ap psych 2b vocab

interleaving

A learning technique that involves mixing or alternating different types of practice or study tasks to enhance learning and retention.

intuition

The ability to understand or know something immediately without conscious reasoning or analysis.

Jean Piaget

A Swiss psychologist known for his influential theory of cognitive development, which describes the stages of intellectual growth in children.

L. L. Thurstone

An American psychologist known for his contributions to psychometrics and the development of factor analysis, as well as his critique of Charles Spearman's theory of general intelligence.

Lewis Terman

An American psychologist known for his work on intelligence testing, particularly his adaptation of Alfred Binet's intelligence test into the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales.

long-term memory

The relatively permanent storage of information, including facts, experiences, and skills, with potentially unlimited capacity and duration.

long-term potentiation (LTP)

A process of strengthening synaptic connections between neurons, believed to be a cellular mechanism underlying learning and memory.

longitudinal study

A research design that follows the same individuals or groups over an extended period to examine changes or development over time.

memory

The ability to retain and retrieve information over time, involving encoding, storage, and retrieval processes.

memory consolidation

The process of stabilizing and strengthening newly acquired memories over time through the reorganization of neural circuits.

mental age

A measure of intellectual development based on performance relative to average performance for a given chronological age, often used in intelligence testing.

mental set

A tendency to approach problems in a particular way, often based on past experiences or familiar strategies, which may impede problem-solving.

metacognition

Awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes, including knowledge about when and how to use particular cognitive strategies.

misinformation effect

The distortion of memory caused by exposure to misleading information after an event, leading to inaccuracies or false memories.

mneumonics

Memory aids or techniques used to improve encoding and retrieval of information, such as acronyms, rhymes, or visual imagery.

monocular cue

Depth cues that require only one eye to perceive depth and distance, such as relative size, interposition, and linear perspective.

mood-congruent memory

The tendency to recall information or experiences that are consistent with one's current mood or emotional state.

neurogenesis

The formation of new neurons, particularly in the hippocampus, believed to play a role in learning, memory, and mood regulation.

normal curve

A bell-shaped curve representing the distribution of scores or measurements in a population, with the majority of scores clustered around the mean.

nudge

A subtle suggestion or reinforcement designed to influence people's behavior or decisions without restricting their freedom of choice.

overconfidence

The tendency to overestimate one's abilities, knowledge, or judgment, often leading to errors in decision-making or problem-solving.

parallel processing

The simultaneous processing of multiple aspects of a stimulus or problem, allowing for efficient cognitive functioning and perception.

perceptual adaptation

The ability to adjust to changed sensory input, such as adapting to new eyeglasses or a reversed visual field.

perceptual constancy

The perceptual phenomenon where an object is perceived as maintaining its size, shape, color, or brightness despite changes in the sensory input.

perceptual set

A mental predisposition or expectation that influences perception, often based on prior experiences, motives, or context.

phi phenomenon

The illusion of movement created by the sequential flashing of lights in adjacent locations.

phonological loop

A component of working memory responsible for the temporary storage and rehearsal of verbal and auditory information.

predictive validity

The extent to which a test or measure accurately predicts future performance or outcomes.

priming

The activation of particular associations in memory, often unconsciously, which can influence subsequent behavior or cognition.

proactive interference

The disruptive effect of prior learning on the recall of new information.

prototype

A mental image or representation of the typical features or essential characteristics of a category or concept.

psychometrics

The field of study concerned with the theory and techniques of psychological measurement, including the development and validation of psychological tests.

recall

The retrieval of previously learned information without the aid of external cues, often tested by free recall or cued recall tasks.

recognition

The identification of previously encountered information from among alternatives, often tested by multiple-choice or matching tasks.

reconsolidation

The process by which previously consolidated memories may be modified or altered when retrieved and then stored again.

relearning

The process of learning something again more quickly or efficiently after it has been previously learned and forgotten.

reliability

The consistency or stability of a measurement or test over time or across different administrations.

representativeness heuristic

A mental shortcut where judgments or decisions are based on how well an individual or event matches a particular prototype or stereotype.

repression

A defense mechanism involving the unconscious exclusion or suppression of anxiety-provoking thoughts, memories, or impulses from conscious awareness.

retinal disparity

A binocular depth cue resulting from the slightly different images projected onto each retina, allowing for depth perception and stereoscopic vision.

retrieval

The process of accessing and bringing into consciousness previously stored information from memory.

retroactive interference

The disruptive effect of new learning on the recall of old information.

retrograde amnesia

Memory loss for events that occurred before a specific event, injury, or trauma.

Richard Atkinson

An American psychologist known for his work on memory, particularly the development of the modal model of memory with Richard Shiffrin.

Richard Shiffrin

An American psychologist known for his contributions to memory research, particularly the development of the modal model of memory with Richard Atkinson.

Robert Sternberg

An American psychologist known for his research on intelligence, creativity, and love, particularly his triarchic theory of intelligence.

savant syndrome

A rare condition in which individuals with developmental disorders such as autism display exceptional abilities or talents in specific areas, such as music, art, or mathematics.

schema

A cognitive framework or mental structure that organizes and interprets information about the world, guiding perception, memory, and problem-solving.

selective attention

The ability to focus awareness on a particular stimulus or aspect of the environment while ignoring others.

semantic encoding

The process of encoding the meaning or significance of information into memory, leading to better retention and recall.

sensory memory

The brief and initial stage of memory processing where sensory information is briefly registered and preserved in its original sensory form.

serial position effect

The tendency to recall items from the beginning (primacy effect) and end (recency effect) of a list more accurately than items from the middle.

shallow processing

A type of encoding that involves surface-level processing of information based on its physical characteristics, leading to poor retention.

short-term memory

The temporary storage system responsible for holding and manipulating information for brief periods, typically lasting seconds to minutes.

source amnesia

Forgetting the source of a memory, such as where or how the information was acquired, while retaining the memory itself.

spacing effect

The phenomenon where information is better remembered when it is distributed over time with intervals between study sessions, compared to massed practice or cramming.

standardization

The process of establishing uniform procedures for administering and scoring a test to ensure its reliability and validity.

Stanford-Binet

A widely used intelligence test originally developed by Lewis Terman at Stanford University, now in its fifth edition (SB-5).

stereotype threat

The phenomenon where individuals feel at risk of conforming to negative stereotypes about their social group, leading to decreased performance on tasks requiring intellectual ability.

Steven Pinker

A Canadian-American cognitive psychologist known for his research on language, cognition, and evolutionary psychology, as well as his popular science books.

storage

The retention of encoded information over time in memory.

stroboscopic movement

A perceptual phenomenon where a rapid series of slightly different images or frames create the illusion of continuous motion, as seen in motion pictures.

testing effect

The finding that retrieval practice, or actively recalling information from memory, enhances long-term retention more effectively than simply re-studying the material.

validity

The extent to which a test or measure accurately assesses the construct or concept it is intended to measure.

visual cliff

An experimental apparatus used to test depth perception and visual-motor coordination in infants and animals, typically consisting of a glass-covered platform with a drop-off.

visuospatial sketchpad

A component of working memory responsible for the temporary storage and manipulation of visual and spatial information.

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

A widely used intelligence test designed for adults, assessing various cognitive abilities including verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory, and processing speed.

Wolfgang Kohler

A German psychologist known for his research on problem-solving and insight learning with chimpanzees on the island of Tenerife.

working memory

A limited-capacity system responsible for the temporary storage and manipulation of information needed for complex cognitive tasks, often referred to as the "mental workspace."