Hamden High School
Summer Reading, Application Assignment & Critical Review
AP Psychology Program
2016-2017
Book Selection: During the summer, in preparation for your study of Psychology, you are
required to read a book from the list of books prepared for this course. The annotated reading
list can be found in this document on page 3 titled "Recommended Books for AP Psychology
Summer Reading Assignment." You may choose to read any book from the list, which includes
many well-written, engaging works that have something worthwhile to say about one or another
aspect of psychology. Some are available in the Media Center; some might be found in a public
library; all can be purchased from any good bookstore.
Due date: The assignment for summer reading is due on the first day of class. The summer
reading assignment will count as a test grade and late papers will be significantly penalized.
Students must keep an electronic copy to submit to turnitin.com on the first day of school.
Passwords and directions for submission will be distributed on the first day of school by
individual teachers.
Requirements: The entire assignment is to be typed, double spaced, and in 12 point Times New
Roman font. It should include a title page with your name and the title and author of the book
you read. Pages should be numbered. The Application Response should appear first, followed
by the Critical Review. Finally, a properly formatted reference section is required only if your
paper required outside sources. APA guidelines should be used for any citations as well as for
the reference page and is available on the media website as well as on each teacher’s individual
website.
Part I: Application Response: Choose 3 out of the 6 perspectives of Psychology listed on
following page. In a two to three page written response for each perspective selected, illustrate
how the perspective was addressed in your book. Each response should include specific
examples and be cited in APA format ( media center site for APA guidelines). Moreover,
responses should use clear analysis to display for the reader how the examples illustrate the basic
principles of each of the 3 perspectives chosen. This application response section will range from
6 to 9 pages.
Biological
(Neuroscience)
Social
Evolutionary
(Darwinian)
Learning
(Behaviorism)
Psychodynamic
(The Unconscious vs.
Conscious )
Cognitive
Biological perspective The approach to identifying causes
of behavior that focuses on the functioning of the genes, the
brain, the nervous system, and the endocrine system.
Social psychology The branch of psychology that studies
the effect of social variables on individual behavior,
attitudes, perceptions, and motives; also studies group and
intergroup phenomena.
Evolutionary perspective The approach to psychology that
stresses the importance of behavioral and mental
adaptiveness, based on the assumption that mental
capabilities evolved over millions of years to serve
particular adaptive purposes.
Learning perspective The psychological perspective
primarily concerned with observable behavior that can be
objectively recorded and with the relationships of
observable behavior to environmental stimuli. Concepts
such as pairing, classical conditioning, reinforcement, and
shaping are common.
Psychodynamic perspective A psychological model in
which behavior is explained in terms of past experiences
and motivational forces; actions are viewed as stemming
from inherited instincts, biological drives, and attempts to
resolve conflicts between personal needs and social
requirements. Unconscious The domain of the psyche that
stores repressed urges and primitive impulses.
Cognitive Perspective This perspective examines human
thought and behavior in terms of how we interpret, process,
and remember environmental events. The strategies and
schemas that we use to view the world are important to
understanding why we think and behave the way we do.
PART II. Critical Book Review: After reading your book and completing the Application
Response, you will be expected to write a critical book review. If you are unfamiliar with a book
review or if you would like to see a good sample of a book review, you are encouraged to
examine the New York Times Book Review. The review should include a basic summary of the
book, but should go beyond that and also include a critical analysis of the book in terms of its
quality and merits. The book review should be 2- 3 pages long and should be included after the
Application Response.
Note: In total, your assignment, not including the title page and reference page (if needed), will be 8 to 12 pages, properly
formatted using APA guidelines. This summer reading document may be found in its entirety, including the annotated
bibliography and reading list.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT PSYCHOLOGY
Recommended Books for Summer Reading Assignment
The following are well-written, engaging, interesting and readable books that have something
worthwhile to say about one or another aspect of psychology. Some are available in the Media Center
(call numbers indicated); some might be found in a public library; all can be purchased from any good
bookstore. Most but not all are available as paperbacks. Thanks to friends, colleagues and former
students for suggestions, and acknowledgement of the excellent bibliography prepared by C.G. Morris of
the University of Michigan.
