AP Psychology Vocabulary

Abnormal Psychology

The study of psychological disorders and the treatment of these disorders.

Absolute Threshold

The minimum stimulus energy needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time, 'Detection baseline'.

Accommodation

Adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information, "Adjusting mental models".

Accommodation

Adjusting a schema to incorporate new information, 'Updating framework'.

Accommodation

The process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina, 'Focusing process'.

Acetylcholine

A neurotransmitter that enables learning and memory and also triggers muscle contraction, 'Muscle mover'.

Achievement (Adolescent Development)

Adolescents' ability to set goals, follow through and accomplish tasks, 'Goal achievement'.

Achievement Tests

Tests designed to assess what a person has learned, 'Knowledge test'.

Acquisition

The initial stage in classical conditioning; the phase associating a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus comes to elicit a conditioned response, 'Learning phase'.

Action Potential

A brief electrical charge that travels down a neuron, 'Neural firing'.

Activation-Synthesis (Dreams)

Theory that suggests that the brain engages in a lot of random neural activity. Dreams make sense of this activity, 'Dream construction'.

Actor-Observer Bias

The tendency to blame our actions on the situation and blame the actions of others on their personalities, 'Perspective bias'.

Addiction

Compulsive craving of drugs or certain behaviors despite known adverse consequences, 'Compulsive need'.

Adrenaline

A hormone released into the bloodstream in response to physical or mental stress, 'Fight or flight enhancer'.

Adventure Seeking

Engaging in activities that are unusual, exciting, and risky, 'Quest for adventure'.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Stressful or traumatic events in childhood that impact health and well-being across the lifespan, 'Childhood trauma'.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Stressful or traumatic events in childhood, such as abuse, neglect, and family dysfunction, that impact an individual's health and well-being throughout life, 'Traumatic childhood impacts'.

Afterimages

Visual illusions that occur after the initial visual stimulus has been removed, typically when staring at a colored image then looking away, 'Color ghosts'.

Agonists

Drugs that increase neurotransmitter action by increasing production/release or mimicking neurotransmitters, 'Enhancer'.

Agreeableness

A personality dimension that includes attributes such as trust, altruism, kindness, affection, and other prosocial behaviors, 'Cooperative trait'.

Alarm Reaction Phase

The initial reaction to a stressor, activating the body's defenses, 'Initial alert'.

Alcohol

A depressant that is the intoxicating ingredient in whiskey, beer, wine, and other fermented or distilled liquors, 'Common relaxant'.

Algorithms

Step-by-step procedures that guarantee a solution, 'Fail-proof method'.

All-or-Nothing Principle

A neuron's reaction of either firing (with a full-strength response) or not firing, 'Fire fully or not at all'.

Altruism

Unselfish regard for the welfare of others, 'Helping others'.

Alzheimer's Disease

A progressive and irreversible brain disorder characterized by gradual deterioration of memory, reasoning, language, and, finally, physical functioning, 'Progressive memory loss'.

Amplitude

The height of a wave's crest, which affects perceived loudness in sounds, 'Sound strength'.

Amygdala

Almond-shaped clusters in the limbic system linked to emotion, especially fear, 'Emotion alarm'.

Animism

The belief that objects that are inanimate have feelings, thoughts, and have the mental characteristics and qualities of living things, "Object life belief".

Antagonists

Drugs that inhibit neurotransmitter action by blocking receptors or preventing synthesis, 'Blocker'.

Anterograde Amnesia

An inability to form new memories, 'Can't make new memories'.

Anxious Attachment

An attachment style characterized by a concern that others will not reciprocate one's desire for intimacy, resulting in higher-than-average levels of anxiety, "Worried attachment".

Apparent Movement

The perception that a stationary object is moving, 'Illusion of motion'.

Approach-Approach Conflicts

Conflicts arising when a person must choose between two desirable goals, 'Two positives choice'.

Approach-Avoidance Conflicts

Conflicts arising when a single goal has both positive and negative aspects, 'Mixed feelings choice'.

Aptitude Tests

Tests designed to predict a person's future performance or capacity to learn, 'Potential test'.

Arousal Theory

The theory that people are motivated to maintain an optimal level of alertness and physical and mental activation, 'Optimal arousal'.

Assimilation

Incorporating new experiences into our current understanding (schema), 'Adding to existing'.

Assimilation

Interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas, "Incorporating new info".

Association Areas

Regions of the cerebral cortex that integrate simpler functions into more complex ones, 'Complex processing'.

Associative Learning

Learning that certain events occur together. The events may be two stimuli or a response and its consequences, 'Connections learning'.

Ataque de nervios

A syndrome among individuals of Latino descent, characterized by symptoms of intense emotional upset, including acute anxiety, anger, or grief, screaming and shouting uncontrollably, attacks of crying, trembling, heat in the chest rising into the head, and becoming verbally and physically aggressive, 'Cultural anxiety response'.

Attachment Styles

Patterns of attachment in romantic relationships that reflect the views of oneself and the views of others, "Relationship patterns".

Attention

Focusing awareness on a narrowed range of stimuli or events, 'Focus spotlight'.

Attribution Theory

The theory that we explain someone's behavior by crediting either the situation or the person's disposition, 'Behavior explanation'.

Authoritarian Parenting

Parenting style characterized by high demands and low responsiveness, where parents impose rules and expect obedience, "Strict parenting".

Authoritative Parenting

Parenting style characterized by high demands and high responsiveness, where parents set clear standards but also encourage independence, "Supportive, firm parenting".

Autobiographical Memory

Memory system consisting of episodes recollected from an individual's life, based on a combination of episodic (personal experiences) and semantic (general knowledge and facts) memory, 'Personal life history'.

