AP Psychology Midterm Review Unit 1-2

History & Approaches; Research; Biopsychology; States of Consciousness (Sleep)

this group of researchers was interested in uncovering the basic units of the mind

structuralists

this type of psychology was born as William James argued that a focus on function was more important than structure, leading to the first applied psychologists

functionalism

psychologists adhering to these principles believe the whole is other than the sum of its parts and apply their work mainly to the study of perception

Gestalt psychologists

this approach focuses on conflicts in the unconscious mind as the cause of mental health issues

psychoanalytic

this type of psychologist would most likely observe how people behave after they’ve consumed alcohol, and would be unconcerned with what the person was thinking

behaviorist

this view focuses on heredity, the nervous system, and other physical processes as most responsible for our thoughts and behaviors

biological

a goal of therapy in this psychological approach is having clients successfully strive for growth and develop their own individual potentail

humanist

this approach focuses on thinking (cognition), perception, and internal mental processes to explain our thoughts and behaviors

cognitive

in Trait Theory, the acronym that will help you remember the fundamental personality dimensions of the Five Factor Theory

OCEAN

this approach says our cultures, our environments including the people in them, have the biggest impact on our thoughts and behavior

sociocultural

the founder of the psychodynamic/psychoanalytic theory and the treatment called psychoanalysis

Sigmund Freud

this founder of U.S. psychology believed that consciousness is a “stream of ideas” rather than elements that should be broken down into smaller parts

William James

this founder of psychology was the first to open a laboratory for studying human behavior and the first to call himself a “psychologist”

Wilhelm Wundt

founder of behaviorist psychology who argued that psychology was a science and should therefore only study observable

this person’s research may be most responsible for the use of animals in experimental research as it showed that discoveries about animal biology and behavior could be applied to humans

Charles Darwin

this degree is typically earned if study is continued for approximately 2 years after completing undergraduate studies

master’s degree

a psychologist who uses information learned through research to make an actual change in society

applied psychologist

this mental health professional completes medical school and is therefore a medical doctor

psychiatrist

this type of psychologist is most likely to help companies determine which questions to ask job candidates

industrial/organizational psychologist

degree needed in order to become licensed practicing psychologist in the state of Connecticut

doctorate degree (Ph. D)

the scientific study of human and animal thought and behavior

psychology

fake science, fake psychology

pseudopsychology

looking for evidence that confirms your own beliefs while ignoring evidence to the contrary

confirmation bias

psychological technique that asks people to look inside their minds and describe a sensory or perceptual experience

introspection

a psychiatrist is far more likely than a psychologist to use this type of treatment for mental health issues

medicine/drug therapy

this measurement shows the average distance between the scores and the mean

standard deviation

to study relationships, Dr. R observed and recorded patterns of behavior at recess - which research method would be used?

naturalistic observation

a researcher interested in proving a causal relationship between two variables would do an

experiment

a broadly stated testable explanation for a set of facts or observations is a

theory

which number is the median: 15, 17, 18, 20, 20

18

a researcher interested in investigating the attitudes or opinions of a large sample of people is most likely to use

a survey

non-experimental and quasi-experimental methods lack the _____ of experimental methods

controls

\-.92 is a

strong negative correlation

correlation is _____ causation

NOT

a p value is a measure of

statistical significance

confounding variables distort results because they can be confused with the

independent variable

in a double-blind study

neither experimenter nor subject knows who gets the placebo

studying people’s political attitudes over the span of their life would most likely use

a longitudinal study

what does standard deviation represent in a set of data

the average distance of a set of scores from the mean

in an experiment to study effectiveness of a new drug, research participants who receive a placebo are in

the control group

which of the following is a primary limitation of psychological research conducted in laboratory environments

laboratories are artificial environments, behavior is not always generalizable

the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution is the

range

correlational research is most useful for purposes of

prediction

if college graduates typically earn more money than high school graduates, then the variables are