Aronson, E. (2004). The social animal (9th ed.) NY: W.H. Freeman. Excellent introduction to social
psychology, including conformity, mass communication, propaganda, persuasion, aggression, prejudice,
attraction and loving.
Barondes, S.H. (1998). Mood genes. Hunting for origins of mania and depression. NY: Freeman.
(616.895Bar) Interesting account of how scientists search for genes which predispose depression and
mania; discusses implications for prevention and treatment.
Baum, W.M. (2005). Understanding behaviorism Behavior, culture and evolution. Malden, MA:
Blackwell Publishing. Behaviorisn has provided some of the most powerful ideas in modern psychology
and a foundation for scientific research in this field. The book explains the history and ongoing
significance of this approach to understanding human behavior.
Baur, S. (1988). Hypochondria: woeful imaginings. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Highly
readable history of the source, nature and treatment of hypochrondriasis including case studies of famous
hypochondriacs throughout history (e.g., Tolstoy, Darwin and Boswell).
Berkowitz, L. (1993). Aggression: its causes, consequences, and control. NY: McGraw-Hill. (155.2Ber)
Overview of what science tells us about aggression. Includes discussion of violence-prone personalities,
domestic violence, gun control, violence in media, and control of aggression.
Bjork, D.W. (1993). B.F. Skinner: A Life. NY: Basic Books. (150.19Bjork) Classic biography of the
well-known behavioral psychologist.
Brown, L.M. (1998). Raising their voices: the politics of girls' anger. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press. (155.9Bro) Challenge to the idea that girls go through adolescence as passive,
victimized, self-effacing people wracked by depression, low self-esteem, negative body image and eating
disorders.
Budiansky, S. (1998). If a lion could talk: animal intelligence and the evolution of consciousness. NY:
Free Press. (591.513Budi) Trying to understand animal behavior and intelligence in human terms is poor
science. Anthropomorphism must be rejected if we are to understand the way animals truly think.
Budiansky proposes an alternative.
Chesler, P. (1972, 1989). Women and madness. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. (155.6Ches) A
classic in the field. Proposes that sex-role stereotypes are at the heart of much of what is called mental
illness and that there is a double-standard of mental health.
Cialdini, R.B. (1993). Influence: the psychology of persuasion (rev. ed.). NY: William Morrow.
(153.8Cia) Best-selling book on six basic principles of influence and persuasion. Readable, engaging
account of what psychology has to tell us about selling and marketing, persuasion, and influence.
Cohen, D.B. (1999). Stranger in the nest. Do parents really shape their child's personality, intelligence or
character? NY: John Wiley.(153.2Cohe) Account of the extent to which biology and prenatal influences
affect human development, and a discussion of the social and moral implications of those influences.
Coren, S. (1993). The left-hander syndrome: The causes and consequences of left-handedness. NY:
Random House. The title says it all. But the author goes on to describe other asymmetries (footedness,
eyedness) and to discuss their sources as well as links to things such as intelligence and creativity.
Coren, S. (1999). Sleep thieves: an eye-opening exploration into the science and mysteries of sleep. NY:
Random House. (612.821Cor) As the title says. Excellent reading.
Csikszentmihalyi, M., K. Rathunde and S. Whalen. (1993). Talented teenagers. The roots of success and
failure. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (155.5Csi) The title tells it - from a prolific writer on the
subject of creativity.
Cytowic, R.G. (1993). The man who tasted shapes. NY: Warner Books. Fascinating stories of synesthesia
(experiencing colors as sounds, tastes as shapes, etc.). Includes discussion of how this might arise and
draws implications for reason, emotion and perception.
Damasio, A.R. (1994). Descartes' error Emotion, reason, and the human brain. NY: Quill. (153.42Damas)
Fascinating exploration of the psychology of reason and its dependence on emotions.
Dawkins, R. (1998). Unweaving the rainbow: science, delusion and the appetite for wonder. NY:
Houghton-Mifflin. (501.Dawkins) Does science in all its forms destroy beauty, wonder and poetry in the
world around us? The author believes that knowledge does not rob reality of its wonder. He attacks
superstition, the paranormal, astrology and other forms of pseudoscience.
