AP Psych Overall Vocab

Ablation

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

Accommodation

The creation of new cognitive schemas when information does not fit with existing schemas.

Action Potential

The firing of a neuron when the charge inside becomes more positive than outside.

Altruism

Unselfish behavior that may be detrimental but benefits others.

Amnesia

Partial loss of memory, such as for a period or biographical information.

Anxiety

Physiological and psychological reaction to expected danger, real or imagined.

Aphasia

Impairment of ability to communicate due to brain damage.

Arousal Theory

Theory stating that we are motivated to maintain an optimal level of arousal.

Assimilation

Incorporating new information into existing cognitive schemas.

Attachment

The strong bond a child forms with their primary caregiver.

Attribution

An idea or belief about the causes of a behavior.

Authoritarian Parenting

Parenting style focused on excessive rules and unquestioned obedience.

Authoritative Parenting

Parenting style with reasonable rules and encouragement of independence.

Behavior Modification

Application of behavioral theory to change specific behaviors.

Cognitive Dissonance

Realization of contradictions in one's own attitudes and behaviors.

Cognitive Therapy

Treatment approach based on the idea that thoughts control emotions and behaviors.

Compulsion

The physical act resulting from an obsession, aimed at relieving discomfort.

Conditioned Response

Response in a stimulus-response chain learned through its pairing with a natural response.

Conformity

Changing attitudes, beliefs, thoughts, or behaviors to align with others.

Declarative Memory

Part of long-term memory storing factual information.

Developmental Psychology

Area focused on psychological growth and development of children into adulthood.

Discrimination

Learned ability to differentiate between similar objects or situations.

Dopamine

A neurotransmitter involved in reward and pleasure centers in the brain.

Extrinsic Motivation

Desire to perform behavior based on external rewards.

Generalization

The tendency to respond similarly to similar stimuli.

Humanistic Psychology

Theoretical view stressing positive human potential and growth.

Long Term Memory

Relatively permanent storage of information.

Negative Correlation

A correlation where as one variable increases, the other decreases.

Operant Conditioning

Learning based on the consequences of behavior.

Phenomenology

An approach focusing on the subjective experience of individuals.

Reinforcer

Something that follows a behavior, increasing the chances of that behavior recurring.

Social Facilitation

The tendency to perform better on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others.

Unconditional Positive Regard

Nonjudgmental empathy and respect for another person.

Validity

Statistical technique determining if a test measures what it intends to measure.

Wernicke’s Aphasia

Aphasia resulting from damage to the Wernicke’s area, affecting understanding of language.