positively correlated

what is the primary limitation of the case study research method

individual cases can be misleading

which of the following defines ethical principles that should guide human experimentation

informed consent, protection, confidentiality, debriefing

a specification of how a researcher measures a research variable is known as

operational definition

if a result is statistically significant, this means that

there is

if the distribution of scores on our first test has an extremely small standard deviation, it indicates that

students’ scores tended to be very similar to each other

what technique do researchers use to reduce the impact of confounding variables

random assignment

a correlation coefficient is a measure of the

direction and strength of the relationship of 2 variables

a researcher who deceives participants about the goals needs to inform them later on. what ethical principle is this?

debriefing

you’re studying the effect of stress on athletic performance. which would NOT be a control

put those who are most stressed in the control group

ethical guidelines for experimentation set by the APA require that research participants

be debriefed after the research if it involves deception

subjects are randomly assigned to

the experimental group and the control group

the independent variable is

controlled by the researcher

the dependent variable is

the measured outcome of a study

do plants exposed to rock music grow faster? the measurement of the plants is the

dependent variable

all are measures of central tendency

mean, median, mode

a researcher believes stress causes students to miss school, based on this statement

be very careful about expectancy bias/confirmation bias

which is the weakest correlation? -.25, .75, -.75, .30

\-.25

which measure of central tendency is most affected by extreme scores

mean

the most important thing about a sample is

it must be representative of the population

random assignment means

all subjects had equal chance of being in either group

operational definitions

define variables and allow for study replication

the value of the correlation coefficient reflects the

relationship between the variables

if a set of data has relatively high variability, it means that

scores in the data are spread relatively far from the mean

sales will increase if music is played in a department store. the amount of sales is

the dependent variable

in order to yield information that is generalizable to the population, a sample must be

representative of the population

random assignment means that

all participants have an equal chance of being in either group

providing each subject with information about the study prior to their participation is

informed consent

people with pets report higher levels of happiness. this is a

positive correlation

which is an indicator that a study is experimental

one group receives the IV, while the other does not

which of the following is true of a histogram

there is no space between the bars

if there is a possibility the results of an experiment were obtained by chance, you can say the results

were NOT statistically significant

if there is great variation in data, you would expect to see a graph that

was shorter and flatter

if a subject’s expectations about a treatment affects the outcome of a study, it is known as

the placebo effect

which of the following is an indicator that a study was experimental

random assignment took place

if test scores show low variability, it means

there was a smaller range

23 come from your biological mother and 23 come from your biological father

chromosomes

the proteins that make up our genes

DNA

internal and external physical traits

phenotype

gradual biological change and adaptation in response to the environment

evolution

unit of a chromosome

gene

these structures receive incoming neurotransmitters from the synapse and pass them on to the soma

dendrites

this structure keeps the neuron alive and determines if the action potential will be activated

soma

this insulates and protects the axon and helps the action potential move quickly and efficiently

myelin sheath

when the charge inside the neuron changes from negative to positive

action potential

neurotransmitters traverse this microscopic gap between neurons

synapse

chemicals in the nervous system that ferry messages across the synapse from one neuron to the next

neurotransmitters

process of absorption of the neurotransmitter into the terminal buttons of the sending (presynaptic) neuron

reuptake

this neurotransmitter is implicated in Alzheimer’s disease

acetylcholine

dendrites (dendritic spines) grow and make connections with other neurons after learning or practice takes place in this process

neuroplasticity

the type of communication in the nervous system

electrochemical communication

Phineas Gage taught us that our personalities reside largely in this lobe

frontal lobe

brain damage that leaves a person with an inability to produce speech (talk) has most likely affected this structure in the frontal lobe

Broca’s area

the motor cortex is located in this lobe

frontal lobe

damage to this lobe may cause visual impairment

occipital lobe

damage to this lobe may cause a loss of sensation in the hands or feet

parietal lobe

damage to this area may result in difficulty walking in a smooth and coordinated manner

cerebellum