AP Psychology Flashcard

AP Psych flashcards deeper than just memorizing vocabulary and simple enough to easily understand, often paired with an example (still has vocabulary cards dw)

Sensation vs. Perception

Sensation is the sensory process of detecting a stimulus, Perception is the cognitive process of interpreting and understanding a stimulus

Schema vs. Perceptual Set

Schemas are the preconceptions in which we organize information (Long-term, Top-down processing) Perceptual Set is the idea we see things based on our current expectations and emotional state (Short-term, Top-down processing)

Gestalt Psychology

proposes humans organize the world into groups and wholes instead of single parts. “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts”

Depth Perception

Ability to recognize distance

Relative Size

Objects farther away are seen as small and objects closer are seen as larger.

Interposition

When an object is blocking another, the object behind will be perceived as farther away.

Selective Attention

Ignoring everything else when focused on something

Cocktail Party Effect

Being able to tune background noise out to focus on one stimulus, but still being able to hear relevant stimuli in the background such as your name or a glass being dropped

Prototype

the average representation of a category, like imagining a golden retriever when someone mentions a dog

Accomodation

When new information challenges your existing schema, so you alter your schema to incorporate the new information

Mental Set

Relying on previously successful methods to solve every problems even if it’s not the best way

Repition Priming

When you reocognize a stimulus after experiencing it before (recognizing your friend’s ringtone after hearing it once before)

Semantic Priming

phenomenon where exposure to one prime word influences the processing of following related word(s) (e.g. ‘doctor’ followed by ‘nurse’ ‘hospital and ‘infection’)

Framing

When something is presented in a way that influences decisions (80% fat free vs contains 20% fat)

Gambler’s Fallacy

Incorrectly thinking previous outcomes influence future outcomes

Sunk-Cost Fallacy

Continuing with something simply because you’ve already put effort/money/time into it.

Explicit Memories

Memories you can clearly recall; Split into Episodic Memory (Personal events) and Semantic Memory (General Knowledge 2+2=4)

Implicit Memory

Unconcious Memories; contains Procedural memory (riding a bike)

Prospective Memory

Mental to-do list

Visuospatial Sketchpad

Part of Working Memory Model; Temporary holding for visual spatial processing (where you parked your car)

Phonological Loop

Part of Working Memory Model; Temporary holding place for auditory information (Repeating a phone number before dialing)

Episodic Buffer

Part of Working Memory Model; Limited capacity storage system for binding sources together to create a complete memory

Memory Process

Sensory memory to Short-tem memory by paying attention, rehearse in short-term memory, encoded into long term memory, retrieved by recall or recognition.

3 Types of Encoding

Visual (seeing) Acoustic (hearing) Tactile (touch)

Mnemonic Device

Acronyms, rhymes, or patterns to help you remember

Chunking

Grouping things up to remember them better (phone numbers seperated into threes)

Spacing Effect

The idea that by spacing out learning over a longer period of time it will be more easily encoded than if you learned it over a short period of time.

Serial Position Effect

Tendency to remember things at the start and end of something (grocery list, study session)

Primacy Effect

Tendency to remember the things at the beginning of a series

Recency Effect

Tendency to remember things at the end of a series

What two brain structures help with forming explicit memories?

The Hippocampus and Frontal Lobe help with forming explicit memories.

What two brain structures help with forming implicit memories?

The Basal Ganglia and Cerebellum

Flooding

A Behavioral therapy technique where a client is entirely exposed to their feared stimulus (pushing someone in the deep end of a pool)

Systematic Desensitization

Behavioral therapy technique where a client is gradually exposed to their feared stimulus

Encoding Failure

When encoding process is disrupted, usually when not paying attention

Proactive Interference

When old memories block newer memories

Retroactive Interference

When new memories block old memories

Misinformation Effect

When someone is presented with information that changes how they remember an event

Standardization

Having uniform procedures to administer and score a test

Validity

How well a test masures what it is intended to measure

Reliability

How well a test produces consistent results

Test-Retest Reliability

How reliable a test is if you take it multiple times over different occasions

Split-Half Reliability

If a test is divided into two parts, they should be comparable

Flynn Effect

The rise of IQ scores due to external factors like food, healthcare, and access to education

Achievement Test

Measures what you’ve already learned

Aptitude Test

Measures what you’re capable of learning

Placebo Effect

When a person improves after recieving a fake treatmenet

Psychology

The science of behavior and mental processes

Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Proposed by Howard Gardener; Linguistic, Logical, Spatial, Bodily Kinesthetic, Musicaal, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalistic

G-Factor

The idea that those who excell in one subject will generally do well in all others

Types of Reinforcement

Positive Reinforcement (add good) Negative Reinforcement (remove bad) Positive Punishment (add bad) Negative Punishment (remove good)

