ap psych test - all vocab

Psychology

Derived from physiology (biology) and philosophy, psychology is the study of the mind and behavior.

Structuralism

An early approach that used introspection to examine the underlying structures of the mind.

Functionalism

Emphasized analyzing the purpose of behavior.

Psychoanalytic/dynamic

Focuses on the unconscious and childhood experiences.

Behavioral

Emphasizes learned behaviors and reinforcement.

Humanistic

Centers on free will, choice, and self-actualization.

Cognitive

Focuses on perceptions and thoughts.

Evolutionary

Considers behavior in terms of genetic influences.

Biological

Examines the role of the brain and neurotransmitters.

Sociocultural

Considers the impact of society on behavior.

Biopsychosocial

Integrates biological, psychological, and social factors.

Experiment

Research method where variables are controlled to establish cause and effect.

Independent Variable

Altered by the researcher to observe its effect.

Dependent Variable

The measured variable dependent on the independent variable.

Correlation

Identifies relationships between variables without implying causation.

Descriptive Stats

Includes measures of central tendency like mean, median, and mode.

Inferential Statistics

Determines the significance of research findings.

Neuron

Basic cell of the nervous system, consisting of dendrites, soma, axon, and terminals.

Neurotransmitters

Chemicals that transmit signals between neurons.

Brain Imaging

Techniques like EEG, MRI, and fMRI used to visualize brain structures and activity.

Sleep

Involves stages like REM and NREM, influenced by the circadian rhythm.

Dream Theories

Include Freud's unconscious wish fulfillment and activation-synthesis theories.

Psychoactive Drugs

Alter brain function and behavior, categorized as depressants, stimulants, or hallucinogens.

Sensation & Perception

Involve concepts like absolute threshold, signal detection theory, and sensory adaptation.

Pupil/Iris

Controls the light entering the eye

Lens

Focuses light on the retina

Retina

Contains rods and cones

Fovea

Area of best vision with cones

Rods

Function in black/white vision in dim light

Cones

Responsible for color vision in bright light (red, green, blue)

Bipolar Cells

Connect rods/cones and ganglion cells

Ganglion Cells

Create the optic nerve

Blind Spot

Occurs where the optic nerve leaves the eye

Feature Detectors

Specialized cells in the occipital lobe that detect shapes and lines

Trichromatic Theory

Three cones for receiving color (blue, red, green)

Opponent Process Theory

Complementary colors processed in ganglion cells

Visual Capture

Visual system dominates other senses

Constancies

Objects recognized to not physically change despite sensory input changes

Phi Phenomenon

Adjacent lights blinking on/off in succession creating an illusion of movement

Stroboscopic Movement

Motion produced by a rapid succession of slightly varying images

Monocular Cues

Cues for forming a 3D image from a 2D image

Binocular Cues

Cues for creating a 3D image using both eyes

Top-Down Processing

Whole to smaller parts processing

Bottom-Up Processing

Smaller parts to whole processing

Auditory System Pathway

Sound ➔ pinna ➔ auditory canal ➔ ear drum ➔ cochlea ➔ auditory nerve ➔ temporal lobes

Theories of Hearing

Place theory and Frequency theory

Common Illusions

Muller-Lyer, Ponzo, McGurk effect

Other Senses

Touch, Vestibular, Kinesthetic, Pain, Taste, Smell

Gestalt Psychology

Whole is greater than the sum of its parts, Gestalt Principles

Imitation

Kids repeat what they hear

Nativistic theory (lang

NOAM CHOMSKY –language is innate / biological; we are predisposed to learn

Overregularization

grammar mistake- children over use certain morphemes (I go-ed to the park)

Critical period

period of time where something must be learned or else it cannot ever happen (language must be learned young – Genie the Wild Child)

Linguistic determinism

language influences the way we think (Hopi have no words for past, do not think about the past) developed by WHORF

Metacognition

thinking about (reflecting upon) the way you think

Concepts

mental categories used to group objects, events, characteristics

Prototypes

all instances of a concept are compared to an ideal example (what you first think of)

Algorithms

step by step strategies that guarantee a solution (formula)

Heuristics

short cut strategy (rule of thumb)

Representative Heuristic

make judgment based on your experience (like a stereotype) – assume someone must be a librarian b/c they’re quiet

Availability heuristic

make a judgement based on the first thing that pops in your head (assume planes are dangerous b/c crash in the news)

Functional Fixedness

can only see one (common) use for an item– cannot think outside of the box

Belief bias

tendency of one’s preexisting beliefs to distort logical reasoning by making invalid conclusions

Belief perseverance

cling to our beliefs in the face on contrary evidence

Confirmation bias

look for evidence to support what we already believe

Inductive reasoning

data drives decisions,(inductive ends with an idea (I/I)

Deductive reasoning

driven by logic, deductive ends w/ data (d/d)

Divergent thinking

ability to think about many different things at once (Creative)

Convergent thinking

limits creativity – one answer

GALTON

1st to suggest intelligence was inherited. Supported eugenics.

CATTELL

2 clusters of mental abilities

Crystalized intelligence

language skills and facts - what you learn in school –hard (like crystals!) facts, increase w/ age

Fluid intelligence

spatial abilities, processing speed, abstract thinking – can’t learn in school. decrease w/ age

SPEARMAN’S G FACTOR

said a general intelligence (g) underlies all mental abilities (typical IQ of today)

GARDNER

multiple intelligences (8):linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, intrapersonal (self), interpersonal (others), naturalist

STERNBERG

TRIARCHIC THEORY

Analytical

mental components to solve problems, what IQ tests assess (book smarts)

Practical

ability to size up new situations and adapt to real-life demands (street smarts)

Creative

intellectual and motivational processes that lead to novel solutions, idea, products

BINET

developed 1st intelligence test, combined with TERMAN – developed the STANFORD-BINET IQ TEST

WECHSLER

developed the WAIS and WISC – most commonly used today

FLYNN effect

IQ has steadily risen over the past 80 years – probably due to education standards and better IQ tests

Extremes of Intelligence

high IQ = above 135; intellectually disadvantage = below 70

Genetics

MZ twins have similar IQ, adopted kids more similar to biological parents

Environment

early neglect leads to lower IQ, good schooling to higher IQ

Aptitude

predicts your abilities to learn a new skill (ASVAB)

Achievement

tests what you know(SAT)

Standardization

administer a test to a representative sample of future test takers to establish a basis for meaningful comparison (test it out 1st)

Should be reliable

same results over time

Split-half reliability

compare two halves of the test

Anorexia

Weight loss of at least 15% of ideal weight, distorted body image

Bulimia

Usually normal body weight, engages in a binge-purge eating pattern

Binge Eating

Engages in binge patterns only, without purging

Hypothalamus

Stimulation increases sexual behavior, destruction leads to sexual inhibition

Testosterone

Hormone predominant in males

Estrogen

Hormone predominant in females

Alfred Kinsey

Created Kinsey scale of homosexuality

James Lange Theory

Stimulus leads to arousal which leads to emotion

Cannon Bard Theory

Stimulus leads to arousal and emotion simultaneously

Schacter Two Factor Theory

Stimulus leads to arousal, then labeled as emotion simultaneously