AP Psychology Unit 0 Vocabulary Review

A set of 55 vocabulary flashcards reviewing essential concepts from AP Psychology Unit 0 Science Practices.

Biological Perspective

A psychological perspective that focuses on how our body's physical structures and chemicals influence behavior and mental processes, including brain structures, neurotransmitters, hormones, and genetics.

Behavioral Perspective

A psychological perspective that focuses on how our environment shapes behavior through learning, observable behavior, and how reinforcement and punishment influence what we do.

Cognitive Perspective

A psychological perspective that focuses on how we think, process information, and solve problems, examining memory, attention, decision-making, and mental processes.

Evolutionary Perspective

A psychological perspective that focuses on how natural selection has shaped our behaviors and mental processes to increase survival and reproduction.

Humanistic Perspective

A psychological perspective that focuses on personal growth, free will, and the desire to reach our full potential, emphasizing self-actualization and viewing people as inherently good.

Psychodynamic Perspective

A psychological perspective that focuses on how unconscious thoughts, feelings, and early childhood experiences influence behavior, rooted in Freud's work and internal conflicts.

Sociocultural Perspective

A psychological perspective that focuses on how our social interactions, culture, and environment influence behavior and mental processes, including cultural norms and group dynamics.

Confirmation Bias

The cognitive bias involving the tendency to seek out information that aligns with our point of view while at the same time dismissing information that challenges our beliefs.

Hindsight Bias

The cognitive bias involving the tendency to think that one could have anticipated the outcome of an event or experiment after it has already occurred.

Overconfidence

The cognitive bias involving the tendency to overestimate one's knowledge, the likelihood of being correct, or abilities to perform certain tasks.

Eugenics

An idea where evolutionary principles were misused to justify discrimination in inappropriate or discriminatory ways.

Experimental Study

A study where the researcher manipulates a variable to see what effect it has, involving the use of at least one independent variable and random assignment.

Non-experimental Study

A study that does not involve manipulating a variable and randomly assigning participants to groups, including case studies, correlational studies, meta-analysis, and naturalistic observations.

Case Study

A non-experimental research design that examines an individual group of people, event, or situation to provide detailed information and insight into the topic of interest.

Phineas Gage

A railroad worker who survived an injury where a tamping rod shot clean through his head, providing a case study that allowed researchers to better understand different brain structures.

Generalize

To apply the findings of a study to a larger population, different settings, or other situations beyond the specific participants in the original research.

Correlational Study

A non-experimental study design that examines the relationship between two or more variables without manipulating them.

Meta-analysis

A non-experimental research design where researchers combine the results of many different studies on the same topic to look for overall patterns and trends.

Naturalistic Observation

A non-experimental research design where researchers observe and record behavior in a natural setting without interfering or manipulating anything.

Hypothesis

A testable prediction about the relationship between variables that must be falsifiable.

Falsifiable

The requirement of a scientific hypothesis meaning that it is possible to prove it wrong.

Operational Definition

An outline of the exact procedures used in a study that specifies how variables are being measured or manipulated, allowing other researchers to replicate the study.

Independent Variable

The variable in an experiment that is being manipulated or controlled by the researcher, representing the cause.

Dependent Variable

The outcome that is measured in a study, representing the effect.

Confounding Variable

Unwanted variables that can influence the results and make it difficult to determine if the independent variable actually caused the change in the dependent variable.

Population

The entire group that the research is studying.

Sample

The selected group of individuals in a population that are chosen to represent the population in the study.

Representative Sample

A sample that reflects the characteristics of the larger population, making the study's results meaningful.

Random Sampling

A sampling method where every member of a population has an equal chance of being selected for the study.

Convenience Sampling

A sampling method where participants are selected based on their availability or ease of access.

Sampling Bias

An issue that occurs when the sample selected does not accurately represent the population.

Generalizability

The extent to which the results of a study can be applied to the broader population.

Experimental Group

The group in an experiment that receives the treatment and/or is exposed to the independent variable.

Control Group

The group in an experiment that does not receive the treatment and serves as the baseline for comparison.

Random Assignment

The procedure where participants are randomly assigned to be part of the control or experimental group, ensuring the groups are similar at the start.

Placebo

A fake treatment that has no real effect, such as a sugar pill, often given to the control group.

Placebo Effect

When participants experience changes simply because they believe that they are receiving a treatment even when they are actually not.