EEG

Measures electrical activity in the brain by putting electrodes on the scalp

fMRI

Shows active brain areas with blood flow changes

Frontal Lobe

Contains Prefrontal Cortex (personality & decision making), Motor Cortex (voluntary movement), and Broca’s Area (speech production)

The Four Lobes

Frontal, Parietal, Occipital, Temporal

Occipital Lobe

Located at the back of the brain; Processes visual information

Temporal Lobe

Located ‘above’ brainstem; Processes sounds; Contains Wernicke’s Area (language comphrension)

Parietal Lobe

Located behind the Frontal Lobe and in front of the Occipital Lobe; Processes touch, pain, temperature, and pressure

Corpus Callosum

A thick band of neural fibers in the Limbic System that connect the two brain hemispheres

Contralateral Control

Where the hemisphere on the opposite side of the body controls it. (Left hemisphere controls the right side of the body, Right hemisohere controls the left side of the body)

Amygdala

Processes emotion, especially fear and agression

Hippocampus

Helps form memories, does NOT store them

Hypothalamus

Maintains homeostasis; Regulates hunger, thirst, body temp, libido

Thalamus

Recieves all sensory information (except smell) and sends it to the right place

The Limbic System

Located immediately above the brainstem; Contains the Thalamus, Hypothalamus, Amygdala, Hippocampus, and Corpus Callosum

Sensory Neurons vs. Motor Neurons

send signals from the sensory receptors to the CNS; send signals from the CNS to the PNS

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)

Part of the PNS; Divided into the Sympathetic N.S. (fight or flight) and Parasympathetic N.S. (rest and digest)

Somatic Nervous System (SNS)

Part of the PNS; Controls voluntary movements

Central Nervous System (CNS)

Made up of the brain and spinal cord; Controls all body functions

Agonist

Causes action, increases neurotransmitter effectiveness

Antagonist

Prevents action

Neurons

The body’s communication network; Made up of the Soma (cell body) Neucleus (contains DNA) Dendrites (lil fingers) Axon (long boi) Axon Terminals (exit gate) and myelin sheath (chainmail armor)

Synapse

The gap between neurons

Reuptake

Reabsorption of a neurotransmitter by the sending neuron

Electrical Synapses

Used when rapid communication is needed

Negative Schizophrenia Symptoms

Takes away from who you are; confused with depression; low mood, social withdrawal, low motivation, reduced speech

Positive Schizophrenia Symptoms

Added symptoms; hallucinations (hearing/seeing things that aren’t there) Delusions (believing untrue things)

Extrasensory Perception (ESP) Claims

Telepathy (mind reading-Edward) Clairvoyance (seeing things happening elsewhere) Precognition (seeing the future-Alice)

Olfactory

Related to smell

Sleep Stages

N1 - light sleep N2 - deeper sleep, sleep spindles N3 - deepest sleep, delta waves REM - dream sleep

Types of Brain Waves

Beta - awake and focused, Alpha - relaxed but awake, Theta - light sleep, Delta - sleep

Clinical Depression

two-week incident of being in a low state and finding no pleasure in things

PDD/Dysthymia

Chronic, low-grade depression lasting at least two years

S.A.D

Seasonal Affective Disorder, low mood relating to the weather

Stages of Dying

Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance

Types of Motivation

Intrinsic - internally motivated; Extrinsic - externally motivated

Phobia

Intense irrational fear towards a person, place, thing, or concept

Asperger’s Syndrome

high-functioning autism

Chronological Developmental Psychology

focuses on how people change throughout their life

Thematic Development Psychology

Focused on themes throughout life explaining human growth

Longitudinal Study

Tracking something over an extensive period of time; expensive and time-consuming

Stability vs. Change

Do we stay the same or change over the span of our lives?

Nature vs. Nurture

Do genetics or environment play a bigger role?

Continous vs. Discontinous

Steady upward development or developing in large stages

Piaget’s Cognitive Development Stages

1. Sensory-Motor Stage 2. Preoperational Stage 3. Concrete Operational Stage 4. Formal Operational Stage

Erikson’s Stages of Development

Trust v Mistrust (-18m); Autonomy v Shame (-3yrs); Initiative v Guilt (-5yrs); Industry v Inferiority (-11yrs); Identity v Role Confusion (-18yrs); Intimacy v Isolation (-40yrs); Generativity v Stagnation (-65yrs); Integrity v Despair (above 65ys)

Cross-Sectional Study

Describes a variable by analyzing different groups; less expensive and time-consuming

Cohort Effect

Research result that comes from groups of individuals with shared characteristics, like the same birth year

Teratogens

Subtances that causes defects or development problems in a fetus like alcohol, drugs, tobacco, and environment

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

When a fetus is exposed to alcohol, causing development problems