Important Psychologist to Know for AP Psychology (2025) (AP)

Sigmund Freud

The founder of psychoanalysis.

Id

The primal part of the psyche that seeks immediate gratification (pleasure principle).

Ego

The rational part that mediates between the id and the external world (reality principle).

Superego

The moral conscience, shaped by societal norms.

Defense Mechanisms

Strategies the ego uses to protect itself from anxiety, such as repression (pushing thoughts out of awareness), projection (attributing one’s feelings to others), and denial.

Psychosexual Stages

Freud believed that personality developed through five stages: oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital. Unresolved conflicts at any stage could lead to fixation, influencing adult personality.

Carl Jung

The founder of analytical psychology

Collective Unconscious

Jung proposed a layer of the unconscious shared among all people, containing universal symbols and themes (archetypes), such as the Shadow (repressed traits), the Hero, and the Anima/Animus (gendered aspects of the psyche).

Individuation

Jung believed that achieving wholeness required balancing conscious and unconscious parts of the self, leading to personal growth.

B.F. Skinner

A leading figure in behaviorism

Operant Conditioning

Skinner demonstrated that behaviors could be increased or decreased through reinforcement (positive or negative) or punishment. For example, rewards for a behavior increase its likelihood, while punishment decreases it.

Skinner Box

Skinner developed an apparatus to study animal behavior systematically, allowing him to control and measure responses to various reinforcements.

Schedules of Reinforcement

Skinner’s research identified fixed and variable reinforcement schedules, showing that different schedules impact the rate and strength of learning.

Ivan Pavlov

A Russian physiologist known for discovering classical conditioning, Pavlov showed that animals could learn to associate a neutral stimulus with an automatic response.

Classical Conditioning

Pavlov’s experiments with dogs demonstrated that a neutral stimulus (a bell) could become a conditioned stimulus when paired with an unconditioned stimulus (food), eventually eliciting a conditioned response (salivation).

 Jean Piaget

Known for his theory of cognitive development, Piaget proposed that children go through four stages of development that shape their understanding of the world.

Sensorimotor (0-2 years)

Infants learn through sensory experiences and object manipulation.

Preoperational (2-7 years)

Children develop language and imagination but struggle with logical thinking and perspective-taking.

Concrete Operational (7-11 years)

Children can think logically about concrete objects and understand conservation and reversibility.

Formal Operational (12+ years)

Adolescents develop abstract reasoning and hypothetical thinking.

Schema

Mental models that represent a set of ideas or actions that are related.

Assimilation

The process of fitting new information into existing schemas.

Accommodation

The process of adjusting or creating new schemas when new information doesn't fit into existing ones.

Erik Erikson

Developed a psychosocial development theory that describes eight stages from infancy to adulthood, each marked by a conflict essential for psychological growth.

Identity Development

Erikson focused on the adolescent identity crisis, where individuals explore different roles to develop a cohesive sense of self.

Abraham Maslow

Creator of the hierarchy of needs

Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s pyramid includes physiological needs at the base, followed by safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization at the top.

Self-Actualization

Maslow believed the highest form of psychological health involves fulfilling one’s potential and seeking personal growth.

William James

Often called the father of American psychology

Functionalism

James argued that mental processes should be studied for their utility, not just their structure.

Pragmatism

James’s pragmatic approach focused on practical uses of psychological concepts, particularly in emotion and consciousness studies.

Carl Rogers

A key figure in humanistic psychology

Client-Centered Therapy

Rogers believed that therapists should provide a supportive environment to help clients achieve self-acceptance and growth.

Elizabeth Loftus

A cognitive psychologist known for her research on the malleability of memory, especially in eyewitness testimony.

Memory Reconstruction

Loftus’s studies revealed that memories could be altered by suggestion or misinformation, challenging the reliability of eyewitness accounts.

Albert Bandura

Developed social learning theory, demonstrating that people learn behaviors through observation. He introduced the concept of self-efficacy and conducted the Bobo doll experiment.

Observational Learning

Bandura showed that people, especially children, learn through observing and imitating others.

Self-Efficacy

Bandura emphasized belief in one’s abilities as critical for motivation.

Aaron Beck

Known for developing cognitive therapy, which aims to change negative thought patterns to improve mental health.

 Stanley Milgram

Conducted obedience experiments, showing that people are willing to follow authority figures to surprising extents, even when it conflicts with their morals.

Philip Zimbardo

Known for the Stanford prison experiment, which examined the effects of power dynamics and social roles on behavior.

Daniel Kahneman

Nobel Prize-winning psychologist known for his work in behavioral economics, studying decision-making and cognitive biases.