Welcome to the School Year!

You have until Monday, Sept. 10th to finish the summer assignments. You can read the summer assignment sheet here.

Use your syllabus to make sure you are keeping up with the reading assignments. You should take meaningful Cornell Notes on every psych reading assignment. You can see a copy of the syllabus here. 

If there is a teachers strike you need to keep up with your reading...or even use your free time to get ahead. The AP Exam date will not change just because there is a teachers strike here in Chicago. 

Your Phineas Gage Review - Summer Assignment Part 2: Due Aug. 20

After you have read Phineas Gage and worked on the Phineas Gage Reading Guide Questions you should post your review of the book in the COMMENTS to THIS blog post.    (use the "comment" link below this post) 

Your comment should be a review of the book. A book review is a critical assessment of the book in which you share your opinions about the book and back up those opinions with examples from the book. Be sure to describe the story and the style of the book. 

Some questions you might want to think about as you write: What did you think of the book? What did you find most interesting? What are some new or surprising things you learned from the book? Why do you think Phineas was "lucky" or "unlucky?" Are there other texts (books, movies, etc.) that relate to the story of Phineas? Why or why would you not recommend it to a friend? 

As with the last blog assignment, I will not show the comments until the deadline so everyone has a chance to work on the assignment without being too influenced by other peoples' work. Do not re-send your post multiple times.

Please note: I will be out of town and mostly away from internet access from Aug.10 to Aug. 20 so I may not be able to answer questions you have during that time. Just do your best to follow the instructions. I will check e-mail as soon as I get back in town. If you're having trouble with the blog, just e-mail me your comment so you have evidence you completed it before the deadline. 

2012-2013 Summer Assignment Part 1 Due July 20th

Go to this link about the Ten Most Revealing Psychology Experiments and read through the summaries of all ten of them. 

Select one of the experiments that you think is interesting. Click on the link in the summary to start your research about that experiment. (the link to #3 is broken, but you can use this link to get started.) Read through the information and seek out other information online. There may be good YouTube videos or other sources you should investigate. You can also look up some of the experiments or the experimenters in your textbook. 

In your comment to THIS BLOG POST please do the following to complete the assignment:

1. Summarize the experiment. Include who did it, when they did it, where they did it, and what they did.
2. Explain the importance of the experiment to our understanding of human behavior. Why do you think the experiment is considered a valuable insight into the way people think and/or act?
3. Give one example of how the experiment can be applied to everyday life. You can use yourself or someone you know in the example, or make up an example that you think the experiment might apply to in normal life.
4. At the end of your post include all sources (full URLs, please) and sign the post with your first name and just the initial letter of your last name (for example: Phillip D.)
5. To send your comment please click the "Name/URL" option and put your first name and last initial in the "Name" box. Don't fill in the URL box.  

I suggest that you write your comment in Word or other program first so you can check your spelling etc. and then just paste it into the comments at the end of this post. 

Your post should be 3 to 5 paragraphs long and should demonstrate some original thinking on your part. Do not cut-and-paste or copy any text directly.

Your comment will not show up on the blog until close to the due-date, as I want everyone to approach the project without being biased by seeing the posted work of others in the class. If you aren't sure if your comment went through you may e-mail me and I'll let you know.  

If you have any questions please e-mail me. I usually reply to e-mails within a day or two. Before sending me an e-mail, please read my "How to email a teacher" post from my biology blog ... really. http://cantorsbiologyblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-to-send-e-mail-to-teacher-really.html

Consumer Education Unit - Don't get ripped off!

Consumer Education Projects

Your job is to become an expert on one of the following topics and then teach the important ideas about it to the class. Your final grades in the class and your consumer education credit depend on your project, your presentation and a final exam.

Topics:

1. “Why am I broke all the time?” How and why to do a personal budget.
2. “What security deposit?” How to rent an apartment.
3. “Pay myself first? What the…?” The how and why of savings.
4. “As seen on TV.” The power of advertising.
5. “The story of stuff.” How do my buying habits affect the world?
6. “Scams, spam and getting slammed.” How to avoid getting ripped off online and in the real world.
7. “I wish my parents were rich.” How to pay for college and not get buried in debt.”
8. “But I thought I was making 10 bucks an hour!” What to expect from wages. Where does all the money go from your paycheck?
9. “Pay the man.” How to do your taxes.
10. “Oh Lord, won’t ya buy me a Mercedes Benz.” How to buy cars and other expensive stuff. (or just take the train)
11. “A cheeseburger costs $487.63?” How to avoid credit card debt.
12. “If it seems too good to be true...” How bad consumer decisions contributed to the recent financial crisis.
13. "I always use protection!" How Insurance can save your butt.
14. "I want it NOW!" How to separate needs from wants and base consumer decisions on your core values.

