AP Psychology Final Exam Study Guide (2025) EXAMPLES

Behavioral Perspective

Focuses on learned behavior through conditioning.

Biological Perspective

Explains behavior using the brain, genes, and chemicals.

Cognitive Perspective

Focuses on thinking, memory, and problem-solving.

Evolutionary Perspective

Behavior shaped by survival and reproduction.

Humanistic Perspective

Emphasizes free will and personal growth.

Psychodynamic Perspective

Behavior influenced by unconscious conflicts.

Social-Cultural Perspective

Behavior shaped by culture and social context.

Correlation Coefficient (r)

Strength/direction of relationship between two variables.

Empirical Evidence

Data from observation or experiments.

Experimental Group

The group that receives the treatment in an experiment.

Control Group

The group that does not receive the treatment in an experiment.

Independent Variable (IV)

The variable that is manipulated in an experiment.

Dependent Variable (DV)

The variable that is measured in an experiment.

Illusory Correlation

Seeing a relationship that isn’t real.

Measures of Central Tendency

Mean, median, and mode.

Random Assignment

Assigning participants to groups by chance.

Reliability

The consistency of a measure.

Validity

The extent to which a test measures what it claims to measure.

Agonists

Mimic neurotransmitters.

Antagonists

Block neurotransmitters.

Cerebellum

Part of the brain that controls balance and coordination.

Frontal Lobe

Part of the brain involved in decision-making and speech.

Hippocampus

Part of the brain responsible for forming new memories.

Fight-or-Flight Response

The body's immediate reaction to stress.

Sleep Stages

Different phases of sleep including NREM and REM.

Afterimages

Visual illusions that occur after staring at an image.

Cocktail Party Effect

Ability to focus on one voice among many.

Depth Perception

The ability to judge distance.

Algorithm

A step-by-step procedure for solving a problem.

Episodic Memory

Memory of personal experiences.

Functional Fixedness

Limiting thinking to traditional uses of objects.

Aptitude Tests

Assess an individual's potential to succeed in a given activity.

Criterion Validity

The extent to which a measure predicts performance on a related outcome.

Crystallized Intelligence

Knowledge gained from experience.

Senescence

The process of aging.

Attachment Styles

Different patterns of attachment in relationships, such as secure or insecure.