All AP Psych Vocab

Confirmation Bias

Tendency for someone to look for info that aligns with their opinion and ignore the ones that don't.

Hindsight Bias

When the outcome seems obvious only after it's happened.

Overconfidence

The tendency to overestimate the accuracy of our estimates.

Independent Variable

Variables that vary independently from other influences.

Dependent Variable

Variables that vary based on other factors.

Random Assignment

A participant is randomly chosen to be in the experiment or control group.

Case Study

Examining one individual in depth to reveal a general truth

Correlation

A measure of the strength of relationship between two factors.

Meta-Analysis

A combination of results from multiple studies.

Naturalistic Observation

Observing subjects in their natural environment.

Hypothesis

An idea that is put out as a possible explanation for a phenomenon that has not yet proven to be true.

Falsifiable Hypothesis

Principle that states that hypothesis must be able to be proven wrong.

Operational Definitions

The procedure and research variables of a study.

Confounding Variables/Third Variable Problem

An unaccounted variable that affected the dependent variable.

Histogram

A bar graph that depicts data.

Scatterplot

A graph where each data point is a point on the graph.

Central Tendency

Values that represent the center of the dataset.

Variation

The diversity of values.

Percentile Rank

Percentage of values that fall below a particular value.

Range

Highest value minus lowest value.

Confederate

An experimenter with a practiced behavior that acts as a participant.

Control Group

A group that does not receive the intervention that the experimental group does, providing a comparison.

Correlation Coefficient

A number that represents the strength and direction between two variables.

Cross-Sectional Design

Using different groups of people that differ in the subject of interest but share other similarities such as ethnicity.

Debriefing

Telling the participant more info about a study after it has been conducted.

Descriptive Statistics

Usage of numerical data to measure characteristics.

Double-Blind Study

None of the participants know which group they are in.

Experimental Group

The group in a study receiving the intervention.

Experiment

Procedures used to confirm or disprove a hypothesis.

Experimenter Bias

When the experimenter affects the results of their own study due to bias.

Frequency Distribution

The number values that fall within a specific interval.

Illusory Correlation

When someone believes in a correlation between two variables when there is none.

Inferential Statistics

Using statistical information to make inferences.

Informed Consent

The participant is given enough information about a study to make an informed decision.

Longitudinal Design

Studying the same sample over a long period of time to see how they develop.

Mean

The average of data

Median

The center of all the data

Mode

The data value with the highest frequency.

Statistical Significance

Whether or not something occurred by chance. If something is statistically significant, it did not occur by chance.

Acetylcholine

A neurotransmitter involved in learning, memory, and muscle contraction.

Action Potential

A brief electrical charge that travels through an axon, sending a message.

Agonist

Drugs that mimic a particular neurotransmitter, activating the same receptors that it does (usually not a good thing).

Alzheimer's Disease

A progressive neurocognitive disorder that causes brain cells to degenerate and die, slowly impairing memory and cognitive function

Amygdala

The part of the brain that's most closely associated with fear, emotions, and motivation.

Androgen

A class of steroid hormones that are the primary male sex hormones

Antagonist

Drugs that block a particular neurotransmitter from activating its receptors

Association Areas

Areas of the cerebral cortex that are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking

Autonomic Nervous System

A part of the nervous system that controls involuntary physiological processes such as breathing

Axon

A long, tubular structure in a neuron that transmits action potentials.

Brainstem

the part of the brain that connects the cerebrum with the spinal cord

Broca's area

The region of the brain that contains neurons involved in speech function

Central Nervous System

is made up of the brain and spinal cord. The main nervous system of the body.

Cerebellum

A brain region responsible for coordinating and refining motor movements, ensuring balance and posture, and facilitating procedural learning

Cerebral cortex

The outer surface of the cerebrum, which is associated with higher level processes such as consciousness, thought, emotion, reasoning, language, and memory.

Cerebrum

The location of conscious thought processes, intellectual functions, voluntary motor, visual, and auditory activities and the largest area of the brain.

Computed Tomography (CT) scan

A radiographic technique for quickly producing detailed, three-dimensional images of the brain or other soft tissues.

Corpus Callosum

A band of nerve fibers that connect the brain's left and right hemispheres together, allowing them to communicate.