Your grade depends on the following:

1. VISUAL presentation you will use to teach the class about your topic. This can be a PowerPoint, but could also be a video or other type of presentation (20pts)
2. The ORAL part of your presentation in which you teach the class about your topic. (10pts)
3. A one-page handout with key ideas which will be printed and distributed. (10pts)
4. A 10 question multiple choice quiz on your topic. (10pts)

You must keep track of, and list your sources on your one-page handout. These will be useful to your classmates if they need to look up this information in the future. 


As you work - save your files often, and be sure to e-mail the most recent version to your partner(s) at the end of every class/work session. Losing your file is not an acceptable excuse. 

Name files based on this template: Group00_class_product.ext

Group01_ConEd_Present.ppt  --> this is the presentation for group 1

Group13_ConEd_Handout.doc --> this is the handout for group 13

Group07_ConEd_Quiz.doc   --> this is the set of quiz questions for group 7 

Here are some links to resources for our Consumer Education unit. You may and should use other sources, but these should get you started.

1 - Why am I broke all the time?
http://www.myliferoi.com/2009/10/budgeting-worksheet-for-teens/
http://www.themint.org/teens/tracking.html
http://www.themint.org/teens/determine-your-budget.html
http://www.atg.wa.gov/teenconsumer/finances/budgets.htm 
http://www.dinkytown.net/java/HomeBudget.html

2 - What security deposit?
http://www.atg.wa.gov/teenconsumer/on_your_own.htm
http://www.tenant.org/
http://www.mytwodollars.com/2008/01/16/a-few-tips-for-first-time-apartment-renters/
http://ezinearticles.com/?Leasing-Planning-for-First-time-Apartment-Rental-Expenses&id=625503
http://data.cmap.illinois.gov/chicagoareahousing.org//Allinfo.asp?audience=r

3 - Pay myself first?
http://www.fool.com/how-to-invest/thirteen-steps/step-1-change-your-life-with-one-calculation.aspx?source=ii1sitlnk0000001
http://www.themint.org/teens/saving.html
http://www.themint.org/teens/compounding-calculator.html

4 - As seen on TV:
http://pbskids.org/dontbuyit/
http://www.icbs.com/kb/marketing/kb_marketing-psychological-tricks-in-selling.htm
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~taflinge/words.html
http://www.factcheck.org/
http://www.cracked.com/article_15768_as-seen-on-tv-10-most-laughably-misleading-ads.html
https://www.adbusters.org/gallery/spoofads

5 - The story of stuff. 
http://www.storyofstuff.com/
http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2010/03/how_much_does_a_pair_of_jeans.html 
http://www.globalissues.org/issue/235/consumption-and-consumerism
https://www.adbusters.org/campaigns/bnd
http://www.verdant.net/
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/how-to-avoid-being-enslaved-by-consumerism.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/alex_steffen_sees_a_sustainable_future.html

6 - Scams, spam and getting slammed:
http://www.snopes.com/
http://www.atg.wa.gov/teenconsumer/buying_goods_and_services.htm
http://chicago.bbb.org/consumers/
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/20/technology/personaltech/20basics.html?src=me&ref=general

7 - I wish my parents were rich!
http://www.atg.wa.gov/teenconsumer/finances/financing_college.htm
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/pay/
http://apps.collegeboard.com/fincalc/ep/wizard-home.jsp

8 - But I thought I was making 10 bucks an hour...
http://www.themint.org/teens/earning.html
http://www.wallstats.com/deathandtaxes/
http://www.dinkytown.net/java/HomeBudget.html

9 - Pay the man.
http://www.freefile.irs.gov/
http://www.helium.com/items/159765-income-tax-tips-for-first-time-filers-the-w-2-your-first-step
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/itax/news/20040130a1.asp
http://www.irs.gov/
http://www.wallstats.com/deathandtaxes/

10 - Oh Lord, Won't ya buy me a Mercedes Benz..
http://www.themint.org/teens/spending.html
http://www.atg.wa.gov/teenconsumer/buying_goods_and_services.htm
http://www.atg.wa.gov/teenconsumer/transportation.htm
http://www.igocars.org/
http://www.activetrans.org/
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/j/janis+joplin/mercedes+benz_20069845.html
http://www.jango.com/music/Janis+Joplin?l=0

11 - A cheeseburger costs $487.63!
http://www.themint.org/teens/owing.html
http://www.themint.org/teens/i-paid-how-much.html
http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/article-29911.html
http://www.atg.wa.gov/teenconsumer/finances/credit_cards.htm