Automatic Processing

Unconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time, and frequency, and of well-learned information, 'Effortless entry'.

Autonomic Nervous System

Controls self-regulated actions of internal organs and glands, 'Automatic system'.

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

Erikson's stage in which a toddler learns to exercise will and to do things independently; failure results in feelings of shame and doubt, 'Independence vs. insecurity'.

Availability Heuristic

Estimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory; if instances come readily to mind, we presume such events are common, 'Memory-based guess'.

Avoidance-Avoidance Conflicts

Conflicts arising when a person must choose between two undesirable goals, 'Two negatives choice'.

Avoidant Attachment

An attachment style characterized by difficulty developing intimate relationships because previous attempts to be intimate have been rebuffed, "Distancing attachment".

Babbling

Stage of language development at about 4 months when an infant spontaneously utters nonsense sounds, 'Pre-language noises'.

Behavioral

Focus on observable behaviors, people/animals are controlled by their environment, positive/negative consequences.

Behavioral Perspective

Focuses on observable behaviors and what one can do to bring about behavior changes, 'Behavior modification focus'.

Behavioral Perspective

Views psychological disorders through a lens of learned behaviors and responses to environmental stimuli, focusing on observable behaviors and their management, 'Behavior modification'.

Belief Perseverance

Clinging to one's initial conceptions after the basis on which they were formed has been discredited, 'Sticking to beliefs'.

Belongingness

The human emotional need to be an accepted member of a group, 'Need for acceptance'.

Big Five Theory

A trait theory that identifies five main characteristics that account for most individual differences in personality: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism, 'Five-factor model'.

Bimodal Distribution

A distribution with two different modes which may appear as distinct peaks; 'Two peaks'.

Binocular Depth Cues

Depth cues that depend on the use of two eyes, 'Two-eye depth'.

Biological

The influence of genetics and brain chemistry (physical & biological processes).

Biological Perspective

Attributes psychological disorders to organic or neurobiological causes, focusing on brain structures, neurochemistry, and genetic factors, 'Neurobiological underpinnings'.

Biological Preparedness

A propensity for learning particular kinds of associations over others, 'Innate learning ease'.

Biopsychosocial

Eclectic (Combining Approach), Links between genetics and environment.

Biopsychosocial Model

A holistic approach that explains psychological disorders by considering the interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors, offering a comprehensive framework for understanding mental health, 'Integrated health framework'.

Blind Spot

The point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a 'blind' spot because no receptor cells are located there, 'Sight gap'.

Blindsight

A condition in which a person can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it, 'Unseen seeing'.

Boredom Susceptibility

The tendency to become easily bored by familiar, repeated experiences, 'Quickly disinterested'.

Bottom-up Processing

Analysis starting with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information, 'Details first'.

Brainstem

The oldest part of the brain, responsible for automatic survival functions, 'Survival core'.

Broaden-and-Build Theory of Emotion

Theory proposing that happiness predisposes us to think more openly, allowing us to see the 'big picture' we might have otherwise overlooked, 'Happiness expands thought'.

Broca's Aphasia

A condition resulting from damage to Broca's area, causing impaired speaking, 'Broken speech'.

Broca's Area

The region in the frontal lobe of the dominant hemisphere involved in producing speech, 'Speech production'.

Bystander Effect

The tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present, 'Shared responsibility inaction'.

Caffeine

A mild stimulant found in coffee, tea, and many sodas, 'Energy booster'.

Case Study

Study of a single subject or group in detail; 'Focus on one'.

Catastrophes

Unpredictable large-scale events that cause significant stress and can be traumatic, 'Large-scale disasters'.

Categories of Virtues

Classifications of core virtues that guide behavior and contribute to a well-lived life, 'Virtue types'.

Categories-Grouping

Sorting information into logical groupings to improve recall, 'Logical sorting'.

Central Executive

The part of working memory that directs attention and processing, 'Control center'.

Central Nervous System

Consists of the brain and spinal cord, 'Control center'.

Central Route of Persuasion

Persuasion that involves high elaboration — where people pay attention to the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts, 'Deep processing'.

Cerebellum

Part of the brain that coordinates movement and balance, 'Movement coordinator'.

Cerebral Cortex

The brain's outer layer responsible for thinking and processing information, 'Thought control'.

Change Blindness

Failing to notice changes in the environment, 'Unnoticed changes'.

Chronosystem

The patterning of environmental events and transitions over the life course, as well as sociohistorical circumstances, "Time-based influences".

Chunking-Grouping

Organizing items into familiar, manageable units to make them easier to remember, 'Data bundling'.

Circadian Rhythm

The biological clock; regular bodily rhythms that occur on a 24-hour cycle, '24-hour internal clock'.

Classical Conditioning

A type of learning where a stimulus gains the power to cause a response because it predicts another stimulus that already produces that response, 'Associations'.

Clinical Psychology

A branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders.

Closure

The perceptual tendency to mentally complete incomplete figures, 'Filling the gaps'.

Cocaine

A powerful and addictive stimulant derived from the coca plant, 'Intense stimulant'.

Cocktail Party Effect

Ability to attend to only one voice among many, 'Focus in noise'.

Cognitive

Focuses on internal processes of the mind influencing behavior.

Cognitive Dissonance

The theory that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two of our thoughts are inconsistent, 'Internal conflict'.

Cognitive Maps

A mental representation of the layout of one's environment, "Mental layout".

Cognitive Perspective

Analyzes psychological disorders through patterns of faulty or irrational thinking and beliefs, focusing on correcting cognitive distortions to alleviate mental distress, 'Cognitive distortions'.