AP Psychology - Unit 2 Part 2 Vocab

semantic memory

Explicit memory of facts and general knowledge

episodic memory

Explicit memory of personally experienced events

hippocampus

A neural center located in the limbic system; helps process explicit (conscious) memories — of facts and events — for storage.

memory consolidation

The neural storage of a long-term memory.

flashbulb memory

A clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event.

priming

The activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in memory.

encoding specificity principle

The idea that cues and contexts specific to a particular memory will be most effective in helping us recall it.

mood-congruent memory

Tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one’s current good or bad mood.

serial position effect

Our tendency to recall best the last items in a list initially (a recency effect), and the first items in a list after a delay (a primacy effect).

interleaving

A retrieval practice strategy that involves mixing the study of different topics.

anterograde amnesia

An inability to form new memories.

retrograde amnesia

An inability to remember information from one’s past.

proactive interference

The forward-acting disruptive effect of older learning on the recall of new information.

retroactive interference

The backward-acting disruptive effect of newer learning on the recall of old information.

repression

In psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories.

reconsolidation

A process in which previously stored memories, when retrieved, are potentially altered before being stored again.

misinformation effect

Occurs when a memory has been corrupted by misleading information.

source amnesia

Faulty memory for how, when, or where information was learned or imagined.

déjà vu

That eerie sense that 'I’ve experienced this before.' Cues from the current situation may unconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience.

intelligence

The ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations.

general intelligence (g)

According to Spearman and others, underlies all mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on an intelligence test.

factor analysis

A statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items on a test; used to identify different dimensions of performance that underlie a person’s total score.

fluid intelligence (Gf)

Our ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease with age, especially during late adulthood.

crystallized intelligence (Gc)

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

Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory

The theory that our intelligence is based on g as well as specific abilities, bridged by Gf and Gc.

savant syndrome

A condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional specific skill, such as in computation or drawing.

grit

In psychology, passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals.

emotional intelligence

The ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions.

intelligence test

A method for assessing an individual’s mental aptitudes and comparing them with those of others, using numerical scores.

achievement test

A test designed to assess what a person has learned.

aptitude test

A test designed to predict a person’s future performance

mental age

A measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet; the level of performance typically associated with children of a certain chronological age.

Stanford-Binet

The widely used American revision of Binet’s original intelligence test.

intelligence quotient (IQ)

Defined originally as the ratio of mental age to chronological age multiplied by 100.

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

The WAIS and its companion versions for children are the most widely used intelligence tests.

psychometrics

The scientific study of the measurement of human abilities, attitudes, and traits.

standardization

Defining uniform testing procedures and meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a pretested group.

normal curve

The bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes.

Flynn effect

The rise in intelligence test performance over time and across cultures.

reliability

The extent to which a test yields consistent results.

validity

The extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to.

content validity

The extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest.

construct validity

How much a test measures a concept or trait.

predictive validity

The success with which a test predicts the behavior it is designed to predict.

cross-sectional study

Research that compares people of different ages at the same point in time.

longitudinal study

Research that follows and retests the same people over time.

cohort

A group of people sharing a common characteristic, such as being from a given time period.

growth mindset

A focus on learning and growing rather than viewing abilities as fixed.

fixed mindset

The view that intelligence, abilities, and talents are unchangeable, even with effort.

stereotype threat

A self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype.