APA National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula

IIIA-1. Development as a lifelong process
IIIA-2. Research techniques used to gather data on the developmental process
IIIA-3. Theories of development
IIIA-4. Issues surrounding the developmental process (nature/nurture, continuity/discontinuity, stability/instability, critical periods)

IIIA-1.1 Describe physical, social, and cognitive changes from the prenatal period throughout the lifespan.

Students may indicate this by (performance indicators): Illustrating developmental changes in physical, cognitive, and social development Describing research on child development Hypothesizing on the interaction of physical, cognitive, and/or social changes in behavior Inferring how peer relationships change over time Describing similarities and differences in development across cultures Discussing the relative importance of peers’ versus parents’ influence in different cultural groups Examining the role of psychology in enhancing the life of older adults

IIIA-1.2 Examine the nature of change over the lifespan.

Students may indicate this by (performance indicators) Describing how social roles change over time Examining how culture, ethnicity, race, age, religion, gender, social class, ability/disability, and sexual orientation, and so on affect our lives over the lifespan Discussing quality of life issues related to aging

IIIA-1.3 Identify the complex cognitive structures found in the early development of infants and young children.

Students may indicate this by (performance indicators): Citing research on the capabilities of infants and young children Comparing contemporary research on early views of infant capabilities with current understanding Discussing the role of the caregiver in promoting child development Explaining how cultural practices in child-rearing may influence cognitive development

IIIA-1.4 Apply lifespan principles to personal experience.

Students may indicate this by (performance indicators): Comparing their own life experiences with general patterns of others from their generation Predicting their own developmental changes over time Describing transition from childhood to adolescence Explaining the transition from adolescence to adulthood Projecting themselves into late life adulthood (i.e., post 65)

IIIA-2.1 Explain the distinguishing characteristics of the longitudinal and cross-sectional methods of study.

Students may indicate this by (performance indicators): Describing key features of each research technique Evaluating strengths and weaknesses of each research technique Demonstrating how certain research techniques relate to specific developmental issues Identifying behaviors and characteristics across generations Explaining the advantages of using animals to study lifespan issues Relating details of a specific longitudinal or cross-sectional study and its impact for understanding human development

IIIA-3.1 Explain various developmental models.

Students may indicate this by (performance indicators): Explaining components of various developmental models (e.g. Piaget, Erikson, Kohlberg). Applying developmental theories to life situations Identifying limitations of stage theories

IIIA-3.2 Recognize how biological and cultural notions of gender shape the experiences of men and women.

Students may indicate this by (performance indicators): Explaining the differences between sex, identity, and roles Exploring effects of gender discrimination on development throughout the lifespan Explaining how gender identity develops Exploring how gender expectations may differ depending on ethnicity and acculturation Identifying biological factors that may lead to gender differences and similarities

IIIA-3.3 Examine the development of ethnic identity.

Students may indicate this by (performance indicators): Analyzing case studies that illustrate ethnic identity development Exploring effects of ethnic discrimination on development Identifying commonalties across racial and ethnic boundaries Examining theories on multiracial and multiethnic identity and the contexts in which they were developed

IIIA-3.4 Explore developmental theories as they relate to cultural bias.

Students may indicate this by (performance indicators) Identifying how cultural differences affect development, such as in collectivist versus individualist cultures Evaluating strengths and weaknesses of developmental theories, such as Erikson’s stage of identity versus role confusion, from the perspective of different cultures Exploring effects of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation on the understanding of human development

IIIA-4.1 Describe the role of critical periods in development.

Students may indicate this by (performance indicators): Giving an example of a critical period in development Evaluating significance of critical periods in development Explaining difficulties of research in the area of critical periods Linking cortical development to enriched environments during critical periods

IIIA-4.2 Explain the issues of continuity/discontinuity and stability/instability in development.

Students may indicate this by (performance indicators): Giving an example to illustrate continuity or discontinuity in development Citing research concerning stability or instability of traits over time

IIIB-1. Distinguish between personality and personality constructs
IIIB-2. Personality approaches and theories
IIIB-3. Assessment tools used in personality

IIIB-1.1 Define personality as the individual’s unique way of thinking, feeling, and acting.

Students may indicate this by (performance indicators): Identifying their own thoughts, feelings, and behavior in a personal experience Describing how personality can explain individual differences and individual consistencies Evaluating the influence of variables such as culture, family, and genetics on personality development Exploring the impact of sociocultural factors on personality development, including ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability/disability, and so on

IIIB-1.2 Explain the role of personality constructs as a framework for organizing behavioral phenomena.

Students may indicate this by (performance indicators): Describing a historical example of personality explanations Differentiating the situational basis for personality versus enduring aspects of personality Identifying their personal constructs for explaining behavioral phenomena Describing how personality constructs can guide research Hypothesizing on the difficulties personality researchers have studying personality Discussing how bicultural and multicultural individuals may express different personality dimensions (e.g., code-switching) depending on the cultural context

IIIB-2.1 Explain the characteristics of the psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, humanistic, and trait approaches.

Students may indicate this by (performance indicators): Comparing how different personality approaches address the influence of free will and determinism Analyzing how each approach would assess a case history

IIIB-2.2 Identify important contributions to the understanding of personality.

Students may indicate this by (performance indicators): Diagramming Freud’s structure of personality and describing his role in initiating study in the area of personality Describing the influence of external stimuli, modeling, and situational context on behavior Exploring the significance of self-perception and needs on an individual’s thoughts, feelings, and actions Classifying primary dimensions, such as emotional stability or extraversion, as a way to organize behavioral phenomena

IIIB-3.1 Distinguish between objective and projective techniques of personality assessment.

Students may indicate this by (performance indicators): Naming popularly used self-report measures and projective tests Comparing the validity and reliability of objective and projective assessment techniques

IIIB-3.2 Describe tests used in personality assessment.

Students may indicate this by (performance indicators): Explaining key features of tests, such as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2), the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), the NEO-PI-R, California Psychological Inventory, and 16 Personality Factors (16PF) Identifying the possible applications of personality assessment