AP Psychology Midterm Study Guide (Units 0-2)

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary and concepts from the AP Psychology Midterm Study Guide, providing definitions and explanations necessary for understanding the foundational elements of psychology.

Hindsight Bias

The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that you 'knew it all along.'

Overconfidence

Being more confident in judgments than accuracy supports.

Theory

An explanation that organizes observations and predicts behavior.

Hypothesis

A testable prediction derived from a theory.

Operational Definition

A precise description of how variables are measured or manipulated.

Replication

Repeating a study to confirm results.

Independent Variable (IV)

What the researcher manipulates.

Dependent Variable (DV)

What is measured in the experiment.

Experimental Group

The group that receives treatment.

Control Group

The group that does not receive treatment.

Random Assignment

Equal chance of being in any group.

Confounding Variable

An outside factor affecting results.

Validity

The extent to which a test accurately measures what it is supposed to.

Reliability

The consistency of a test in producing similar results.

Mean

The average value, affected by outliers.

Median

The middle value, most resistant to outliers.

Mode

The most frequent value in a data set.

Correlation

A measure of the relationship between two variables.

Informed Consent

Participants must be made aware of any potential risks.

Protection from Harm

Participants should not come to harm during the research.

Confidentiality

Ensures participants' data are kept private.

Biological Perspective

Focus on brain, neurotransmitters, and genetics.

Behavioral Perspective

Focus on observable behaviors.

Cognitive Perspective

Focus on thoughts, memory, and problem-solving.

Psychodynamic Perspective

Focus on unconscious motives.

Humanistic Perspective

Focus on growth and free will.

Sociocultural Perspective

Focus on social and cultural influences.

Dendrites

Parts of a neuron that receive signals.

Axon

Part of a neuron that sends signals.

Myelin Sheath

Protects and speeds up transmission of signals.

Synapse

The gap between neurons.

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers that transmit signals across synapses.

Dopamine

A neurotransmitter associated with reward and movement.

Serotonin

A neurotransmitter that affects mood.

Frontal Lobe

Brain area associated with decision-making and personality.

Cerebellum

Part of the brain involved in balance and coordination.

Amygdala

Brain structure involved in fear and emotion.

Hippocampus

Brain area critical for memory formation.

Encoding

The process of getting information into memory.

Storage

The retention of information over time.

Retrieval

The process of getting information out of memory.