Unit 2 AP Psychology

Q: What is change blindness?

Failure to notice changes in the environment due to inattention.

Q: What is apparent movement?

The perception of movement when objects aren't actually moving.

Q: What are visual perceptual constancies?

Perceptions of objects stay the same even when the visual image changes.

Q: What do monocular depth cues help with?

They create the illusion of depth on flat surfaces using one eye.

Q: What is the cocktail party effect?

The ability to focus on important info (like your name) in a noisy setting.

Q: What are binocular depth cues?

Depth perception from both eyes using retinal disparity and convergence.

Q: What is retinal disparity?

The difference between each eye’s image used to perceive depth.

Q: What is convergence?

The brain merging images from both eyes to perceive depth.

Q: What is Gestalt psychology known for?

Explaining how we organize perception using principles like closure and proximity.

Q: What are examples of Gestalt principles?

Closure, figure and ground, proximity, and similarity.

Q: What is bottom-up processing?

Perception starting from sensory input.

Q: What is top-down processing?

Perception shaped by expectations and prior knowledge.

Q: What are schemas and perceptual sets?

Mental frameworks that filter how we perceive the world.

Q: What influences attention?

Both internal and external processes.

Q: How do context and culture affect perception

They act as external filters shaping how we interpret sensory input.

Q: What are concepts?

Mental groupings of similar objects, events, or ideas.

Q: What is a prototype?

The best or most typical example of a concept.

Q: What is assimilation?

Fitting new info into an existing schema without changing it.

Q: What is accommodation?

Changing a schema to include new information.

Q: What is an algorithm?

A step-by-step method that guarantees a solution.

Q: What is a heuristic?

A mental shortcut used to make decisions quickly.

Q: What is the representativeness heuristic?

Judging based on how well something matches a prototype.

Q: What is the availability heuristic?

Judging based on what comes to mind first or most easily.

Q: What is a mental set?

Using past successful strategies to solve new problems.

Q: What is priming?

Exposure to one thing influences a response to another.

Q: What is framing?

The way an issue is presented affects decision-making.

Q: What is the gambler’s fallacy?

Belief that past events affect future probabilities.

Q: What is the sunk-cost fallacy?

Continuing a behavior due to already invested resources.

Q: What are executive functions?

Cognitive processes for planning and goal-directed behavior.

Q: What is creativity?

The ability to produce new and valuable ideas.

Q: What is divergent thinking?

Generating multiple solutions to a problem.

Q: What is functional fixedness?

Inability to see new uses for familiar objects.

Q:What is working memory?

A system for temporarily holding and processing info.

Q: What are components of working memory?

Central executive, phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad.

Q: What is the levels of processing model?

Memory is deeper and more durable when processed semantically.

Q: What is the multi-store model of memory?

Info passes through sensory, short-term, and long-term memory.

Q: What is long-term potentiation (LTP)?

Strengthening of synapses through repeated activation.

Q: What is prospective memory?

Remembering to do things in the future.

Q: What is implicit memory?

Memory without conscious awareness (e.g., skills).

Q: What is procedural memory?

A type of implicit memory for how to do things.

Q: What is explicit memory?

Memory you can describe, like facts or experiences.

Q: What are episodic and semantic memory?

Episodic = personal events; Semantic = general knowledge.

Q: What is encoding?

The process of getting information into memory.

Q: What are mnemonic devices?

Memory aids, like the method of loci.

Q: What is chunking?

Grouping info into meaningful units.

Q: What is the spacing effect?

Learning is better when spaced over time.

Q: What is the serial position effect?

Better recall for items at the beginning and end of a list.

Q: What is the primacy effect?

Better memory for the first items in a list.

Q: What is the recency effect?

Better memory for the last items in a list.

Q: What are the stages of memory?

Sensory memory, short-term memory, long-term memory.

Q: What is maintenance rehearsal?

Repeating information to keep it in short-term memory.

Q: What is elaborative rehearsal?

Linking new info to existing knowledge to store it.

Q: What is highly superior autobiographical memory?

Exceptionally detailed memory for personal events.

Q: What is autobiographical memory?

Memory related to one’s own life.

Q: What affects memory storage?

Amnesia, Alzheimer’s disease, and infantile amnesia.

Q: What is retrograde amnesia?

Loss of past memories.

Q: What is anterograde amnesia?

Inability to form new memories.

Q: What is recall?

Retrieving information without cues.

Q: What is recognition?

Identifying information with cues.

Q: What is context-dependent memory?

Recall is better in the same setting as learning.

Q: What is mood-congruent memory?

Recall is better when mood matches the mood during encoding.

Q: What is state-dependent memory?

Recall is better when physical state matches encoding.

Q: What is the testing effect?

Practicing retrieval improves memory.

Q: What is metacognition?

Thinking about your own thinking.

Q: What is the misinformation effect?

Memory is altered by misleading information.

Q: What is source amnesia?

Forgetting where a memory came from.

Q: What is constructive memory?

Memories are built from pieces and may be altered.

Q: What is repression (Freud)?

Forgetting distressing memories to protect the ego.

Q: What is the forgetting curve?

Most forgetting happens soon after learning.

Q: What is encoding failure?

When info never enters long-term memory.

Q: What is proactive interference?

Old info blocks new learning.

Q: What is retroactive interference?

New info blocks recall of old info.

Q: What is the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon?

Knowing a word but being unable to retrieve it.

Q: What is a fixed mindset?

Belief that intelligence is unchangeable.

Q: What is a growth mindset?

Belief that intelligence can improve with effort.

Q: What is an achievement test?

Measures what someone has learned.

Q: What is an aptitude test?

Predicts future performance.

Q: What is the Flynn Effect?

IQ scores have risen over generations worldwide.

Q: What is test reliability?

Consistency of test results over time.

Q: What are two types of reliability?

Test-retest and split-half reliability.

Q: What is stereotype threat?

Risk of confirming negative group stereotypes.

Q: What is stereotype lift?

Performance boost from positive stereotypes.

Q: What is test standardization?

Giving a test the same way to all test-takers.

Q: What are psychometric principles?

Standards that make tests fair and useful.

Q: How was IQ originally calculated?

Mental age ÷ chronological age × 100.

Q: What is "g" in intelligence?

General intelligence factor.

Q: What is test validity?

The test measures what it’s supposed to.

Q: What are types of validity?

Construct and predictive validity.