Dolnick, E. (1998). Madness on the couch: blaming the victim in the heyday of psychoanalysis. NY:
Simon & Schuster. (616.59Doln) An attack on psychoanalysis and the consequences of its overreaching
in the 20th century, which the author argues led it to blame organic disorders such as schizophrenia and
autism on bad parenting.
Dunn, J. and R. Plomin. (1990). Separate lives: why siblings are so different. NY: BasicBooks. Authors
explore the concept of "nonshared environments" -- environmental events that affect only certain
individuals in a family and cause them to differ, often to a surprising degree. Includes a discussion of the
practical implications of all this as well as lots of examples from real-life biographies.
Elkind, D. (1984). All grown up & no place to go: teenagers in crisis. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
(305.2 Elk) Elkind discusses the nature of adolescence and then focuses especially on the pressure to
grow up quickly that has characterized adolescence in the late 20th century.
Erikson, E. (1950, 1978) Childhood and society. W.W. Norton. (155.4 E) Classic study of the personality
and social development of children.
Erikson, E. (1968, 1994) Identity: youth and crisis. W.W. Norton. (155.2 Eri) Classic study of the
personality and social development of adolescents.
Gardner, H. (1994). Creating minds. NY: Basic Books. (153.3Gard) Applies the theory of multiple
intelligences to understanding creativity in such people as Freud, Einstein, Picasso, Stravinsky, T.S. Eliot,
Martha Graham, and Mahatma Gandhi.
Gardner, H. (1996). Leading minds: an anatomy of leadership. NY: BasicBooks. (303.34) Applies
cognitive psychology to understanding the minds of selected leaders and followers, including Margaret
Thatcher, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Eleanor Roosevelt, and Margaret Mead, among
others.
Gay, P. (1998). Freud: a life for our time. NY: W.W. Norton. (150.19Gay) Seminal biography examines
Freud's life in context of our culture.
Gilovich, T. (1991). How we know what isn't so: the fallibility of human reason in everyday life. NY:
Free Press. An excellent and readable summary of the major difficulties people have in reasoning well,
with a wealth of everyday examples.
Goldberg, E. (2001) The executive brain Frontal lobes and the civilized mind. NY: Oxford Univ. Press.
The author explores the most recently evolved regions of the brain, the frontal lobes. Crucial to higherorder functioning, they hold the key to judgment, social aqnd ethical behavior, imagination, and what we
experience as our "soul".
Gould, J. (1981) The mismeasure of man. NY: W.W. Norton. (153.9 Gou) Commentary on the naturenurture debate as applied to intelligence testing by a renowned evolutionary scientist.
Gregory, R.L. (1990). Eye and brain: The psychology of seeing (4th ed.). Princeton, NJ: Princeton
University Press. (151.2G) Readable account of how we see including lots of visual illusions.
Hacking, I. (1996). Rewriting the soul. Multiple personality and the science of memory. Princeton, NJ:
Princeton University Press. (616.8523) Challenging assessment of what science reveals about this
disorder.
Hall, C.S. (1954, 1982). A primer of Freudian psychology. NY: Mentor. Good, readable introduction to
Freud's basic ideas. A classic.
Hall, C.S. and V.J. Nordby. (1973). A primer of Jungian psychology. NY: Mentor. (150.19H) Jung's basic
concepts explained clearly.
Herman, E. (1995). The romance of American psychology: politics and culture in the age of experts.
Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. "...few social institutions or political issues in America
remain untouched by the wisdom of psychological 'experts.' More than God, more than genes, more than
our rung on the class ladder, psychology tells us who we are and can hope to become." How has this
happened and why?
Hilts, P.J. (1995). Memory's ghost: The strange tale of Mr. M. And the nature of memory. NY: Simon &
Schuster. (616.84 Hil) Case of Henry M. who underwent experimental brain surgery in 1953 and has
since lived only in the present. He can talk and read and write, but has no memory for what has just
happened -- every minute is a new experience for him.
Hobson, J.A. (2002). Dreaming An introduction to the science of sleep. NY: Oxford University Press.
(612.821) Recent work by one of the foremost experts on sleep and the emergence of dreams.
