AP Psych Unit 2 Cognition Vocab

accommodation

In Piaget's theory of cognitive development, the process of modifying existing cognitive structures in response to new information or experiences.

achievement test

Test designed to assess what a person has learned or accomplished in a particular area, such as academic subjects or job-related skills.

algorithm

Step-by-step procedure or formula for solving a problem, often involving repetitive operations.

amnesia

A significant memory loss that is too extensive to be due to normal forgetting.

anterograde amnesia

Type of memory impairment characterized by the inability to form new memories after a specific event or injury, while memories from before the event remain intact.

aptitude test

Test designed to assess a person's potential for learning or ability to perform in a particular area.

assimilation

In Piaget's theory of cognitive development, the process of incorporating new information or experiences into existing cognitive structures or schemas.

attention

The cognitive process of selectively focusing on a specific aspect of information while ignoring other perceivable information.

autobiographical memory

A person's memory for events and issues related to oneself.

autokinetic effect

Perceptual phenomenon where a stationary point of light appears to move in a dark environment due to small eye movements.

automatic processing

The unconscious processing of information that requires minimal attention and effort.

availability heuristic

Mental shortcut where people make judgments based on the ease with which examples come to mind.

belief perseverance

The tendency to maintain one's beliefs even in the face of contradictory evidence.

binocular cues

Depth cues that rely on information from both eyes to perceive depth and distance.

bottom-up processing

An approach to perception that starts with incoming stimuli and builds up to a final perception.

Cattell-Horn-Carroll theory

Contemporary theory of intelligence proposing that intelligence is composed of multiple distinct abilities.

central executive

In Baddeley's model of working memory, the component responsible for coordinating and controlling cognitive processes.

change blindness

A phenomenon in visual perception where changes in a visual stimulus are not noticed by the observer.

Charles Spearman

British psychologist known for his work on intelligence and the development of factor analysis.

chunking

Organizing information into smaller, more manageable units to improve memory and processing efficiency.

cocktail party effect

The phenomenon of being able to focus one's auditory attention on a particular stimulus while filtering out a range of other stimuli.

cognition

The mental processes involved in acquiring, processing, storing, and retrieving information.

cohort

Group of individuals who share a common characteristic or experience.

color constancy

The perceptual phenomenon where the perceived color of an object remains relatively constant under different lighting conditions.

concept

Mental category or representation of objects, events, or ideas that share common features.

confirmation bias

The tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses.

constructive memory

The process of constructing a memory by integrating new information with existing knowledge.

construct validity

The extent to which a test or measure accurately assesses the theoretical construct it is intended to measure.

content validity

The extent to which a test or measure adequately samples the domain of interest.

context-dependent memory

The improved recall of information when the context present at encoding and retrieval are the same.

convergence

Binocular depth cue where the eyes turn inward or converge to focus on nearby objects.

convergent thinking

A type of thinking characterized by narrowing down possible solutions to find a single correct answer.

creativity

The ability to generate novel and valuable ideas, solutions, or products.

cross-sectional study

Research design that compares different groups of individuals at a single point in time.

crystallized intelligence

Acquired knowledge and skills accumulated over a lifetime.

deep processing

Type of encoding that involves elaborative rehearsal and meaningful analysis of information.

deja vu

Feeling of familiarity or recognition of a current situation as if it has been previously experienced.

depth perception

The ability to perceive the distance and three-dimensional spatial relationships of objects.

distributed practice

A practice schedule that involves intervals of rest between sessions of learning.

divergent thinking

A thought process used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions.

echoic memory

The sensory memory system responsible for the temporary storage and processing of auditory information.

effortful memory

The intentional and conscious processing of information to encode, store, and retrieve it.

