AP Psych Flashcards

Mary Whiton Calkins (Unit 1A)

The first female president of the American Psychological Association. She created self-psychology, which emphasized a self-evaluation of one’s personal experiences

Charles Darwin (Unit 1A)

Developed theories of evolution and natural selection. His beliefs inspire the evolutionary approach in psychology

Dorothea Dix (Unit 1A)

An advocate for the mentally ill by highlighting the deplorable conditions in asylums. She created the first mental hospitals in America

Sigmund Freud (Unit 1A)

the father of psychoanalysis

G. Stanley Hall (Unit 1A)

Known as the founder of educational psychology and child psychology. He shaped adolescent themes in psychology

William James (Unit 1A)

Wrote the Principles of Psychology and is the founder of functionalism. He created the James-Lange theory and mentored Mary Whiton Calkins

Ivan Pavlov (Unit 1A)

Known for his work in classical conditioning

Jean Piaget (Unit 1A)

Created stages of development for children including the sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operation phases

Carl Rogers (Unit 1A)

humanist psychologist who created client-centered therapy where the therapist guides personal growth

B.F. Skinner (Unit 1A)

A behaviorist psychologist. He created the theory of operant conditioning where he studied how consequences shape behavior

Margaret Floy Washburn (Unit 1A)

The first woman granted a Ph.D. in psychology

John B. Watson (Unit 1A)

The father of behaviorism. He is famous for the controversial Little Albert experiment

Wilhelm Wundt (Unit 1A)

Created the first psychology laboratory. Also the founder of structuralism

Structuralism (Unit 1A)

says that structure is more important than function- the mind must be broken into elements to understand the brain and its functions- uses introspection

Functionalism (Unit 1A)

was created to understand how the conscious mind is related to behavior- wanted to know how the mind affected what people did

Early Behaviorism (Unit 1A)

was the study of observable events. This theory shifted psychology from a study of the unconscious and conscious mind to a more science-based study based on observable events

Gestalt (Unit 1A)

psychology says that the whole is different than the sum of its parts; looks at the mind and behavior as a whole; minds do not focus on small components- see the greater whole

Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic (Unit 1A)

focuses on the study of the unconscious mind. It states that behavior is determined by past experiences stored in the unconscious mind

Humanistic (Unit 1A)

believes that humans have free will and the ability to grow; All individuals are striving to reach self actualization with this approach

Evolutionary approach (Unit 1A)

uses evolutionary biology to explain human behavior. Also, it looks at how natural selection of traits promotes the survival of genes. An evolutionary psychologist may study how anger could be a gene inherited from our ancestors

Biological approach (Unit 1A)

states that behavior is based on physical processes such as those relating to the brain, hormones, and other chemicals

Cognitive approach (Unit 1A)

impact the way people behave. A cognitive psychologist may study how an emotion such as fear affects one’s thinking

Biopsychosocial approaches (Unit 1A)

acknowledges the person as a whole and tries to look at all of the patient's circumstances. It looks at biological, psychological, and social factors to understand a person’s behavior

Sociocultural (Unit 1A)

studies how thinking and behavior vary across cultures and situations. A sociocultural psychologist may study how expressions of fear vary across cultures

Biological Domain (Unit 1A)

states that physical processes shape behavior. For example, a biological psychologist might say that anger is due to a certain hormonal balance in the brain

Clinical Domain (Unit 1A)

focuses on assessing and treating mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders

Cognitive Domain (Unit 1A)

studies the mental processes associated with thinking, knowing, and communicating

Counseling Domain (Unit 1A)

focuses on personal issues that are not classified as mental disorders. These types of therapists help people cope with challenges and crises in life

Developmental Domain (Unit 1A)

studies social, physical, and cognitive changes throughout the lifespan

Educational Domain (Unit 1A)

the study of how psychological processes can impact and improve learning and teaching

Experimental Domain (Unit 1A)

uses the experimental method to examine relationships between behavior and the mind

Personality Domain (Unit 1A)

the study of how personality affects the way people think and behave

Psychometric Domain (Unit 1A)

focuses on psychological measurement and is concerned with the design of psychological examinations

Industrial-organizational Domain (Unit 1A)

studies the relationships between work and people in order to help companies increase productivity, boost morale, and select and train employees

Social Domain (Unit 1A)

studies how humans are influenced by one another and how we relate and think about each other

Positive Domain (Unit 1A)

focuses on making human existence more fulfilling, rather than focusing on the treatment of mental illness. Promoting strengths and virtues to improve the lives of people and communities

Experiments (Unit 1B)

investigators manipulate one or more factors of some behavior or mental process; can isolate cause and effect

Correlational studies (Unit 1B)

shows how one trait or behavior is related to another

Survey (Unit 1B)

technique for ascertaining the self-reporting attitudes of behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group

Naturalistic observation (Unit 1B)

Observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation

Case studies (Unit 1B)

Observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles; often suggest directions for future studies

Longitudinal studies (Unit 1B)

research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period

Cross-sectional studies (Unit 1B)

study in which people of different ages are compared with one another

Operational definitions (Unit 1B)

a statement of the procedures (operations) used to define research variables for example, human intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures.

