AP Psychology Vocabulary

Ablation

Purposely disabling or destroying part of the brain in order to study the functions of different areas of the brain.

Accommodation

The creation of new cognitive schemas when objects, experiences, or other information does not fit with existing schemas.

Action Potential

The firing on a neuron. Occurs when the charge inside the neuron becomes more positive that the charge outside.

Altruism

Behavior that is unselfish and may even be detrimental but which benefits others.

Amnesia

Loss of memory. Usually only a partial loss such as for a period of time or biographical information.

Analysis

See Psychoanalysis.

Anxiety

The physiological and psychological reaction to and expected danger, whether real or imagined.

Aphasia

The impairment of the ability to communicate either through oral or written discourse as a result of brain damage.

Arousal Theory

The theory stating that we are motivated by our innate desire to maintain an optimal level of arousal.

Assimilation

Incorporating objects, experiences, or information into existing schemas.

Associations

The phenomenon in learning that states we are better able to remember information if it is paired with something we are familiar with or otherwise stands out.

Attachment

The strong bond a child forms with his or her primary caregiver.

Attribution

An idea or belief about the etiology of a certain behavior.

Authoritarian (parents)

Parenting style focused on excessive rules, rigid belief systems, and the expectation of unquestioned obedience.

Authoritative (parents)

Parenting style focused on setting reasonable rules and expectations while encouraging communication and independence.

Availability Heuristic

A rule of thumb stating information more readily available in our memory is more important than information not as easily accessible.

Aversion Therapy

A type of behavioral treatment where an aversion stimuli is paired with a negative behavior in hopes that the behavior will change in the future to avoid the aversive stimuli.

Axon

The tail-like part of the neuron through which information exits the cell.

Behavior Modification

The application of behavioral theory to change a specific behavior.

Behavior Theory

The application of behavioral theory (e.g. conditioning, reinforcement) in the treatment of mental illness.

Behaviorism

The school of psychology founded on the premise hat behavior is measurable and can be changed through the application of various behavioral principles.

Bisexuality

Being attracted to or aroused by members of both genders. See sexual orientation.

Blind Study

As a way to avoid the placebo effect in research, this type of study is designed without the subject's knowledge of the anticipated results and sometimes even the nature of the study. The subjects are said to be 'blind' to the expected results.

Broca's Aphasia

An aphasia associated with damage to the Broca's area of the brain, demonstrated by the impairment in producing understandable speech.

Burnout

Changes in thoughts, emotions, and behavior as a result of extended job stress and unrewarded repetition of duties. Burnout is seen as extreme dissatisfaction, pessimism, lowered job satisfaction, and a desire to quit.

Cell Body

The main part of the neuron where the information is processed.

Centration

A young child's tendency to focus only on his or her own perspective of a specific object and a failure to understand that others may see things differently.

Chemical Imbalance

A generic term for the idea that chemical in the brain are either too scarce or too abundant resulting in a mental disorder such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

Classical Conditioning

The behavioral technique of pairing a naturally occurring stimulus and response chain with a different stimulus in order to produce a response which is not naturally occurring.

Client Centered Therapy

A humanistic therapy based on Carl Roger's beliefs that an individual has an unlimited capacity for psychological growth and will continue to grow unless barriers are placed in the way.

Coercive Power

Power derived through the ability to punish.

Cognition

The process of receiving, processing, storing, and using information.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Treatment involving the combination of behaviorism (based in the theories of learning) and cognitive therapy (based on the theory that our cognition or thoughts control a large portion of our behaviors.)

Cognitive Dissonance

The realization of contradictions in one's attitudes and behaviors.

Cognitive Therapy

The treatment approach based on the theory that our cognitions or thoughts control a large part of our behaviors and emotions. Therefore, changing the way we think can result in positive changes in the way we act and feel.

Compulsion

The physical act resulting from an obsession. Typically a compulsive act is done in an attempt to alleviate the discomfort created by an obsession.

Conditioned Response

The response in a stimulus-response chain that is not naturally occurring, but rather has been learned through its pairing with a naturally occurring chain.

Conditioned Stimulus

The stimulus in a stimulus-response chain that is not naturally occurring, but rather has been learned through its pairing with a naturally occurring chain.

Conditioning

The process of learning new behaviors or responses as a result of their consequences.

Conformity

Changing your attitudes, beliefs, thoughts, or behaviors in order to be more consistent with others.

Consciousness

Awareness of yourself and the world around you.

Conservation

The understanding, typically achieved in later childhood, that matter remains the same even when the shape changes (ie., a pound of clay is still a pound of clay whether is is rolled in a ball or pounded flat).

Consolidation

The psychological changes in the brain associated with memory storage.

Consolidation Failure

The failure to store information in memory.

Context Dependent Memory

The theory that information learned in a particular situation or place is better remembered when that same situation or place.

Continuous Reinforcement

The application of reinforcement every time a specific behavior occurs.

Control Group

The group of subjects in an experiment that does not receive the independent variable.

Correlation

Statistical representation of a relationship between two or more variables which does not determine cause and effect.

Critical Period

A time frame deemed highly important in developing in a healthy manner, can be physically, emotionally, behaviorally, or cognitively.

Crowding

The psychological and psychological response to the belief that there are too many people in a specified area.

Crystalized Intelligence

The part of intelligence which involves the acquisition, as opposed to the use, of information.

Decay

Theory which states that memory fades and/or disappears over time if not used or accessed.