Elizabeth Loftus

Cognitive psychologist known for her research on eyewitness memory and false memories.

emotional intelligence

The ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions effectively in oneself and others.

encoding

The process of transforming sensory input into a form that can be stored in memory.

encoding failure

The failure to process information into memory.

encoding specificity principle

The principle that retrieval of information is most effective when the conditions at encoding and retrieval are similar.

episodic memory

Type of long-term memory that involves the recollection of specific events, situations, and experiences.

executive functions

Higher-level cognitive processes involved in goal setting, planning, problem-solving, and self-regulation.

explicit memory

Memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously recall and declare.

factor analysis

Statistical technique used to identify and analyze the underlying structure of correlations between variables.

figure-ground

Gestalt principle of perception where we perceive objects as distinct from their background.

fixation

In problem-solving, the inability to see a problem from a new perspective.

fixed mindset

The belief that intelligence, abilities, and talents are fixed traits.

flashbulb memory

Vivid and detailed memory of a significant and emotionally charged event.

fluid intelligence

The ability to think logically and solve problems in novel situations.

Flynn effect

The observed trend of increasing average intelligence test scores over time.

forgetting curve

A graph showing the decline of memory retention over time.

framing

The way information is presented can influence decision-making and judgment.

functional fixedness

A cognitive bias that limits a person to using an object only in the traditional way.

gambler's fallacy

The mistaken belief that if something happens more frequently, it will happen less frequently in the future.

general intelligence

Hypothetical construct representing the general intelligence factor underlying performance.

George A. Miller

American psychologist known for contributions to cognitive psychology.

gestalt

German word meaning 'form' or 'pattern,' referring to the tendency to organize sensory information.

grouping

The perceptual tendency to organize elements into meaningful groups or categories.

growth mindset

The belief that intelligence and abilities can be developed through effort.

Hermann Ebbinghaus

German psychologist known for his pioneering research on memory.

heuristic

Mental shortcut or rule of thumb that simplifies problem-solving and decision-making.

hippocampus

Brain structure involved in memory consolidation and learning.

Howard Gardner

American psychologist known for his theory of multiple intelligences.

iconic memory

The sensory memory system responsible for the temporary storage of visual information.

implicit memory

Memory of skills, procedures, or associations that are expressed through performance.

inattentional blindness

The failure to notice unexpected objects when attention is focused elsewhere.

infantile amnesia

The inability to retrieve memories from much before age 3.

insight

The sudden realization of a problem's solution.

intelligence

Mental ability consisting of the capacity to learn from experience and solve problems.

intelligence quotient

Numerical score derived from standardized intelligence tests.

intelligence test

Standardized assessment designed to measure a person's cognitive abilities.

interleaving

Learning technique that involves mixing different types of practice or study tasks.

intuition

The ability to understand or know something immediately without conscious reasoning.

L. L. Thurstone

American psychologist known for his contributions to psychometrics and factor analysis.

Lewis Terman

American psychologist known for his work on intelligence testing.

long-term memory

The relatively permanent storage of information, including facts and experiences.

long-term potentiation (LTP)

Process of strengthening synaptic connections between neurons.

longitudinal study

Research design that follows the same individuals over an extended period.

massed practice

A practice schedule in which studying continues for long periods without interruption.

memory

The ability to retain and retrieve information over time.

memory consolidation

The process of stabilizing and strengthening newly acquired memories.

mental age

Measure of intellectual development based on performance relative to average performance.

mental set

Tendency to approach problems in a specific way based on past experiences.

metacognition

Awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes.

method of loci

A mnemonic technique involving the visualization of familiar spatial environments.

misinformation effect

Distortion of memory caused by exposure to misleading information after an event.

mnemonics

Memory aids or techniques used to improve encoding and retrieval of information.

monocular cue

Depth cues that require only one eye to perceive depth and distance.

mood-congruent memory

The tendency to recall information that is consistent with one's current mood.

multistore model of memory

A model describing memory as consisting of three stores: sensory, short-term, and long-term.

neurogenesis

The formation of new neurons, believed to play a role in learning and memory.

normal curve

A bell-shaped curve representing the distribution of scores in a population.

nudge

A subtle suggestion designed to influence people's behavior or decisions.