Changes in the new AP Psych course description

The College Board has just released the 2013 revised course description for AP Psychology. Also known as "the Acorn Book," this is the official overview of the course that is regularly revised, with the previous version being released in 2010.

I went through the 2010 and 2013 versions and have listed below the changes that I noted. Please note that this is not an official list of differences, just the ones I noticed - so please share in the comments below if you find I have made any errors or omissions. The one major thing I will say is that the changes are very minor. There are no changes in the fourteen content areas and no changes in the percentages of questions in each area; there are minor changes in the objectives and outline.

Changes in the Topics and Learning Objectives section:

I. History and Approaches (2–4%)

• Recognize how philosophical and physiological perspectives shaped the development of psychological thought.

• Describe and compare different theoretical approaches in explaining behavior:

• evolutionary, biological, cognitive and biopsychosocial as more contemporary approaches.

III. Biological Bases of Behavior (8–10%)

Discuss the influence of drugs on neurotransmitters (e .g ., reuptake mechanisms, agonists, antagonists). 

Discuss the role of neuroplasticity in traumatic brain injury. 

V. States of Consciousness (2–4%)

Understanding consciousness and what it encompasses is critical to an appreciation of what is meant by a given state of consciousness. The study of variations in consciousness includes an examination of the sleep cycle, dreams, hypnosis, circadian rhythms and the effects of psychoactive drugs.

VI. Learning (7–9%)

• Predict the effects of operant conditioning (e.g., positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment, schedules of reinforcement). (NOTE: schedules of reinforcement ARE still in content area VI – just not in the above sentence!)

IX. Developmental Psychology (7–9%)

Explain how parenting styles influence development.

X. Personality (5–7%)

• Compare and contrast the major theories and approaches to explaining personality: (e.g., psychoanalytic, humanist, cognitive, trait, social cognition, behavioral)

Changes in the Content Outline

I. History and Approaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–4%

A. History of Psychology

B. Approaches

8. Biopsychosocial

C. Subfields in Psychology

III. Biological Bases of Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8–10% 

E. Neuroplasticity

IX . DevelopmentalPsychology  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7–9% 

F. Sex and Gender Development 

Other changes 

There are 25 new multiple choice questions - I found some of them to be difficult and surprising. 

There are two sample free response questions taken from previous AP exams: the 2008 question on Asch's conformity study, and the 2009 question on the dancers Linda and Dmitri.

There is also a nice new section on page 24, AP Psychology Free-Response Question Writing Expectations, which I think will be a terrific guide for both new and veteran teachers on how students should approach answering the Free Response questions.  

Again, please add your thoughts in the comments about other changes you saw that I missed, or what you thought about those multiple choice questions.

--posted by Steve

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