Enduring Understandings - important ideas that students should carry with them years beyond the instruction received this year.  

• Psychologists seek to define psychology in terms of behavior, cognitive processes, and biological structures of the brain.

• Psychologists perform research, using ethical practices, designed to lead to understandings about behaviors and thought processes of individuals.

• Case studies, surveys, naturalistic observation, and experimentation provide insight into the thought processes and motivations behind behaviors of humans and animals.

• The study of the brain and neurology is ongoing and remarkably little is still known about how the brain works to make the individual function.

• All of the brain is used by the individual to aid normal functioning.

• Neurons are complicated and an integral part of brain chemistry.

• Sensations begin at the senses and are interpreted by the brain to make perceptions.

• Many sensations enter the body at once and are processed by the brain almost simultaneously.

• The brain is a complex organ that can handle much information at one time and process it into something that makes sense to each individual.

• Motivation can be either an internal or an external thing.

• Emotions are both culturally and biologically motivated.

• Different cultures view emotional displays in many diverse ways.

• Stress can have a negative effect on individuals.

• Coping mechanisms are often developed and used to alleviate stress in individuals.

• The study of human development can give insight to commonalities and differences among individuals.

• Many factors, both genetic and environmental, contribute to the development of humans.

• Personality can be categorized into traits or types that are designed to facilitate the categorization of behaviors among humans.

• Intelligence is difficult to define and there are many theories about what constitutes intelligence.

• Cognitive processes of individuals can contribute to behavior.

• Thought processes can be affected by external as well as internal factors.

• Learning can be affected by modeling, conditioning, reinforcement, or punishment.

• Learning is of interest because it can be used to explain and change animal and human behavior.

• Memory is the process by which individuals store, retrieve, and utilize information.

• Language is important in the daily communication for individuals although there is debate about whether it is developed by nature or environment

• Humans go through several stages of sleep every night.

• Drugs negatively affect individuals.

• Abnormal behavior is defined by a culture and can be extremely maladaptive and destructive to individuals and those around them.

• Treatment of abnormal behavior varies according to the causes and symptoms of the abnormal behavior.

• The study of individuals within a culture can give insight into universal cultural norms.

• Cultural understanding can explain human behavior that may seem unusual.

Essential Questions - most important “big picture” questions students should be able to answer after completing learning activities.

• What is psychology?

• What methods are used by psychologists use to research biology and behavior of individuals?

• What are the neurological structures of the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system?

• What is sensation and how does it differ from perception?

• How do sensation and perception work together to form how an individual views their environment?

• How are motivation and emotion at work in each individual?

• What effect does stress have on health?

• What are some coping mechanisms that humans can use to manage stress and improve health?

• How do individuals develop over time?

• What is personality?

• What are different theories of personality that psychologists study?

• What are different theories of intelligence? How do psychologists test intelligence?

• How do organisms learn?

• What is memory?

• What are techniques that have proven to aid persons in remembering information?

• How is language developed?

• What are the states of consciousness involved in sleep, hypnosis and when a person uses drugs?

• What is abnormal behavior? How do psychologists treat abnormal behavior?

• What are cultural norms? How do norms help us to define normal versus abnormal behavior?

Standards and Benchmarks (National Standards for High School Psychology) (http://www.apa.org/ed/topss/apa_natlstandards.pdf)

Standard 1: Students understand that psychology is a science based study of human behavior.
Benchmark 1A: Students demonstrate an understanding of how research methods are used in the study of behavior.

Standard 2: Students know the biological basis for behavior.
Benchmark 2A: Students can identify neurological and brain structures.
Benchmark 2B: Students understand how sensation and perception work to help an individual to understand their world.
Benchmark 2C: Students know how motivation and emotion have similarities and differences among cultures.
Benchmark 2D: Students examine how stress and health are affected by psychological factors.

Standard 3: Students know that the process of human development is a key part of psychology.
Benchmark 3A: Students examine lifespan development.
Benchmark 3B: Students know how different personality types vary among individuals.
Benchmark 3C: Students understand the different theories of intelligence and understand how standardized tests are used to assess intelligence.

Standard 4: Students understand how thought processes make up how the individual sees themselves and the world.
Benchmark 4A: Students know how learning affects individuals.
Benchmark 4B: Students understand memory and know how to apply different techniques to access memory more effectively.
Benchmark 4C: Students examine thinking and language and how each are developed in an individual.
Benchmark 4D: Students understand how sleep, drugs and hypnosis affect individuals from a psychological perspective.

Standard 5: Students understand that there are variations in individual and group behaviors.
Benchmark 5A: Students examine mental disorders from a psychological and cultural perspective.
Benchmark 5B: Students understand how different treatments work to aid those with mental disorders.
Benchmark 5C: Students examine the social and cultural dimensions of behavoir.

District 11 Diamond Units/Lessons Overview - includes information about the purpose, goals and structure of these sample instructional units:

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