<p>Ask any AP Psychology teacher to name the best textbook and they will more than likely say, “Myers, of course.” But is Myers really the best text to prepare for the AP Psychology exam? Myers is authoritative and comprehensive. But, it is also boring and filled with too many details that won’t appear on the exam. It has put me to sleep dozens of times. So, is there a better text? Yes there is. For purposes of preparing for the AP Psychology exam, the best text is Psychology in Action by Karen Huffman (9th edition). The Huffman text is easy to read and has a series of amazing “Process Diagrams” that illustrate and explain such difficult topics as Piaget’ Four Stages of Cognitive Development and the Schachter Two-Factor Theory of Emotion.</p>
<p>The two best prep books are Barron’s AP Psychology and the recently released AP Psychology Crash Course. Both books are clearly far superior to their competitors. Barron’s is a trusted book that provides a clear well-organized narrative. Fans of Barron’s should not overlook the Crash Course book. It has a number of unique features including a chapter summarizing the key contributions of all 74 psychologists listed in the AP Course Description booklet. There is also a really good chapter devoted to discussing confusing topics such as the difference between the availability heuristic and the representative heuristic. And finally, Crash Course contains an amazing collection of vivid examples that illustrate all the key concepts.</p>
<p>The two worst prep books are Kaplan’s AP Psychology and REA’s AP Psychology. Both books are inept and a total waste of time and money. Kaplan’s content chapters begin on page 29 and end on page 195. Since each chapter concludes with 5 pages of review questions and answers that leaves a total of just 81 pages of actual content. And that includes a final chapter on “Applied and Other Areas of Psychology” that is not in the College Board AP Psychology Course Description booklet and will not generate any exam questions. Most of the book’s pages are devoted to totally incompetent “practice” questions that bear little or no resemblance to real AP questions. For example, the tests include fill-in-the blank multiple-choice questions that are not used on the actual exam. Here is an example from page 245: "A client with _______ most likely is suffering from some form of schizophrenia. The answer is “delusions and and hallucinations?”</p>
<p>The cover of the REA AP Psychology (8th edition) asks the question: “Are you serious about getting a 5?” Yes, and that is why this is a totally incompetent book that should be avoided. How bad is the book? Well, it contains 13 chapters that do not even follow the Course Description outline. The end of chapter “reviews” include fill-in-the blank, matching, listing and other questions that are not used on the actual tests. The three practice tests are even worse than Kaplan’s.</p>
<p>I urge CCers to avoid the so-called practice tests that fill the pages of most prep books. Here are the best sources of real practice questions:</p>
<ol>
<li>The 2007 Released AP Psychology exam - you will find it at the College Board Online store.</li>
<li>AP Central - You will find a complete collection of all free-response questions from 1999 to 2009. There are graded examples of each free-response question. The site it free and a must see source.</li>
<li>The GRE Psychology Test Practice Book - The test has 205 questions. While the test is a bit harder than the AP exam, it is still great practice and it is free. Here is the link:
[GRE</a> Subject Tests: Psychology](<a href=“http://www.ets.org/gre/subject/about/content/psychology/index.html]GRE”>http://www.ets.org/gre/subject/about/content/psychology/index.html)</li>
</ol>
<p>5 Steps to a 5 is clearly superior to both Kaplan and REA. However, it is not as good as Barrons or Crash Course. Here’s why: On first glance, 5 Steps is a 341 page book with lots of content. However, looks can be deceiving. In reality 5 Steps has just 130 pages of content. Like most prep books, 5 Steps devotes a significant percentage of its pages to practice tests and answers. The 5 Step practice tests are better than Kaplan and REA but they are still not the real thing. The 5 Step content chapters all conclude with several more pages of questions, answers, and oddly a “Rapid Review” of material that they just reviewed. This end of chapter material consumes 82 pages. So all in all 5 Steps has just 130 pages of content. Check out the next post to see how this translates into weak instructional quality.</p>
<p>Lets do a comparison of how 5 steps and Crash Course discuss Piaget’s concepts of schemas, assimilation, and accommodation. I picked these concepts because they are difficult, abstract and frequently tested.</p>
<p>OK here is the 5 Step discussion:
"Piaget believed that all knowledge begins with building blocks called schemas, mental representations that organize and categorize information processed by our brain. Through the process of assimilation, we fit new information into our existing schemas. Through the process of accommodation we modify our schemas to fit new information. As babies, we learn through accommodation that not all people fit our schema of mommy.
I’ll put the Crash Course discussion on the next post. (I hate it when I type up a post and then get timed out)</p>
<ol>
<li>Schema
. A schema is a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information.
. For example, young children develop a schema for Santa Claus that includes a jolly old man with a white beard who wears distinctive red clothes. Santa rewards good children with gifts and presents on Christmas.</li>
<li>Assimilation
. In Piaget’s theory, assimilation is the process of absorbing new information into an existing schema.
. For example, as they become older, children see Santa on television and in the mall. Children assimilate these Santas into their existing schema by identifying then as “Santa’s helpers.”</li>
<li>Accommodation
. In Piaget’s theory, accommodation is the process of adjusting old schemas or developing new ones to incorporate new information.
. For example, when children become older,they realize that Santa Claus doesn’t really exist. Children are forced to develop a new schema that identifies Santa as a fictional character (played by their parents) who nonetheless continues to bring them presents on Christmas.</li>
</ol>
<p>Both 5 Steps and Crash Course define the concepts. However, Crash Course goes one step beyond 5 Steps by including particularly vivid examples for each concept. This is not a minor point. Two-thirds of the AP Psychology multiple-choice questions and most of the free-response questions are centered on concepts. The test writers expect students to identify examples on the multiple-choice questions and provide examples on the free-response questions. So recognizing and providing examples of key concepts is of paramount importance. Crash Course excels in this area and that is why I recommend it.</p>
<p>Princeton Review is best described as AP Psychology Lite. If American Idol judge Randy Jackson were reviewing it he would say, “it’s alright dawg.” </p>
<p>The PR book is 304 pages long. However, looks are deceiving. The actual content chapters begin on page 44 and end on page 197. Each content chapter is followed by 3 - 6 pages containing questions, answers, lists of terms, and often blank pages. Altogether, there are just 97 pages of actual content. PR’s two practice tests are certainly much better than the practice tests in Kaplan and REA. However, there are no substitute for real tests that can be purchased at the College Board’s Online Store.</p>
<p>So to conclude: In my opinion, Barron’s and the new Crash Course are clearly the best two AP Psychology prep books. Kaplan and REA are clearly the worst two AP Psychology prep books. PR and 5 Steps are in the middle. Both are OK but you can do better.</p>
<p>In a day or so, I will compare all these books on specific topics that generate a number of AP questions. I believe this will clearly demonstrate why Barron’s and Crash Course are the best AP Psychology prep books.</p>
<p>Go to post 4 and click on the link. Then go to the end of the test. Answers are on page 54. You will see them. Remember, the GRE is tougher than the AP and has more questions on the brain and nervous system. Even so, it is very good practice.</p>
<p>lol i glanced over that page but since the text was so zoomed out i thought i was something other than the answers.</p>
<p>Anyways, major props on this statistical data. I was planning on using kaplan, but after reading this topic, you’ve highlighted to me why this book sucks. I am now going to get barrons!</p>