AP Psych Unit 5

Phoneme

The smallest sound unit. Additionally, babies can pronounce every ________.

Morpheme

The smallest unit with meaning.

"Chat" phonemes

Has 3 phonemes - "ch," "a," "t."

Language acquisition/communication development

cooing, babbling, one word, 2 words, telegraphic speech, sentences and full conversations

Critical Period

Kids need to learn a language by around 7 or they can't learn any language. If they don't learn during the ________, they just can't speak.

Receptive Language

The ability to understand what is being said to/about you. Understanding a language.

Productive Language

The ability to produce words. Speaking a language.

Grammar

Rules for word order and meaning that help us understand language.

Syntax

Putting words together in the correct order according to the grammatical rules.

Semantics

Using the correct word to convey the meaning of what you're saying.

Algorithm

Trying every approach until you find the correct one. It takes a long time but guarantees success.

Algorithm Examples

Trying every phone password combo until one works

Going through every aisle in the grocery store to find a product.

Heuristic

Short cut, but success isn't guaranteed. It takes a lot less time, so it's preferred.

Heuristic Example

Trying the most common phone passwords first

Representative

You have "prototypes" (ideal examples) in your mind of what it should be like a guess based on stereotypes.

Representative Example

Guessing someone's job based on their clothes or the quality of the restaurant food based on the way the restaurant.

When you bring your partner home and your parents judge them.

Availability

You guess the likelihood of an event based on availability in someone's memory. For example, if it's scary or upsetting, people might assume it's more likely to happen.

Availability Example

People are scared of the ocean/planes because shark attacks/plane accidents are widely covered, even though they are rare.

Or like people think it's a lot easier than it is to make it as an influencer.

Fixation

Inability to view problems from a new angle.

Mental Set

Reliance on old strategies for new problems, even if the new strategies don't work.

Mental Set Examples

Disciplinary methods used on young kids doesn't work on teens

WW2 generals used old war tactics and lost battles due to improved technology.

Functional Fixedness

Only seeing objects for their traditional or intended use.

Functional Fixedness Opposite Examples

Random objects as doorstoppers.

A tissue box to prop your phone up while you're eating.

Framing

The way something is phrased affects how others perceive what you're saying.

Framing Examples

"Old" vs. "Antique" Furniture

"Fake" sale: a jacket is 100 dollars. The company says it's 150 dollars, but there's a sale

Glass half full vs. glass half empty.

Gambler's Fallacy

Assumption that past beliefs/events influence future events. In the short run, events are always random and don't follow patterns. In the long run, the odds even out.

Gambler's Fallacy Example

For example, when you have a streak of bad luck while gambling, so you're convinced the next event has to be good.

Sunk-cost Fallacy

You make decisions based on past experience.

Sunk-cost Fallacy Example

When you continue watching a movie in theatres even when it's not very good because you paid for it.

When you pour so much money into a business you don't want to let it go, even if it's sinking.

Divergent

Many solutions are accepted, creative thinking, overcoming functional fixedness. For example, an FRQ.

Convergent

Only one solution, looking for one right answer. For example, an MCQ.

Deductive

Using general information you know about a lot of different things to put together a solution.

Deductive Example

The doctor examines the different symptoms you have and their general knowledge to diagnose you and prescribe treatment.

Inductive

Using specific knowledge about something for something general.

Inductive Example

I tell you discipline techniques that worked for me in hopes it may end up working for you.

Prototype

You have an organizational structure in your mind where you have a basic example(best example) that you think of when someone brings up a category. There are many subcategories, which are small categories under the main category that you also have examples for. When something doesn't match our prototype we can be steered wrong. We sometimes don't notice (i.e. we may not notice a heart attack if it's not as dramatic as we're expecting).

Superordinate

Vague overarching category.

Subordinate

Very specific category.

Executive Function

Helps you with cognitive processes(planning, organizing, thinking, making better decisions). It's in the prefrontal cortex. The better your _______ is, the more successful you are

Critical thinking

Opposite of dopamine kick limbic system pleasure seeking behavior. It's the things you're doing to be successful.