Jamison, K.R. (1995). An unquiet mind. NY: Knopf. (616.89) A beautifully written account of manic
depression written by a professor of psychiatry who is a victim of the disorder. A central theme is her
reluctance to take the drug lithium even though it will be beneficial to her because she is afraid to lose the
creative energy that comes with the manic phase of the disorder.
Johnson, A.B. (1990). Out of Bedlam: the truth about deinstitutionalization. NY: BasicBooks. A clinical
social worker describes how deinstitutionalization arose, its initial promise, and its often devastating
consequences in the absence of adequate community-based care alternatives.
Jourdan, R. (1997). Music, the brain and ecstasy: how music captures our imagination. NY: William
Morrow. What is music, how does it affect us, and what accounts for musical genius? A discussion of the
psychology of music.
Kagan, J. (1994). Galen's prophecy: Temperament in human nature. NY: BasicBooks. Evidence for
inborn personality temperaments, specifically the evidence that some children are born inhibited and
others are born uninhibited and the implications of this for understanding shyness and other personality
traits.
Kagan, J. (1997). Three seductive ideas. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. (150.1Kag) Highly
readable critique of three common assumptions made in popular press, and also by psychologists
themselves, about the field of psychology.
Kubler-Ross, E. (1969, 1978). On death and dying. NY: MacMillan. (155.9K) Classic study of terminally
ill patients and their adjustment.
Lane, H. (1976). The wild boy of Aveyron. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. (155.4 L)
Scholarly account of a boy whose early life was spent in the wild forests of Aveyron in southern France in
the late 1700s. He was eventually captured, institutionalized, then sent to Paris for study and display.
LeDoux, J. (1998). The emotional brain: the mysterious underpinnings of emotional life. NY: Simon &
Schuster. (152.4) Useful discussion of many of the issues raised in recent popular treatments of emotional
intelligence.
LeDoux, J. (2002. Synaptic self How our brains become who we are. NY: Penguins Books. Synthesis of
recent research in neuroscience to explain how the interactions between nerve cells in the brain creates
what we experience as personality..
LeVay, S. (1996). Queer science: the use and abuse of research into homosexuality. Cambridge, MA:
MIT Press. Critical review of various efforts over the past century to explain the causes of sexual
orientation by a leader in recent biologically-based research.
Levenkron, S. (2001). Anatomy of anorexia. NY: W.W. Norton & Co. (616.8526Lev) Balanced . up-todate and readable survey of what is known about the causes and treatment of this disorder.
Lifton, B. J. (1994). Journey of the adopted self: a quest for wholeness. NY: BasicBooks. The inner world
of those adopted who struggle with their status and who attempt to cope effectively by searching for their
biological roots. Written by a strong advocate for open adoptions.
Loftus, E. and K. Ketcham. (1991). Witness for the defense: the accused, the eyewitness, and the expert
who puts memory on trial. NY: St. Martin's Press. Lively, personal, and informative examination of eight
court cases that centered on disputed eyewitness identifications in the light of what psychology has to tell
us about human memory.
Loftus, E. and K. Ketcham. (1994). The myth of repressed memory: false memories and allegations of
sexual abuse. NY: St. Martin's Press. Renowned expert on memory attacks the belief in "recovered
memories" (particularly repressed memories of alleged sexual abuse). Argues that there is no scientific
evidence in support of such memories and that they are in most cases confabulations.
Mallinger, A.E. and J. DeWyze. (1993). Too perfect: when being in control gets out of control. NY:
Random House. The downside of perfectionism: the negative effects of behavior patterns that characterize
obsessive perfectionists. Compulsive worriers, neat freaks and workaholics among others.
Myers, D.G. (1995). The pursuit of happiness. NY: Avon Books. The author of a prominent textbook
addresses the titled subject.
Norman, D. (1988). The design of everyday things. NY: Basic Books. Introduction to the relationship
between psychology and product design, one of the many professions you might not have realized were
open to graduates in psychology.
Nye, R.D. (1992). Three psychologies: perspectives from Freud, Skinner, and Rogers (4th ed.). Pacific
Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. Brief overview of the lives and basic concepts of these three influential
theorists. Includes comparisons, contrasts and evaluations of the theories.