Single-Blind Study

A study procedure where participants do not know whether they are in the control group or experimental group, but the researcher does know.

Double-Blind Study

A study procedure where neither the participants nor the researchers who interact with them know who is in the control or experimental group.

Experimenter Bias

Occurs when a researcher's expectations or beliefs unconsciously influence the outcome of the study.

Social Desirability Bias

The tendency for participants to respond in ways that they think are socially acceptable rather than answering honestly.

Quantitative Measures

Measures involving numbers and data that can be measured, such as test scores, reaction times, or Likert scale ratings.

Qualitative Measures

Measures involving descriptions and observations that are not numerical, such as structured interviews with open-ended questions.

Peer Review

The process where other experts in the field evaluate a study's methods, results, and conclusions before publication to ensure quality and accuracy.

Replication

When other researchers repeat a study to see if they get the same or similar results, strengthening the original conclusions.

Directionality Problem

The issue in non-experimental research of not knowing which variable is causing the other.

Third Variable Problem

Occurs when an unmeasured outside variable is actually responsible for the relationship between two variables being studied in correlational research.

Self-Report Bias

Occurs when participants' responses do not reflect their true beliefs or behaviors, often because they are unaware of their biases or because questions are leading.

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

A committee that reviews research proposals involving human or non-human animal participants to evaluate ethical guidelines and protect participants.

Informed Consent

An ethical procedure where participants are told about the purpose of the study, tasks, potential risks, and right to withdraw before agreeing to participate.

Informed Assent

Agreement provided by minor participants to participate in an age-appropriate way, obtained alongside informed consent from parents or guardians.

Confidentiality

An ethical practice where the researcher knows the participant's identity but will not share it.

Anonymity

An ethical condition where even the researcher does not know which data belongs to which participant.

Debriefing

An ethical procedure at the conclusion of a study explaining its true purpose, revealing any deception, and ensuring participants leave without lasting negative effects.

Defensible Claim

A statement or argument supported by logical reasoning or evidence, allowing it to be supported in a debate.

Behavioral Perspective: Key Contributors & Studies

Includes Ivan Pavlov (classical conditioning in dogs), John B. Watson ("Little Albert" fear conditioning), and B. F. Skinner (operant conditioning using Skinner boxes).

Biological Perspective: Key Contributors & Studies

Includes Roger Sperry & Michael Gazzaniga (split-brain lateralization), Paul Broca (speech production in Broca's area), and Carl Wernicke (language comprehension in Wernicke's area).

Cognitive Perspective: Key Contributors & Studies

Includes Jean Piaget (childhood conservation tasks), Elizabeth Loftus (car crash memory reconstruction and misinformation effect), and Noam Chomsky (innate language acquisition device).

Evolutionary Perspective: Key Contributors & Studies

Includes Charles Darwin (natural selection and inherited adaptive traits) and David Buss (cross-cultural mate-selection preferences).

Humanistic Perspective: Key Contributors & Studies

Includes Abraham Maslow (Hierarchy of Needs) and Carl Rogers (client-centered therapy, active listening, and unconditional positive regard).

Psychodynamic Perspective: Key Contributors & Studies

Includes Sigmund Freud (psychoanalysis, dream analysis, defense mechanisms), Carl Jung (collective unconscious and archetypes), and Alfred Adler (inferiority complexes and birth order).

Social-Cultural Perspective: Key Contributors & Studies

Includes Solomon Asch (visual line-judgment conformity tasks), Stanley Milgram (shock generator obedience experiments), and Philip Zimbardo (Stanford Prison Experiment).

Biopsychosocial Model

A holistic approach developed by George Engel that combines biological data, personal psychological state, and socioeconomic factors for medical and psychological diagnosis.

Split-Brain Experiments

Landmark research conducted by Roger Sperry and Michael Gazzaniga testing visual and motor lateralization after severing the corpus callosum.

Misinformation Effect Experiment

Elizabeth Loftus's car crash reconstruction research demonstrating how exposure to misleading post-event information alters memory and creates false memories.

Little Albert Study

John B. Watson's experiment demonstrating classical conditioning of emotional responses by pairing a neutral stimulus (white rat) with an unconditioned stimulus (loud sound).

Stanford Prison Experiment

Philip Zimbardo's simulation study demonstrating how societal power dynamics and assigned social roles rapidly transform human behavior.