AP Psychology Exam Review - Units 0-5

This vocabulary flashcard set covers the essential scientific practices, biological bases, cognitive processes, developmental theories, and social psychology concepts required for the AP Psychology exam.

Hindsight Bias

The tendency to believe, after hearing about research findings, that one would have foreseen it ('I knew it all along' phenomenon).

Operational Definitions

Directly observable and measurable descriptions of variables used in research to allow for replication.

Random Assignment

The process of assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those groups.

Standard Deviation

A computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score; the square root of the variance.

P-value

A statistic that provides the probability that the difference between groups is due to chance; in psychology, a value of $.05$ or less is considered statistically significant.

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps between neurons, binding to receptor sites on the receiving neuron.

All-or-None Principle

The law that the neuron either fires at $100\%$ or not at all; there is no such thing as a 'weak' or 'strong' action potential.

Sympathetic Nervous System

The division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations (fight-or-flight).

Cerebral Cortex

The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center.

Neuroplasticity

The brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience.

Absolute Threshold

The minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus $50\%$ of the time.

Top-Down Processing

Information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, such as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations.

Crystallized Intelligence

Our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age.

Object Permanence

The awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived; developed during Piaget's sensorimotor stage.

Authoritative Parenting

A parenting style characterized by high responsiveness and high demands; rules are set and enforced but also explained and open to discussion.

Classical Conditioning

A type of learning in which one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events (associative learning).

Schedules of Reinforcement

Rules determining when a behavior will be reinforced, such as Fixed-Ratio ($FR$), Variable-Ratio ($VR$), Fixed-Interval ($FI$), and Variable-Interval ($VI$).

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

The theory that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two of our thoughts (or a thought and a behavior) are inconsistent.

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency for observers, when analyzing another's behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition.

Schizophrenia

A psychological disorder characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and/or diminished, inappropriate emotional expression.