12 - If it seems too good to be true...
http://baselinescenario.com/financial-crisis-for-beginners/
http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2008/12/whats_causing_the_crisis.html
http://socyberty.com/economics/the-financial-crisis-for-dummies/
http://www.dosomething.org/blog/chatterbox/financial-crisis-teen-are-feeling-pinch-too
http://vodpod.com/watch/1035776-financial-crisis-for-dummies

13 - How Insurance can save your butt...
http://www.progressive.com/shop/teen-car-insurance-resources.aspx
http://insurance.mo.gov/consumer/teens/index.htm
http://www.superpages.com/supertips/car-insurance-for-teenagers.html
http://www.allkidscovered.com/
http://www.geico.com/information/aboutinsurance/renters/
http://www.giis.org/rent/rent.shtml

Social Psychology Videos you MUST watch...

The following links feature very important concepts in social psychology. Review Asch's, Milgram's and Zimbardo's classic studies and read up on the "bystander effect." 

The Bystander Effect... what would you do?


This just happened, so all the facts aren't in yet but it looks like a 31 year-old Guatemalan man named Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax was stabbed on the street in New York City and many pedestrians walked right past him as he died. You can read the story and see a surveillance video here.


Read more about the bystander effect here. 

Asch's Conformity

Solomon Asch's conformity study showed how easily people will give an obviously wrong answer when other people are giving that same answer. Watch the video at the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRh5qy09nNw

Milgram's Obedience

Stanley Milgram's obedience study was recently partly replicated by ABC's Prime Time show. Watch how easily people follow orders even when they know the orders are wrong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwqNP9HRy7Y

Zimbardo's Prison Roles

Philip Zimbardo's experiment about how roles affect behavior is known as the "Stanford Prison Experiment." Those playing inmates became passive while those playing guards became aggressive. Subjects' real identities seemed to pale in comparison to the roles they played so much that the experiment had to be stopped after a few days. Who knows what would have happened if the experiment had gone on for two full weeks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmwSC5fS40w

More Review Resources

Mr. Schallhorn, an AP Psych teacher in California, put together a great set of YouTube videos you can use to review for AP Psych. His YouTube channel is at the following address. 

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOG05VwbujNwGUX5UA0zcXQ?ob=0&feature=results_main 

You also have your AP Review Books, your Bernstein Study Guides, your PsykTrek CDs and the thousands of flashcards and pages of notes you've created this year.

Mr. Jones, and AP Psych teacher from North Carolina told me that students are using Twitter this year in their AP Psych review.

"...if a student has a question about AP Psych, they can just type the question on Twitter and put this at the end of the tweet:  #appsychreview  

For those of you who are old hats at Twitter, you’ll recognize #appsychreview as a hashtag – it’s a way to group together tweets with a common theme. Anyone can then assist the student with their question – it could be a AP Psych teacher, a professor, or even a fellow AP Psych student. I’ve asked a few AP teachers to help out, but we would love your help. If you are familiar with Twitter and you would like to help out with answering questions, it’s probably easiest to set up a separate search for #appsychreview or just bookmark this link: https://twitter.com/#!/search/realtime/appsychreview ."

I've never used Twitter this way, but it's worth a try, and I'm going to start following #appsychreview.

Keep in mind that these will mostly be other students answering questions, so it's not as authoritative as a textbook or other edited resource.

As you find other resources, please e-mail them to me at ptdworkin-cantor at cps.edu or post them in the comments section of this post.

Do you like electronic flash-cards? Do you use Apps? You might like http://www.studyblue.com/ which has tons of electronic flash-cards and even a smartphone app. Just type "psychology" into the search box (I want to learn "this") and go for it. You can sign on to get a free account using your facebook account or any e-mail account.

You can find other psych based apps at http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2010/04/episode-121-top-10-psychology-apps-for-the-ipad-iphone-ipod/ There are also links to Android apps there. Some are free, some cost money. Check the reviews carefully before spending your cash. I have not tried them out yet, so if you find one you think is great, please share about it in the comments section of this post.

Personality Blog Assignment Due 4/18

Find how you rate on the big 5 (O.C.E.A.N.) personality inventory.

Openness

Conscientiousness

Extroversion

Agreeableness

Neuroticism 

Take this "Big Five" personality inventory and then post your comment on this post about it.

http://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/

The cartoon is for entertainment purposes only...  you must click the link
above the cartoon to take the Big 5 Test.

Write about your results and what you think about them. Was this test accurate or not. Ask someone who knows you what they think and write about their view as well.  Leave your post as "anonymous" but sign it with your FIRST NAME and LAST INITIAL only.