Welcome!

Welcome to the wonderful world of Psychology, where we’ll explore who we are and why we do what we do. Some people have called this a “soft science”, but the only thing soft about it is that squishy brain over there on the right. Is it inexact, theory-based and hard to pin down at times? Of course it is! Because you can’t put human beings under a microscope, after all. But you can apply scientific methodologies & empirical reasoning to gain some small scintilla of insight into what makes us tick.
So, that’s what we’ll do & we’ll have some fun in the process.
The high school years are a great time to dip your toes into these psychology waters because this time in your life is a continual exploration of Who am I? What makes me ME? and How do I fit in this world with others?
I’m eager to explore those questions with you!
Course Materials
Just click on any links below to find helpful resources.
NOTE: Daily assignments & updates will be served up using our Google Classroom Stream page, so you’ll probably begin there and sometimes end up back here.
INTRO STUFF
- Love Letter to My Students
- Psych Intro Letter
- Syllabus – Psychology
- Mercy Core Values
- Who Have You Been
- Excel Grade Tracker (Be in control of your own destiny & know where you stand!)
- CORNELL NOTES TEMPLATE
- Sutori Timelines (Create a Story)
- Team Presentation Evaluation Sheet
INTRODUCTION TO FIELD OF PSYCHOLOGY
Schools of Thought-Contemporary Perspectives
- What is a Perspective/School of Thought? (See p.1 for the gist, p.2 for useful notes chart. Thanks, Tustin HS!)
- Contemporary Psych Perspectives (esp. pp. 13-14 summary)
- Psychology Schools of Thought-Perspectives
- Psych Perspectives Quick Chart
- Psych Perspectives Quick Application
- A Multi-Disciplinary (or Eclectic) Approach: Mental Illness Isn’t All In Your Head
Some Intro Video Resources:
- Discovering Psychology (Video & Web Resources)
- CRASH COURSE – PSYCHOLOGY (YouTube Channel)
- A Science Odyssey: In Search of Ourselves
A MINDFUL MOMENT BEFORE WE BEGIN? (MINDFULNESS & MORE)
AREAS OF EXPLORATION & RESOURCES FOR OUR COURSE
- Psychology Research & Methods
- Brain-Body Connections
- Sensation & Perception
- Consciousness
- Learning & Behavior
- Memory & Cognition
- Motivation & Emotion
- Development, Personality & Psychological Disorders
- Social Psychology
- FINAL PROJECT- Film Analysis (w/Rubric)
AND A WHOLE LOTTA RANDOM PSYCH ARTICLES TO EXPLORE:
- Lisa Feldman Barrett: You aren’t at the mercy of your emotions — your brain creates them | TED Talk | TED.com
- Study links student cheating to whether a course is popular or disliked
- Smartphones Are Making Today’s Teens Unhappy, Psychologist Says : Shots – Health News : NPR
- Gazette » The Brain, Sleep, and Learning
- What to Drink to Help You Sleep
- How People Learn to Become Resilient – The New Yorker
- Hidden Brain : NPR
- Computer Assisted Telepathy Helps Humans Communicate
- Monkeys Who Drank Alcohol During Adolescence Had Slower Brain Growth Than Peers
- Listen to Audiobooks published by What Were You Thinking?, Audible Original | Audible.com
- What Were You Thinking by Audible on Apple Podcasts
- Jihadi Rehab May Be An Alternative To Prison For Young ISIS Recruits : NPR
- People Like People Who Ask Questions : NPR
- 3 brain technologies to watch in 2018 | PBS NewsHour
- Light & Circadian Rhythm: The Key to a Good Night’s Sleep?
- Why most of us lean to the right when we kiss | PBS NewsHour
- Why Self-Compassion Beats Self-Confidence – The New York Times
- Is the Answer to Phone Addiction a Worse Phone? – The New York Times
- Parents’ Dilemma: When to Give Children Smartphones – WSJ
- Are You Texters or Yellers in Your Home?