Declarative Memory

The part of the long term memory where factual information is stored, such as mathematical formulas, vocabulary, and life events.

Deductive Reasoning

Decision making process in which ideas are processed from the general to the specific.

Defenses (Defense Mechanisms)

Psychological forces which prevent undesirable or inappropriate impulses from entering consciousness (e.g., forgetting responsibilities that we really didn't want to do, projecting anger onto a spouse as opposed to your boss) Also called Defense Mechanism, Defense System, or Ego Defenses.

Delusion

False belief system (e.g., believing you are Napoleon, have magical powers, or the false belief that others are 'out to get you!)

Dependent Variable

The variable in an experiment that is measured; the outcome of an experiment.

Developmental Psychology

The area of psychology focused on how children grow psychological to become who they are as adults.

Difference Threshold

The smallest change in perception which is noticeable at least 50% of the time.

Discrimination

In behavioral theory, the learned ability to differentiate between two similar objects or situations.

Disorientation

Inability to recognize or be aware of who we are (person), what we are doing (situation), the time and date (time), or where we are in relation to our environment (place). To be considered a problem, it must be consistent, result in difficulty functioning , and not due to forgetting or being lost.

Displacement

The pushing out of older information in short term memory to make room for new information.

Dissociation

A separation from the self, with the most severe resulting in Dissociative Identity Disorder. Most of us experience this in very mild forms such as when we are driving long distance and lose time or find ourselves day dreaming longer that we thought.

Distinctiveness

The phenomenon in memory that states we are better able to remember information if it is distinctive or different from other information.

Divergent Thinking

The ability to use previously gained information to debate or discuss issues which have no agreed upon definitive resolution.

Double Blind Study

Research method in which both subjects and the experimenter are unaware or 'blind' to the anticipated results.

Drive

An internal motivation to fulfill a need or reduce the negative aspects of an unpleasant situation.

Ego

In Psychoanalytic theory, the part of the personality which maintains a balance between our impulses (id) and our conscience (superego).

Ellis Albert

A cognitive Psychologist who developed the concept of Rational-Emotive Therapy.

Emotion

Feeling about a situation, person, or object that involved changed in physiological arousal and cognitions.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

The awareness of and ability to manage one's emotions in a healthy an productive manner.

Encoding

The transformation of information to be stored in memory.

Subcategory of Declarative memory where information regarding life events are stored.

Etiology

Casual relationships of diseases; theories regarding how the specific disease or disorder began.

Experimental Group

In research, the group of subjects who receive the independent variable.

Experimental Method

Research method using random assignment of subjects and the manipulation of variables in order to determine cause and effect.

Experimenter Bias

Errors in a research study due to the predisposed notions or beliefs of the experimenter.

Expert Power

Power derived through advanced knowledge or experience in a particular subject.

External Locus of Control

The belief that the environment has more control over life circumstances than the individual does.

Extinction

The reduction and eventual disappearance of a learned or conditioned response after it is no longer paired with the unconditioned stimulus-response chain.

Extrinsic Motivation

The desire or push to preform a certain behavior based on the potential external rewards that may be received as a result.

Factor Analysis

A statistical technique used to determine the number of components in a set of data. These components are then named according to their to their characteristics allowing a researcher to break down information into statistical groups.

Family Therapy

Treatment involving family members which seeks to change the unhealthy familial patterns and interactions.

Fixation

In Freud's theory of psychosexual development, the failure to complete a stage successfully which results in a continuation of that stage into later adulthood.

Fixed Interval Schedule

A schedule in which the reinforcement is presented after a specific period of time.

Fixed Ratio Schedule

A schedule in which the reinforcement is presented after a specific number of responses.

Fetish

A condition in which arousal and /or sexual gratification is attained through inanimate objects (shoes, pantyhose) or non-sexual body parts (feet, hair). Is considered a problem when the object is needed in order to obtain arousal or gratification and the individual can not compete a exual act without this object present.

Frequency Effect

The phenomenon in memory which states that we tend to remember information better if it is repeated.

Freud, Sigmund

The father of clinical psychology. He made the extensive theory: psychoanalytical theory. It consists of the psychosexual stages of development, the structural model of personality (id. ego, superego), and levels of consciousness (conscious, subconscious, and unconscious.)

Flooding

A behavioral technique used to treat phobias in which the client is presented with the feared stimulus until the associated anxiety disappears.

Fluid Intelligence

The part of intelligence which involved the use, as opposed to the acquisitions, of information.

Framing

Presenting information either positively or negatively in order to change the influence it has on an individual or group.

Free Association

The psychoanalytic technique of allowing a patient to talk without direction or input in order to analyze current issues of the client.

Frontal Lobe

The lobe at the front of the brain associated with movement, speech, and impulsive behavior.

Frustration

The feelings, thoughts, and behaviors associated with not achieving a particular goal or the belief that a goal has been prematurely interrupted.

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency to overestimate the internal attributes of another person's actions.

Gender Identity

The internal sense of being either male or female. Usually Congruent with biological gender, but not always as in Gender Identity Disorder.

Gender Role

The accepted behaviors, thoughts, and emotions of a specific gender based upon the views of a particular society or culture.

Gender Typing

The process of developing the behaviors, thoughts, and emotions associated with a particular gender.

Generalization

The tendency to associate stimuli, and therefore respond similarly to, due to their closeness on some variable such as size, shape, color, or meaning.