Nye, R.D. (1992). The legacy of B. F. Skinner: concepts and perspectives, controversies and
misunderstandings. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. Excellent discussion of Skinner's life, the basic
concepts of his theory, sources of controversy, common misunderstandings, his views on Freud and his
disagreements with Rogers, and the relevance of his theory to today's world.
Pendergrast, M. (1996). Victims of memory: sex abuse accusations and shattered lives. Hinesburg, VT:
Upper Access Press. Readable account of some of the problems which have arisen in dealing with this
issue.
Pinker, S. (1997). How the mind works. (153Pin) Wide ranging discussion of how we process
information. Fascinating stuff!
Pinker, S. (2002). The blank slate The modern denial of human nature. NY: Viking. (155.2) Brilliant
analysis and critique of how human nature has been viewed throughout history, with defense of modern
biological construct of what it is to be human.
Ramachandran, V.S. and S. Blakeslee (1998). Phantoms in the brain: probing the mysteries of the human
mind. NY: William Morrow. (612.8) What can neurological disorders teach us about who we are, how we
construct our body image, why we laugh or become depressed, how we make decisions, deceive ourselves
or dream? Enlightening!
Randi, J. (1980). Flim-flam. NY: Lippincott & Crowell. (133.8R) Author is a renowned skeptic who
debunks pseudoscientific theories and phenomena.
Restak, R.M. (1993). Receptors. NY: Bantam Books. Thorough and readable exploration of synapses and
neurotransmitters and their links to drugs, moods, behavior, personality and mental illness.
Rothenberg, A. (1990). Creativity and madness: new findings and old stereotypes. Baltimore: Johns
Hopkins University Press. Interesting, thorough and up-to-date examination of the relationship between
creativity and mental illness including consideration of Sylvia Plath, August Strindberg, Emily Dickinson,
Robert Penn Warren, John Cheever, Eugene O'Neill and William Faulkner among others.
Sacks, O. (1989). Seeing voices: a journey into the world of the deaf. NY: HarperCollins. (305.9 Sac)
Moving account of the world of the deaf.
Sacks, O. (1983). Awakenings. NY: E.P. Dutton. (616.8 Sac) Vivid story of authors work with catatonic
patients, using experimental drugs to "reawaken" them to the world.
Sagan, C. (1996). The demon-haunted world: Science as a candle in the dark. NY: Ballantine Books.
Excellent discussion of the scientific approach to knowledge, this work ranges beyond the subject of
psychology alone.
Schacter, D.L. (1996). Searching for memory. The brain, the mind and the past. NY: Basic Books.
(153.12Sch) Up-to-date assessment of what psychologists have learned about memory, how it works and
why it sometimes fails.
Schacter, D.L. (2001). The seven sins of memory How the mind forgets and remembers. NY: Houghton
Mifflin & Co.Excellent, highly readable discussion of the nature of human memory, where and how it
fails us, and why it works so well nonetheless.
Schwartz, J.M. and Begley, S. (2002). The mind, the brain, neuroplasticity and the power of mental force.
NY: Regan Books. To change our brains is to change ourselves, and ours lives are encompassed to a great
degree in these changes. Readable account of recent discoveries about the transformations wrought by
memory, the processes of development, and injury.
Segal, N.L. Entwined lives: twins and what they tell us about human behavior. (155.44Seg) Thorough
presentation of what is known about twins and how they have contributed to our knowledge of
psychology.
Seligman, M.E.P. (1990). Learned optimism. NY: Pocket Books. (155.2) Highly regarded book on
optimism, pessimism, and positive thinking based on research and theory in cognitive psychology. The
author believes optimism and pessimism are learned explanatory styles. Includes self-tests and practical
advice.
Shattuck, R. (1994). The forbidden experiment: the story of the wild boy of Aveyron. NY: Kodansha
America. (155.4 Sha) Authoritative account of this strange case (see Lane above for another account).
Shorter, E. (1997). A history of psychiatry from the era of the asylum to the age of prozac. NY: John
Wiley & Sons, Inc. Excellent historical narrative of how the treatment of the mentally ill in western
society has evolved from the 18th century to the present.