- Hits to the Head May Result in Immediate Brain Damage – The New York Times
- Pig Brains Revived Hours After Death – What It Means For Humans
- One Way to Get Your Child to Listen – WSJ
- How a Speech Pathologist is Teaching Her Dog to Speak
- Should I Tell on My Cheating Classmates? – The New York Times
- Wendy Suzuki: The brain-changing benefits of exercise | TED Talk
- How to Raise More Grateful Children – WSJ
- Petter Johansson: Do you really know why you do what you do? | TED Talk
- Petter Johansson: Do you really know why you do what you do? | TED Talk
- Barry Schwartz: The paradox of choice | TED Talk
- How Do Athletes’ Brains Control Their Movements? – The New York Times
- Keep Your Eye on the Balls to Become a Better Athlete – The New York Times
- Opinion | Why Men Quit and Women Don’t – The New York Times
- What Teens Need Most From Their Parents – WSJ
- Many Americans are lonely, and Gen Z most of all, study finds – CBS News
- How police line-ups jail the innocent – BBC News
- The Eyewitness Test: How do you stack up? – YouTube
- The Dangerous Unreliability of Eyewitnesses – YouTube
- How reliable is your memory? | Elizabeth Loftus – YouTube
- How to spot a liar | Pamela Meyer – YouTube
- Why So Many Gifted Yet Struggling Students Are Hidden In Plain Sight : NPR Ed : NPR
- Exploring what an interruption is in conversation | Stanford News
- Why Teens Should Understand Their Own Brains (And Why Their Teachers Should, Too!) : NPR Ed : NPR
- What’s Going On In Your Child’s Brain When You Read Them A Story? : NPR Ed : NPR
- Why Video Games Trigger Nightly Meltdown: Here’s What Happens in Kids’ Brains
- The Overprotected American Child – WSJ
- BBC – Future – Psychology: A simple trick to improve your memory
- Violinist Still Making Music After Deep Brain Stimulation
- Museum of Illusions
- How to Stop Yourself From Crying
- Top 10 Most Accurate Movie Portrayals of Mental Illness (According to Ms Mojo)
- How to Be a More Patient Person (NYT)
- Red Brain, Blue Brain: Nature-Nurture & Your Politics
- Why Are We Moved By Music?
- How A.S.M.R. Became a Sensation
- How You Think About Raising Children Says A Lot About Your Political Views
- Raising Boys With a Broader Definition of Masculinity
- These Men Are Waiting to Share Some Feeling with You
- What Is Impostor Syndrome? Michelle Obama Says She Has It
- How Your Brain Heals After a Stroke
- Brain Zaps Boost Memory in People Over 60
- 10 Famous Psych Experiments That Could NEVER Happen Today
- Got Anger? Try Naming It To Tame It
- Anger & Aggression in Animals & Humans (NPR 6 mins)
- Cave Experiment: Losing Track of Time
- Why Girls Beat Boys At School & Lose To Them At the Office
- “I Used to Think I Wasn’t Like Others Girls.” Here’s Why That’s So Wrong.
- Mental Illness Isn’t All In Your Head
- The Truth About People Who Have “No Personality” – They Keep Opinions To Themselves
- Your Dog Feels As Guilty As She Looks – Animals Are No Less Emotional Than We Are
- Laughter: Healthy & Not So Healthy
- Birth Order May Not Shape Personality After All
- The End of Empathy
- “Snow Plow” Parents Rob Children of Adulthood
- Why We Procrastinate: Nothing to Do With Self-Control
- Burnout Caused By Chronic Stress is Widespread
- Robots/AI Can’t Understand Humor Like Humans
- At 71, She’s Never Felt Pain or Anxiety. Now Scientists Know Why
- The Healing Power of Gardens
- This is Your Brain on Ads: How Marketing Affects Our Minds
- Scientists Get One Step Closer to Decoding Thoughts Into Speech
- Why Giving Up Is Sometimes the Best Way to Solve a Problem
- Would You Return This Lost Wallet?
- Teenagers Are Tame These Days?
- Why People Are Susceptible to Mis- and Dis- Information
- Why Were We So Cruel to Britney Spears? (Atlantic)
- Framing Britney Spears (NYT)
- Scientists Achieve Real-Time Communication Breakthrough With Lucid Dreamers
- How People Learn To Become Resilient (New Yorker)
- Email is Making Us Miserable (New Yorker)
- People Rarely Leave Conversations When They Want To (CNN)
- Anxiety Screenings for Teens & Young Women Covered by Insurance
- Covid-19 Did Not Affect Mental Health The Way You Think (Atlantic)
- Why Is It OK To Be Mean To The Ugly? (NYT)
- How to Make Your Brain Work Better – Soft Fascination (INC)
- Deep Brain Stimulation as Addiction Treatment (WaPo)
- “Shut Up! I’m Manifesting.” What Is Manifesting & Does It Actually Work? (VOX)
- Email is Making Us Miserable (some interesting studies here – The New Yorker)
- Colleges Should Require the Study of Well-Being in High School (Inside Higher Ed)
- The Best Time Management Advice is Depressing But Liberating (Atlantic)
- Can Cops Unlearn Implicit Biases? (Atlantic)
- Why People Fall For Conspiracy Theories (538.com)
- How To Stimulate the Vagus Nerve to De-Stress & Find Calm (Women’s Health)
- Yale’s Happiness Professor Says Anxiety is Destroying Her Students (NYT)