AP Psychology Review Packet

These flashcards cover key psychological concepts, definitions, and theories essential for AP Psychology exam preparation.

Biological Perspective

Focuses on how genetics, brain structures, neurotransmitters, and hormones influence behavior.

Cognitive Perspective

Examines how thinking, memory, perception, and problem-solving affect behavior.

Behavioral Perspective

Emphasizes how learned associations, reinforcement, and punishment shape behavior.

Psychodynamic Perspective

Explores how unconscious drives, childhood experiences, and repressed emotions influence behavior.

Humanistic Perspective

Highlights personal growth, self-actualization, and free will in shaping behavior.

Evolutionary Perspective

Looks at how natural selection and survival instincts influence behavior.

Sociocultural Perspective

Investigates how cultural norms, values, and social interactions shape behavior.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms one’s preexisting beliefs.

Hindsight Bias

The tendency to believe, after an event has occurred, that one 'knew it all along'.

Overconfidence Bias

The tendency to overestimate one’s abilities, knowledge, or accuracy in predicting events.

Experimental Research

A research method that manipulates an independent variable to determine its effect on a dependent variable.

Non-Experimental Research

A research method that examines relationships or behaviors without manipulating variables.

Case Study

An in-depth analysis of a single person, group, or event.

Correlation Study

Examines relationships between two variables without manipulation.

Naturalistic Observation

Observing behavior in its natural setting without interference.

Meta-Analysis

A statistical analysis that combines results from multiple studies on a topic.

Hypothesis

A testable statement predicting the outcome of a study.

Independent Variable (IV)

The variable manipulated by the researcher.

Dependent Variable (DV)

The variable measured by the researcher.

Confounding Variable

An uncontrolled factor that may affect results.

Random Assignment

A procedure which participants are randomly placed in different groups.

Experimental Group

The group exposed to the independent variable.

Control Group

The group not exposed to the independent variable.

Placebo Effect

When participants experience a change due to expectations rather than treatment.

Single-Blind Procedure

Participants do not know if they are in the experimental or control group.

Double-Blind Procedure

Neither participants nor researchers know which group individuals are in.

Sampling Method

The process of selecting participants for a study.

Generalizability

The extent to which study results apply to the larger population.

Positive Correlation

As one variable increases, the other also increases.

Negative Correlation

As one variable increases, the other decreases.

No Correlation

There is no relationship between the variables.

Correlation Coefficient (r)

A measure of the strength and direction of a relationship between two variables.

Third Variable Problem

A factor that may influence both variables in a study.

Statistical Significance

If p<0.05, the results are unlikely due to chance.

Effect Size

A measure of the strength of an independent variable's influence on a dependent variable.

Mean

The average of a dataset.

Median

The middle number in an ordered dataset.

Mode

The most frequently occurring value in a dataset.

Range

The difference between the highest and lowest values in a dataset.

Standard Deviation (SD)

Measures how much scores vary from the mean.

Normal Curve

A bell-shaped distribution where most scores fall near the mean.

Skewed Distribution

A distribution that is not symmetrical.

Positively Skewed

The tail is on the right side of the distribution.

Negatively Skewed

The tail is on the left side of the distribution.

Ethical Principles

Standards that guide the conduct of psychology research, including informed consent and protection from harm.

Informed Consent

Participants must be fully aware of the study's risks and procedures before agreeing to participate.

Debriefing

Researchers must explain the study's purpose and any deception after participation.

Protection from Harm

Participants should not experience physical or psychological harm.

Confidentiality

Researchers must keep participant data private.

Deception and Confederates

Sometimes necessary for study validity but must be justified.

Confirmation

The tendency to seek out information that supports preexisting beliefs.

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency to overestimate dispositional factors and underestimate situational factors when explaining others' behavior.

Actor-Observer Bias

The tendency to attribute our own behavior to situational factors but others' behavior to dispositional factors.

Self-Serving Bias

The tendency to attribute successes to dispositional factors and failures to situational factors.

Internal Locus of Control

The belief that one’s actions directly influence outcomes.

External Locus of Control

The belief that external factors determine outcomes.