Skinner, B.F. (1971). Beyond freedom and dignity. NY: Alfred A. Knopf. (150S) Discussion of an ideal
society run on behavioral principles by a founder of behaviorism.
Skinner, B.F. (1948, 1976). Walden two. NY: Macmillan. (F Skinner) Classic novel of a society run on
behavioral principles by a founder of behaviorism. The 1976 edition includes a retrospective commentary
by Skinner almost three decades after the book first appeared.
Spanos, N.P. (1996). Multiple identities and false memories: a socio-cognitive perspective. Washington,
D.C.: APA Books. (616.8523Sp) Not only about the titled topics, the book covers hypnosis and addresses
several key ideas from socio-cognitive research.
Springer, S.P. and G. Deutsch. (1998). Left brain, right brain (5th ed.) NY: W. H. Freeman. (612S)
Outstanding, authoritative account of what we know about brain asymmetry -- both fact and fiction.
Stanovich, K. (1995). How to think straight about psychology. NY: Harper Collins. (150.72) A
foundation for one's first effort to understand psychology as a science - a fundamental concept.
Sternberg, E.M. (2001). The balance within The science connecting health and emotions. NY: W.H.
Freeman. (616.011Ster) Recent review of what is known about the "mind-body connection" and its
implications for mainstream and alternative medicine.
Szasz, T.S. (1974). The myth of mental illness: foundations of a theory of personal conduct (2nd ed.).
NY: Harper & Row. Classic challenge to the very concept of "mental illness" as well as to who
determines who is sick and who makes the diagnoses.
Szasz, T.S. (1994). Cruel compassion: psychiatric control of society's unwanted. NY: Wiley.The latest in
Szasz's series of criticisms of psychiatry and what he calls the "Therapeutic State" in which people are
drugged and confined because they misbehave.
Temerlin, M.K. (1975). Lucy growing up human. Palo Alto, Science and Behavior Books. (156.T)
Classic study of primate behavior describing a psychologist's work with a chimpanzee.
Torrey, E.F. (1988). Nowhere to go: the tragic odyssey of the homeless mentally ill. NY: Harper & Row.
A "scathing indictment" of deinstitutionalization and the resulting problem of the homeless mentally ill.
Describes how the problem arose and what should be done about it.
Torrey, E.F. (1995). Surviving schizophrenia: A manual for families (3rd ed.). NY: HarperCollins.
(616.89Tor) Highly-regarded, classic reference on the nature, causes, symptoms and treatment of
schizophrenia including living and coping with schizophrenia in the family.
Wade, C. and C. Tavris. (1993). Critical & creative thinking: the case of love and war. NY:
HarperCollins. Authors describe 8 principles of critical thinking and provide practice in applying them to
understanding research on love (attraction, intimacy, conflict) and war (prejudice, aggression).
Wilson, F.R. (1998). The hand: how it shapes the brain, language and human culture. NY: Pantheon
Books. Language, intellect, intelligence, communication, expression, writing, painting, creating and
playing music, touching, hunting and using tools: the author argues that all these human abilities depend
upon and developed from the use of hands.
Winerip, M. (1994). 9 Highland Road: sane living for the mentally ill. NY: Vintage Books. (362.3 W)
Intriguing account of a group home for the mentally ill in Glen Cove, NY -- an account of life at the home
and its residents, and also the impact of the home on the surrounding neighborhood.
Wright, R. (1994). The moral animal: why we are the way we are. The new science of evolutionary
psychology. NY: Vintage Books. (304.5) Excellent, highly readable account of the main tenets of
evolutionary psychology.
Zimbardo, P.G. (1977). Shyness. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. (152.42) The author explores shyness,
drawing material from well-known people as well as other sources. Includes a self-test of shyness and lots
of specific advice about ways to set about reducing shyness.
Zimmer, C. (2004). Soul made flesh The discovery of the brain and how it changed the world. NY: Free
Press. Seventeenth century enlightenment philosophers explored the proposition that more is to be learned
about human nature by studying the brain and the body than the soul. Psychology as a result became more
the object of science than religion, but no less subject to dispute, in the three centuries since. Fascinating
historical work.