AP Psychology NEED TO KNOW

Structuralism

used introspection; the use of looking INWARD to determine underlying structures of the mind

Functionalism

Analyze the purpose of behavior - what function does it serve?

Evolutionary approach

natural selection, genes

Humanist

free will, choice, ideal, self-actualization

Biological

brain, neurotransmitters

Cognitive

perceptions, thoughts

Behavioral

learned, reinforced

Psychoanalytical/psychodynamic

unconscious, childhood

Biopsychosocial

combo, eclectic

Wilhelm Wundt

father of modern psychology- structuralist

Mary Calkins

first female president of APA

Charles Darwin

natural selection and evolution

Dorothea Dix

reformed mental institutions in the U.S.

Stanley Hall

first president of APA

William James

father of American psychology - functionalist

Margaret Floy Washburn

first female PhD

Naturalistic Observation

observe people in their own setting

Correlation

relationship between two variables, but not CAUSATION

Positive Correlation

variables move in the same direction; one increases, the other increases

Negative Correlation

variables move in opposite directions; one increases, the other decreases

Mean

average

Median

middle number

Mode

most occuring number

Normal Distribution

mean, median, and mode are the same

Positive Skew

\

Negative Skew

Absolute Threshold

identify stimulus 50% of the time

Sensory Adaptation

diminished sensitivity to stimuli

Top Down Processing

using brain/experiences to interpret information

Bottom Down Processing

taking in sensory information and then assembling and integrating it

Perceptual Set

past experiences influence interpretation

Inattentional Blindness

failure to notice something because attention is elsewhere

Beta Waves

awake

Alpha Waves

drowsy

Stage 1

drifting/jerking

Stage 2

most of night, sleep spindles, light sleep

Stage 3

deep sleep, delta waves, growth

REM

rapid eye movement - dream

Night Terrors

mainly in children, in stage 3, screaming, flailing, sleepwalking, while still asleep

Sleepwalking/Parasomnia

stage 3 movement

REM Sleep Disorder

acting out dreams

Place Theory

sound based on location of hair cells

Frequency Theory

rate of neuron firing

Cones

color

Rods

black and white

Feature Detectors

specialized cells for motion, shapes, lines

Blindspot

where optic nerve converges

Trichromatic Vision Theory

3 cones (red, green, blue)

Opponent Process Theory

in ganglion cells, three opposing channels in vision

Visual Capture

vision dominates senses

Phi Phenomenon

adjacent blinking lights look like movement

Interposition

overlapping objects

Freud’s Wish Fulfillment

symbolism and unconscious wishes in dreams

Activation Synthesis

dreams are random

Cognitive

problem solving in dreams

Information Processing

dreams are for memory storage

Unconditioned Stimulus

something that naturally causes a response

Unconditioned Response

natural response

Neutral Stimulus

does not cause any response

Conditioned Stimulus

previously the neutral stimulus

Conditioned Response

previously was unconditioned response (now in response to neutral stimulus)

Contiguity

timing of pairing

Contingency

predictability of nuetral stimulus

Overjustification

reinforcements diminish intrinsic motivation

Continuous Reinforcement

reward for every response

Fixed Ratio

reward response every (x) time

Fixed Interval

reward when (x) time has passed

Variable Ratio

reward after random number of responses

Variable Interval

reward after a random amount of time

Inight

aha! moments (Kohler)

Episodic Memory

memory of specific events

Semantic Memory

facts about something

Hierarchies

memories are stored according to a hierarchy

Semantic Networks

linked memories are stored together

Instinct

complex behaviors that are not learned (animal motivation)

Drive Reduction

physiological need creates aroused tensions (drive) that motivates you to satisfy the need

Homeostasis

equilibrium

Primary Drive

unlearned drive based on survival (hunger, thirst)

Secondary Drive

learned drive (wealth or success)

Optimum Arousal

humans aim to seek optimum levels of arousal, easier tasks require more arousal, harder tasks need less

Stomach Contractions

tell you when you are hungry

Glucose

level is maintained by the pancreas (if this drops, hunger increases)

Insulin

decreases glucose

Orexin

released by the hypothalamus, tells us to eat (increase in this results in hunger)

Lateral Hypothalamus

makes you hungry when stimulated

Ventromedial Hypothalamus

when stimulated you feel full (without it you would not stop eating)

Leptin

signals the brain to reduce appetite (end of meal)

Anorexia

distorted body image, weight loss of at least 15% of ideal weight

Bulimia

normal body weight, binge

Sexual Response Pattern

excitement, plateau, orgasm, refractory period

James- Lange

stimulus, physiological arousal, then emotion

Cannon-Bard

\
stimulus, physiological arousal and emotion simultaneously

Schacter Two Factor

adds in cognitive labeling, stimulus, arousal, interpret cues, label emotion

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

being forced to smile will make you happier, facial expressions influence emotion

General Adaptation Syndrome

three phases of a stress response (alarm, resistance, exhaustion)

Alarm

body/you freak out in response to stress

Resistance

body/you are dealing with stress

Exhaustion

body/you cannot take any more, give up

Big Five

OCEAN, openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism, each person varies on each of these

Openness

imaginative, independent, like variety