AP Psychology Notes

Mean

The average of a set of numbers calculated by adding all values and dividing by the number of values.

Median

The middle value in a data set when the numbers are arranged in ascending or descending order.

Mode

The value that appears most frequently in a data set.

Range

The difference between the highest and lowest values in a data set.

Instinctive drift

The tendency of an animal to revert to instinctive behaviors that can interfere with the performance of learned behaviors.

Somatosensory cortex

Located in the parietal lobe, it processes sensory input from the body.

Broca’s area

Involved in speech production and language processing.

Wernicke’s area

Responsible for language comprehension.

REM sleep

A sleep stage where the brain is active and dreams occur; the brain should not be moving.

Glial Cells

Supportive cells in the nervous system that assist and protect neurons.

Kinesthesis

The sense that provides information about the position and movement of body parts.

Norepinephrine

A neurotransmitter involved in alertness and arousal.

Glutamate

The major excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain.

GABA

The major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain.

Endorphins

Natural painkillers produced by the body.

Substance P

A neuropeptide that sends pain signals to the brain.

Acetylcholine

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

Leptin

A hormone that suppresses hunger.

Ghrelin

A hormone that signals hunger.

Oxytocin

A hormone that plays a role in social bonding and trust.

Brainstem

The part of the brain responsible for handling survival functions.

Cerebellum

Responsible for balance, coordination, and fine motor skills; often called the 'Little Brain'.

Medulla

A portion of the brainstem that controls heartbeat and breathing.

Reticular Formation

A network in the brainstem that controls arousal and alertness.

Thalamus

The sensory switchboard of the brain, relaying information.

Amygdala

The emotion center of the brain, primarily involved in fear responses.

Hypothalamus

Regulates the endocrine system and homeostasis.

Hippocampus

Involved in memory processing; metaphorically described as 'You wouldn’t forget a hippo on a campus'.

Pituitary Gland

The master gland of the endocrine system.

Corpus Callosum

The band of nerve fibers connecting the two hemispheres of the brain.

Cerebral Cortex

The outer layer of the brain that controls information processing.

Frontal Lobe

Responsible for executive functioning, thinking, decision making, and personality.

Motor Cortex

Controls voluntary movement, planning, and execution.

Somatosensory Cortex

Processes sensory information from the body.

Parietal Lobe

Involved in processing sensory input.

Occipital Lobe

Involved in visual processing.

Temporal Lobe

Involved in auditory processing.

Behavioral Psychology

Focuses on observable behaviors and learning.

Psychodynamic Psychology

Explores unconscious drives and conflicts as influences on behavior.

Humanistic Psychology

Emphasizes self-actualization and personal growth.

Cognitive Psychology

Studies thinking and memory.

Evolutionary Psychology

Focuses on natural selection and evolutionary processes.

Sensory transduction

The process of converting outside stimuli into neural impulses.

Absolute threshold

The minimum stimulation needed to detect a stimulus 50% of the time.

Just noticeable difference (JND)

The minimum difference between two stimuli to notice a difference.

Weber’s Law

States that the JND is a constant proportion of the original stimulus.

Sensory adaptation

Diminished sensitivity due to constant stimulation.

Sensory interaction

The principle that one sense may influence another.