Dendrite

Projections from the neurons that receive information from the axon.

Depolarization

The loss of inside/outside charge is ___, causing the next section of axon channels to open

Dopamine

A neurotransmitter involved in movement, learning, attention, emotion

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

Machine that measures and records brain waves in various states, such as dreaming and sleeping, to study cognition.

Endocrine System

A 2nd communication system interconnected with your nervous system.

Endorphins

Neurotransmitters that deal with pain and pleasure.

Epinephrine

A hormone that triggers the 'fight or flight' response.

Forebrain

The part of the brain that controls higher abstract thought, logic, speech, emotions, and more. This section includes the cerebrum.

Frontal Lobe

The front part of the brain that controls higher mental processes like thinking, planning, and decision-making.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

A type of brain scan that measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow.

Hindbrain

One of the three major parts of the brain, it contains the brainstem and the cerebellum and regulates our nonvoluntary biological functions, such as sleep and respiratory and motor activities.

Hippocampus

Region of the brain that is associated primarily with memory.

Hormone

Chemical substances produced in your body that control and regulate the activity of certain cells or organs. Slower than neurotransmitters but longer lasting.

Hypothalamus

Regulates the autonomic nervous system by producing and releasing hormones.

Interneuron

A neuron that processes information between the sensory input and motor output

Lateral Hypothalamus

A region of the hypothalamus that is involved in regulating eating behaviors, energy intake, and reward-related behavior.

Lesion

Any abnormal damage or change in the tissue of an organism, often caused by disease or trauma.

Limbic System

A part of the brain that stores memories, controls survival behaviors, and generates emotional responses.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

A form of magnetic resonance imaging used to localize areas of cognitive activation.

Medulla

A part of the brainstem and hindbrain that controls automatic functions of the body, such as breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure.

Midbrain

A part of your central nervous system located between forebrain and hindbrain; it's involved in functions such as vision, hearing, motor control, sleep/wake cycles, arousal (alertness), and temperature regulation.

Motor Cortex (Motor Strip)

Regulates voluntary movements such as walking.

Motor Neurons

Neurons that control voluntary and involuntary movements by sending signals from the brain and sensory systems to muscles.

Myelin Sheath

A layer of fatty tissue that insulates axons and speed their impulses.

Neurotransmitters

Endogenous chemicals that allow neurons to communicate with each other throughout the body. Triggered by action potential reaching the end of the axon's terminals.

Norepinephrine (Noradrenaline)

A neurotransmitter important in controlling alertness, wakefulness, mood, and attention.

Occipital Lobe

Located in the back of the cerebral cortex. It is home to the primary visual cortex and the central area for visual processing, visual perception, and color recognition.

Parallel Processing

The processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously

Parasympathetic Nervous System

The system responsible for returning the body to a calm state after experiencing stress or arousal.

Parietal Lobe

Lobe located at the top of the brain, between the frontal and occipital lobe, consisting of the somatosensory cortex. It is responsible for integrating sensory information from different parts of the body, especially visual information related to navigation and spatial orientation.

Peripheral Nervous System

The nervous system that includes all of the nerves that branch out from the brain and spinal cord and extend to other parts of the body, including muscles and organs. Gathers informations and transmits CNS decisions to other body parts.

Pineal Gland

Secretes serotonin by day and converts it to melatonin at night. These chemicals affect mood, anxiety, and sleep.

Pituitary Gland

Considered the 'master gland' of the endocrine system. Hormones secreted from this gland help regulate growth, metabolism, and numerous other bodily functions and processes.

Plasticity

Refers to the brain's malleability or ability to change.

Pons

A part of your brainstem, a structure that links your brain to your spinal cord.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

A scan that measures chemical activity in the brain.

Prefrontal Cortex

Located at the very front of the frontal lobe, it controls executive functions or a set of abilities that are needed to control cognitive behaviors.

Reflex

Innate motor responses that are triggered by specific patterns of sensory stimulation. (EX. Knee jerk reaction)

Refractory Period

Shorts breaks taken by neurons.

Reticular Formation

Nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal.

Reuptake

Reabsorption of neurotransmitters into the neuron.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI)

Interfere with serotonin transport in the brain's synapses and can work to elevate mood.

Sensory Neurons

The nerves responsible for sensing a stimulus.