be introduced in class with necessary information provided. Regular check-ins will occur to ensure your experiments are on schedule and are proceeding properly. As the first five stages are merely draft stages, you will receive full value if you submit the requirement piece of work completed and fully attempted. For the Final Draft, your grade will be based upon inclusion of feedback from the previous submissions. This project is designed to provide you with experience in completing a research report, a valuable skill for your future.

Stages of Research Methods Assignment StageDescriptionDue Date 1.Research Proposal 2% of Final Course Grade A word description of your intended research project. Provide a brief overview of the methods you intend to use, and the overall scope of your research. What are you intending to show? This is where you still state your research hypothesis. Consider what other research has occurred in this field. Reference at least two other studies. On or before March 4th 2. Experimental Design 2% of Final Course Grade A detailed overview of the methods you intend to employ for your research. Include details and examples of surveys, questionnaires, interviews, technology, etc. that you will be using in your study. On or before March 25th 3. Results 2% of Final Course Grade Report the results of your research. Use tables, graphs, charts, statistics, paragraphs, etc. to summarize your findings. On or before April 22nd 4. Conclusions/Sources 2% of Final Course Grade Summarize your results in relation to your conclusion. Did you find that your hypothesis held? What could you have done differently? What might you do next, should you continue this work? Compare your work to other research in the field. On or before May 13th 5. First Draft 3% of Final Course Grade Incorporate all four previous submissions into once piece, making the noted revisions. On or before June 3 rd 6. Final Draft 7% of Final Course Grade Incorporate revisions to your first draft into a new version. On or before June 17th

Psychology Write a one-page (double-spaced) piece on the following three prompts: 1.What is Psychology? 2.Why are you in this course? 3.What do you hope to learn in this course?