Psych AP Exam Review - Italicized Terms

psychoanalysis/psychodynamic psychology

believes behavior is governed by unconscious motives and childhood experiences

industrial-organizational psychologists

employed by businesses to deal with workplace issues - avoiding burnout, improving staff morale, resolving disputes, etc.

validating experiments

need replication of studies to get similar results, then meta-analysis to look at the results of many studies on a particular topic

correlation coefficient

ranges from -1.00 (strong negative correlation) to +1.00 (strong positive correlation) - the closer you get to 0 the weaker the correlation

egocentrism

difficulty understanding another person's viewpoint

sensorimotor stage

infants are not born with object permanence, they only understand the world through motor movements in response to stimuli around them

imprinting

when newborn animals (ducks and geese) get attached to the first thing they see move

menarche vs. spermarche

first period vs. a first ejaculation - this is what makes females and males capable of reproduction

primary sex characteristics

have to do with reproductive organs in either sex

Alzheimer's disease

most common form of dementia that destroys memory and mental functioning due to brain deterioration

twin studies

determine the role of nature (when identical twins are more similar on something) vs. nurture (when fraternal twins raised together are more similar than identical twins raised apart)

central nervous system

made up of the brain and spinal cord

peripheral nervous system

nerves branching out from the spinal cord to reach other parts of the body

somatic nervous system

part of the peripheral nervous system that controls voluntary movements

dendrites

receive messages from the previous neuron and send them to the cell body/soma

axon terminal buttons

release neurotransmitters to cross the synapse and go to the dendrites of the next neuron

serotonin

low levels are associated with depression - they affect mood, sleeping, eating

GABA

only produces inhibitory effects

sensory neurons vs. motor neurons

send messages from the sense organs to the brain vs. ones that send messages from the brain to the muscles and glands

pituitary gland

master gland of the endocrine system that secretes large amounts of hormones and is controlled by the hypothalamus

brain plasticity

the brain's ability to grow and make new connections to take over for damaged parts (easier for children's brains to do)

pons

produces chemicals needed to sleep and arousal

benefits of sleep

help consolidate memory and learning and builds up your immune system

sleep deprivation

results in lowered energy, moods, focus, as well as weight gain

REM sleep

marked by rapid eye movements and where dreaming occurs - brain waves resemble someone who is awake

insomnia

inability to get a sufficient amount of sleep

narcolepsy

suddenly having sleep attacks during the day

agonist vs. antagonist

a drug that mimics or intensifies neurotransmitter activity vs. a drug that blocks neurotransmitter activity

narcotics/opiates

includes opium, heroin, morphine; they reduce pain and cause euphoria but are extremely physically addictive

tolerance

physically adapting to a drug so that you need more of it to get the original effect

ear parts that process sound

sound waves go through the pinna, down the auditory canal, vibrate against the ear drum, pushes against the ossicles, then the cochlea in the inner ear, which transduces sounds to send to the auditory nerve to go to the brain

amplitude

determines the loudness of sound measured by decibels

place theory of pitch

says different hair cells respond to higher or lower pitches

frequency theory of pitch

says that all hair cells fire together but the rate of firing determines a higher or lower pitch

volley theory of pitch

says that for very high frequencies that the hair cells will alternate firing

gate control theory

we can lessen pain impulses after an injury by sending non-pain impulses to compete with the pain impulses

reversible figures

images that can have their figures and backgrounds reversed

spontaneous recovery

the CR may reappear after a rest period when the CS is presented again without the UCS

higher-order or second-order conditioning

when a CS is paired up with another stimulus so that the CS acts as as UCS

primary reinforcer

satisfies a biological need like hunger, thirst, or sleep

multi-store model of memory

includes the three steps of encoding, storage, and retrieval, and the three stages of sensory, short-term, and long-term memory

long-term potentiation

neurons strengthen connections with each other through repeated firings, allowing you to better learn and remember

elaborative rehearsal

a deeper level of processing to link new information to information that is already known

prototype

a representative example of a concept

convergent thinking

systematic/logical way to get to an answer

stages of language development

cooing, babbling, one-word stage, two-word stage, telegraphic speech

evolutionary psychology viewpoint on sex

says males seek young and attractive females because they are more fertile and have more years of reproduction, whereas females seek males who can provide resources for their offspring

sexual orientation

due to biological and genetic factors (nature)

two-factor theory of emotions

says our emotions depend on our cognitive interpretation of physiological arousal

appraisal theory of emotions

says our emotions depend on our cognitive evaluation of an event or stimulus

standardization

tests are administered and scored the same way each time

two-factor theory of intelligence

says we have "g" (general intelligence or problem-solving skills) and "s" (specific mental abilities)

Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences

says there are 8 types of intelligence (verbal, math, spatial, musical, body-kinesthetic, naturalist, interpersonal, intrapersonal)

cultural bias in testing

when wording in an IQ test is more familiar to one social group over another

objective personality test

when people must select one of a small number of possible responses

rationalization

making acceptable excuses for behaviors that cause us anxiety

denial

refusing to accept the reality of something that makes you anxious

reaction formation

replacing an unacceptable inner feeling or urge with the opposite outward behavior

regression

going back to an earlier and less mature pattern of behavior

displacement

taking out your anger from one person to another (often less powerful person)

sublimation

redirecting a forbidden desire into a socially acceptable one

reciprocal determinism

our personal factors, behaviors, and environments all affect and reinforce each other

humanistic psychology

emphasizes personal growth, free will, a positive outlook on human nature, and self-actualization (reaching your full unique potential)

stressors

weaken the body's immune system making you more vulnerable to disease

borderline personality disorder

being emotionally unstable, impulsive, and unpredictable

histrionic personality disorder

having excessive emotional reactions, craving drama and attention

tardive dyskenisia

collection of side effects of antipsychotic (neuroleptic) drugs, including muscular rigidity, impaired coordination, and tremors

antianxiety drugs (anxiolytics)

work by depressing central nervous system activity (Valium, Paxil, etc.)

actor-observer bias

attributing others' behavior to internal factors but our own behavior to external factors

factors in choosing friends

proximity, similarity, attractiveness, reciprocal liking, mere exposure effect

superordinate goal

emergencies that force two opposing groups to cooperate with each other in order to reduce hostility and aggression

altriusm

helping others out of the goodness of your heart, declines in group settings