Correlation (Unit 1B)

measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus how well either factor predicts the other (correlation does not mean causation)

Hypothesis (Unit 1B)

a testable prediction, often implied by a theory

Independent variable (Unit 1B)

the experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied

Dependent variable (Unit 1B)

the outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable

Random selection (Unit 1B)

every person applicable to the study has an equal chance of being selected

Random assignment (Unit 1B)

assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the groups

Experimental group (Unit 1B)

the group exposed to the treatment during an experiment, that is, one version of the independent variable

Control group (Unit 1B)

the group not exposed to the treatment during an experiment; contrasts with the experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment

Placebo effect (Unit 1B)

experimental results caused by expectations alone; any effect on behavior caused by the administration of an inert substance or condition, which the recipient assumes is an active agent

Self-fulfilling prophecy (Unit 1B)

a belief that leads to its own fulfillment

Single-blind study (Unit 1B)

only the researcher knows which treatment is being applied, the participant does not

Double-blind study (Unit 1B)

neither the researcher or participant know the treatment being applied

Mean (Unit 1B)

the arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores

Median (Unit 1B)

the middle score in the distribution; half the score is above and half the score is below it

Mode (Unit 1B)

the most frequently occurring score(s) in a distribution

Range (Unit 1B)

the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution

Standard deviation (Unit 1B)

a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score

Normal curve (Unit 1B)

(normal distribution) a symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many types of data; most scores fall near the mean (68% fall within 1 SD of it) and fewer near the extremes

Correlation coefficient (Unit 1B)

a statistical index of the relationship between 2 things (from -1 to 1)

Frequency distribution - normal (Unit 1B)

- a symmetrical, unimodal, bell-shaped curve
- no skew
- mean = median

Frequency distribution - Bimodal (Unit 1B)

- 2 peaks (2 modes) in the distribution

Frequency distribution - Positive skew (Unit 1B)

- right-skewed
- most valued clustered around the left tail
- the right tail is longer

Frequency distribution - Negative skew (Unit 1B)

- left-skewed
- more values concentrated on the right side

Inferential statistics (Unit 1B)

Allows you to test a hypothesis or assess whether your data is generalizable to the broader population (makes predictions with data)

Descriptive statistics (Unit 1B)

summarize the characteristics of a data set (describes data)

Informed consent (ethics) (Unit 1B)

researchers working with human participants describe their research project and obtain the subjects' consent to participate in the research based on the subjects' understanding of the project's methods and goals

Debrief (ethics) (Unit 1B)

Includes explaining the purpose and method of the experiment, asking participants their feelings about being participants in the experiment, and helping participants deal with possible doubts or guilt that arise from their behaviors

Central Nervous System (Unit 2)

composed of the brain and spinal cord

Peripheral Nervous System (Unit 2)

connects the sensory and motor neurons to the CNS

Somatic Nervous System (Unit 2)

part of peripheral nervous system- in charge of controlling voluntary muscles

Autonomic Nervous System (Unit 2)

part of peripheral nervous system- in charge of controlling involuntary muscles

Sympathetic Nervous System (Unit 2)

the arousal system- which prepares for action

Parasympathetic Nervous System (Unit 2)

returns to a calm and neutral state once the stimuli that triggered the original arousal has subsided

Neuron (Unit 2)

long, thin cells of nerve tissue along which messages travel to and from the brain

Synapse (Unit 2)

the space between neurons- connections

Neurotransmitter (Unit 2)

opens chemical locks and excites receptors

Reuptake (Unit 2)

sending neuron reabsorbs the excess neurotransmitters

Agonist (Unit 2)

binds to receptor to MIMIC effects

Antagonist (Unit 2)

binds to receptors to BLOCK a neurotransmitter's functioning

Pituitary Gland (Unit 2)

Controls growth and produces/releases hormones such as oxytocin, which promotes pair bonding and social trust

Parathyroid gland (Unit 2)

regulate the level of calcium in your blood

Thyroid (Unit 2)

affects metabolism

Adrenal gland (Unit 2)

trigger our flight or fight responses. They also release epinephrine and norepinephrine

Pancreas (Unit 2)

trigger our flight or fight responses. They also release epinephrine and norepinephrine

Ovary (Unit 2)

Reproductive organs in the female- release sex hormones to promote growth

Testis (Unit 2)

Reproductive organs in the male- release sex hormones to promote growth

Medulla (Unit 2)

The base of the brainstem. Controls heartbeat and breathing

Pons (Unit 2)

Part of the brainstem that controls movement

Thalamus (Unit 2)

The brain's sensory control center that receives messages and then directs them to corresponding lobes in the brain

Cerebellum (Unit 2)

Processes sensory information, coordinates movement and balance, enables implicit memories

Reticular formation (Unit 2)

Nerve network that travels through the brainstem and thalamus. Plays a part in controlling arousal and consciousness

Amygdala (Unit 2)

Linked to emotion (fear and aggression)

Hypothalamus (Unit 2)

Controls the pituitary gland and is very significant in our endocrine system. It releases hormones and has a lot to do with the "4 Fs:" Fighting, Fleeing, Feeding, Mating

Cerebral Cortex (Unit 2)

Ultimate control and information center made up of neural cells

Frontal lobe (Unit 2)

Deals with speaking, planning, and judgment aka higher-level thinking. Motor Cortex is in front of it and Broca's area is in the left frontal lobe

Parietal lobe (Unit 2)

Receives sensory input for movement and touch. Contains the somatosensory cortex