🧠 AP Psychology Ultimate Guide (copy)

Paul Broca

A scientist who performed an autopsy on the brain of a patient nicknamed Tan, linking Broca’s area in the left frontal lobe to expressive aphasia.

Wernicke’s area

A region in the left temporal lobe responsible for understanding spoken and written language, damage to which results in receptive aphasia.

Lesion

A precise destruction of brain tissue allowing the study of loss of function due to surgical removal or other methods.

Roger Sperry and Michael Gazzaniga

Scientists who studied split-brain patients and revealed lateralization of function between the left and right hemispheres.

Computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT)

A technique that creates a computerized image using X-rays passed through various angles of the brain to show lesions.

Functional MRI (fMRI)

A technique that measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow and oxygenation.

Central nervous system

The part of the nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord.

Peripheral nervous system

The part of the nervous system that lies outside the central nervous system, including the somatic and autonomic nervous systems.

Bipolar disorder

A mental health condition characterized by significant mood swings, including manic and depressive episodes.

Cognitive dissonance

The discomfort experienced when holding conflicting beliefs or when behavior contradicts beliefs, leading to a resolution of inconsistency.

Self-serving bias

The tendency to attribute successes to internal factors and failures to external factors, maintaining self-esteem.

Positive reinforcement

A process in operant conditioning where a desirable stimulus is added following a behavior, increasing the likelihood of that behavior recurring.

Negative reinforcement

A process in operant conditioning where an aversive stimulus is removed following a behavior, increasing the likelihood of that behavior recurring.

Observational learning

Learning that occurs by observing the behavior of others, with significant influence from role models.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

A psychological theory proposing that human motivations evolve from basic physical needs to complex psychological needs.

Anxiety disorder

A mental health condition characterized by excessive fear or worry that interferes with daily activities.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

A therapeutic approach focused on changing negative thought patterns and behaviors that contribute to psychological distress.

Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)

The study of how psychological processes, the nervous system, and the immune system interact, affecting health.

Major Depressive Disorder

A mood disorder marked by persistent sadness and a lack of interest or pleasure in activities.

Panic disorder

An anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent panic attacks and persistent fear of future attacks.

Schizophrenia

A severe mental disorder characterized by hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking.

Binge-eating disorder

An eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of consuming large amounts of food with a sense of loss of control.

Emotion-focused coping

A strategy for managing stress that involves addressing the emotional response rather than the problem itself.

Locus of control

The extent to which individuals believe they have control over the outcomes of events in their lives.

Self-fulfilling prophecy

A prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true due to positive feedback between belief and behavior.

Fundamental attribution error

The tendency to overestimate the role of dispositional factors and underestimate situational factors in others' behaviors.

Evolutionary psychologists

Researchers who study how natural selection has shaped human behaviors and mental processes to enhance survival.

Cognitive biases

Systematic patterns of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment, impacting decisions.

Heritability

The proportion of variation among individuals in a population that is attributable to genetics.

Dopamine

A neurotransmitter associated with pleasure, motivation, and reward pathways in the brain.

Endorphins

Natural painkillers produced by the brain that help to reduce pain and enhance pleasure.

Frontal lobe

The part of the brain associated with reasoning, planning, parts of speech, movement, emotions, and problem-solving.

Gyri

The raised ridges on the surface of the brain that increase its surface area.

Sulci

The grooves or indentations on the surface of the brain that increase its surface area.

Myelin sheath

An insulating layer around axons that increases the speed of electrical impulses.

Neuroplasticity

The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life.

Empathy

The ability to understand and share the feelings of another, crucial for social interactions.

Therapeutic alliance

The collaborative relationship between a therapist and client, essential for effective psychotherapy.