The Latest from EDHS AP Psych!

Hello and welcome to AP Psych - a study of the 3 pound universe between your ears. We know a lot about the brain, but here’s something we DON'T really know - it’s memory capacity! It’s not limitless, but it’s really large! So, let’s not worry about filling it up, but instead let’s add some cool info to what you already know - because learning our species-wide superpower!

Late August 2024 Update: The College Board decided last year to change the AP Psych Curriculum for the 2024-25 school year. It's the same great story - about human mental activity and behavior - just with a few heaps more science thrown in for good measure. We'll work through it together, but please note that the units you see listed on the left are the old organization. This old man has not yet had the mental fortitude to condense and reorganize them. Stay with me...we'll get there!

How to Connect with EDHS AP Psych. 

Quizlet: Join the AP Psych class on Quizlet (see the link above).

AP Classroom: Instructions to follow.

Google Classroom: You should be automatically enrolled once Aeries opens for the Fall 2024 semester.

Psych in the News

What Happens in Your Brain When You Make Art by Malaka Gahrib. Originally published by NPR. Mindshift from KQED - Jan. 2020 - How does the creation of art affect your physiology, your cognitive skills, your mental set, your stress levels, etc. Here from an artist on the psychological science behind making art.

Decoding the Teenage Brain (in 3 Charts) New technologies are shedding light on what really makes adolescents tick—and providing clues on how we might reach them better. (Education writer Stephen Merrill for edutopia, January 31, 2019)

How does a parent forget a child in a car? A neuroscientist explains (Since 1990, 900 kids have died in hot cars). Courtney Robinson for WKYC3 in Cleveland (this is a pretty typical local newscast site - lots of ad glurge and I'm not sure how mobile friendly it is - but it's informative). July, 2019.

First Systematic Study of the Advice People Would Give to Their Younger Selves - June 2019 (Christian Jarrett - British Psychological Society's Research Digest)

Are You a Hair-Twirler, Nail-Biter or Knuckle-Cracker? Sept. 2017 - New York Times

Why Teens Are Impulsive, Addiction-Prone And Should Protect Their Brains - Sept. 2017 - NPR (38:12 min.) 

Psychology vs. Psychiatry: What’s the Difference, and Which Is Better?  - Oct 2010 - Time (It's a little old, but still an informative read about the difference between the two fields and how the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association are a bit like the Montegues and the Capulets.)

Useful Links

• Did You Know... AP Psychology is #6 on the top ten most taken AP exams (and #1 among science courses) and the most passed with a 3 or better in that group? More details here and  here. BTY - EDHS psych students exceeded the national average by about 10 percentage points in over the last three years.

• AP Credit Policy Search -Find out if the school of your choice offers credit for this or that AP Course.

• All about AP Psych from the College Board - more than you need to know at this point, but if you have a question, it's probably answered here. 

• Macmillan Learning (the publisher's web site) - lots of videos, pre-made flash cards (use for studying, but make your own for credit, please), activities and other features.

• Psychology Crash Course - The fine folks at Crash Course do a good job at covering a great many academic subjects. Host Hank Green talks pretty quickly, so get those pause and replay buttons ready. When terms or concepts don't line up with what's in the Myers' text (and these are NOT a substitute!), defer to the book. That being said, these are only going to make the concepts come alive even more for many of you.

• "Ten Myths about Psychology: Debunked" - in this 2014 TedTalk, Ben Ambridge, reader at the University of Liverpool (think “associate professor”), talks about these commonly mistaken popular beliefs about psychological findings.