AP Psych Notes 1-4

Wilhelm Wundt

Known as the father of psychology, he created the first psychology lab and studied senses, reaction time, attention spans, and emotions.

William James

Taught first psychology class at Harvard, wrote the first psychology textbook, and created functionalism.

Sigmund Freud

Created the analytic approach, focused on the unconscious mind, and shaped psychodynamic approach.

Structuralism

Focuses on the structures of consciousness through individual parts and uses introspection.

Functionalism

Seeks to understand mental and behavioral processes as evolved functions that work together.

Gestalt psychology

Focuses on the whole consciousness, perception, sensation, learning, and problem-solving.

Humanistic psychology

Believes humans are naturally good, seek self-actualization, and reach their potential through free will.

Evolutionary approach

Studies how behaviors and mental processes exist due to natural selection.

Biological approach

Examines how brain structures and the nervous system link biological and psychological processes.

Cognitive approach

Analyzes attitudes, memories, perceptions, and expectations influencing behaviors and mental processes.

Pancreas

Located near the stomach, it produces insulin and glucagon, regulating sugar levels.

Gonads

Ovaries or testes that produce testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone, allowing reproduction.

Nervous System

Comprised of the central and peripheral nervous systems, supported by glial cells, and responsible for sending messages.

Neuron

Basic unit of the nervous system, communicating through electrical and chemical signals.

Action Potential

Neuron firing process triggered by depolarization, leading to the transmission of impulses.

Neurotransmitters

Chemicals like acetylcholine, dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins that impact various functions in the body.

Agonist

Substances that enhance neurotransmitter effectiveness by mimicking or increasing production.

Antagonist

Substances that decrease neurotransmitter effectiveness by blocking release or binding.

Brain

Includes structures like Broca's area, Wernicke's area, medulla, pons, cerebellum, and cerebral cortex.

Sensation

Raw data received from sensory receptors, while Perception is the interpretation of this information.

Gestalt Principles

Include figure and ground, continuation, closure, similarity, proximity, and symmetry in visual perception.

Depth Perception

Ability to perceive relative distance using cues like binocular and monocular cues.

Sensory Transduction

Process where sensory receptors convert external stimuli into electrical signals for the brain.

Absolute Threshold

Minimum stimulation needed to experience a stimulus.

Perceptual Constancy

Maintaining the perception of objects with familiar characteristics despite changes.

Pupil

The dark part of the eye located between the iris, controlling the amount of light entering by contracting and relaxing.

Lens

A biconvex structure located behind the iris and pupil, allowing the eye to change focus.

Retina

Located in the back of the eye, made up of light-sensitive cells converting light into neural impulses for the brain to process.

Optic Nerve

Located in the back of the eye, made up of retinal ganglion cells transmitting impulses to the brain for visual processing.

Rods

Located on the outer edge of the retina, enabling vision in dim light without color information.

Cones

Located in the fovea centralis, allowing clear vision, fine details, and color perception.

Astigmatism

Irregular corneal shape affecting focus ability.

Cataracts

Clouding of the lens leading to blurry vision.

Trichromatic Theory

Explains color vision through three types of color receptors (red, green, blue) working in combinations.

Opponent Processing Theory

Describes how cones send information to ganglion cells, leading to color pairings and perception.

Achromatism

Color blindness where only black, white, and gray are perceived.

Dichromatism

Color blindness where only two colors can be seen.

Trichromatism

Normal color vision with all three cone pigments present.

Synesthesia

Condition where stimulation of one sense triggers another sense.

Top-Down Processing

Using prior knowledge to interpret perceived information.

Bottom-Up Processing

Examining information as is, without prior knowledge influence.