ap psych vocab (update over time)

mods done so far: 2-15 (9/28/25)

cognitive psychology

studying how people process and remember information

cognitive neuroscience

studying the biological basis of mental processes (memory, language, perception, decision making)

psychology

THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF BEHAVIOR AND MENTAL PROCESSES

cognitive perspective

focuses on how people think, process, store, and retrieve information - behavior explained by how a person interprets the situation

biological perspective

focuses on biological structures/susbstances underlying a given behavior/thought/emotion - behavior is explained by brain chemistry/glands/genetics

sociocultural perspective

focuses on how thinking/behavior change depending on setting/situation - behavior explained by the influence of other people/a person’s environment

behavioral perspective

focuses on how we learn through reinforcement/punishment/observation - behavior is explained by previous learning

psychodynamic perspective

focuses on how behavior is affected by unconscious drives/conflicts - behavior is explained through unconscious motivation/unsolved inner conflicts from one’s childhood

(modern version of psychoanalytic perspective)

humanistic perspective

focuses on how healthy people strive to reach their full potential - behavior explained by being motivated by satisfying needs (safety/hunger/thirst/etc.,) with the goal of reaching one’s full potential once basic needs are met

evolutionary perspective

behavior explained by evolving + doing whats best for a species’ survival

theory

an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations/predicts behaviors/events

hypothesis

a testable prediction, often implied by a theory

operational definition

a carefully worded statement of the exact procedures (operations) used in a research study

replication

repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants/situations to see whether the basic finding can be reproduced

(adds validity and credibility to the study)

case study

a descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the hopes of revealing universal principles

naturalistic observation

observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate or control the situation

sampling bias

a flawed sampling process that produces an unrepresentative sample

population

all those in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn

random sample

a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion

correlation

linear relationship between two variables

correlation =/= causation

important to NOT imply a cause and effect relationship between variables

good for making predictions

correlation coefficient

a statistical index of the relationship between two things (from -1.00 to +1.00)

variable

anything that can vary and is feasible/ethical to measure

scatterplot

a graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables

slope of points suggests direction of the relationship between variables

amt. of scatter suggests strength of correlation (closer = stronger)

illusory correlation

perceiving a relationship where none exists, or perceiving a stronger-than-actual-relationship

regression towards the mean

the tendency for extreme or unusual scores/events to fall back (regress) towards the average

experiment

a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process

by random assignment of participants, the experimenter aims to control other relevant factors

experimental group

in an experiment, the group exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable

control group

the group NOT exposed to the treatment - contrasts with the experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment

random assignment

assigning participants to experimental/control groups by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between the groups

(double) blind procedure

blind: only participants are unaware of the details of the study/what happens during it

double blind: participants AND researchers don’t know what’s happening during the study, both find out through the results/debriefing

independent variable

factor being manipulated/studied

confounding variable

factor other than the one being studied that may influence results

dependent variable

outcome being measured, DEPENDS on independent variable

validity

extent to which a test or experiment measures/predicts what its supposed to do

common sense

conclusion based solely on personal experience/sensible logic

can lead to incorrect conclusions

research/research methodology

method of asking questions then drawing logical conclusions

researchers need to be able to determine if conclusions are reasonable or not (critical thinking)

critical thinking

does not blindly accept arguments/conclusions

examines assumptions, appraises the source, discerns hidden biases, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions

meta analysis

summarizes previous studies on a topic - could sumarize multiple correlational/experimental studies

experimental design

involves manipulation of independent variable/random assignment to groups/comparisons of equivalent groups

bias

situation in which a factor unfarily increases the likelihood of a researcher reaching a particular conclusion

bias should be minimized in research as much as possible

researcher bias

the tendency to notice evidence which supports one particular POV/hypothesis

objectivity tends to reduce bias

participant bias

tendency of research subjects to respond in certain ways because they know theyre being observed

subjects might try to behave in ways they believe the researcher wants them to behave

can be reduced by naturalistic observation

survey

NOT A RESEARCH METHOD

technique used to collect data that relies on self reports/questionnaires/interviews

usually a very efficient + inexpensive method to collect data

assumes respondents will be truthful

likert scales

5-7 point scale used to allow an individual to express how much they agree/disagree with a particular statement