AP Psych unit 2 test review

Context-dependent memory

You remember things better when you’re in the same place you learned them.

Correlational studies

Finding patterns between two things without proving one causes the other.

Distributed practice

Studying a little bit over time instead of cramming.

Functional fixedness

Seeing an object as only its usual purpose.

Anterograde amnesia

Can’t form new memories after an injury.

Linear perspective

Parallel lines appear to meet in the distance.

Maintenance rehearsal

Repeating something to remember it short-term.

Mean (average)

Add numbers and divide by how many there are.

Method of Loci (memory palace)

Remembering by placing info in imagined locations.

Primacy effect

Remembering the first items in a list best.

Recency effect

Remembering the last items in a list best.

Semantic encoding

Remembering something because you understand the meaning

Shape constancy

Knowing an object’s shape stays the same even when the angle changes.

Size constancy

Knowing objects aren’t shrinking or growing as distance changes

Tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon

Knowing a word but not being able to say it.

Selective attention

Focusing on one thing while ignoring others.

Inattentional blindness

Missing something obvious because you’re focused elsewhere

Change blindness

Not noticing a change in your surroundings.

Perceptual set

Expectations influence what you see.

Gestalt

We see whole patterns, not separate parts.

Figure-ground

Seeing objects as separate from their background.

Grouping

The brain organizes things into groups.

Depth perception

Knowing how far away things are.

Visual cliff

A test to see if infants have depth perception.

Binocular cue

Depth cue that requires both eyes.

Convergence

Your eyes turn inward to see things up close.

Retinal disparity

Each eye sees slightly different images to detect depth.

Monocular cue

Depth cues you can see with one eye.

Stroboscopic movement

Quick images that look like movement (flipbook effect).

Phi phenomenon

Blinking lights appear to move.

Autokinetic effect

A still light in darkness looks like it’s moving.

Perceptual constancy

Knowing objects stay the same even when appearance changes.

Perceptual adaptation

Adjusting to a changed visual world.

Cognition

All mental processes involved in thinking.

Metacognition

Thinking about your own thinking.

Concept

A mental category (like “fruit”).

Prototype

Your best example of a category.

Schema

A mental framework for understanding things.

Assimilation

Fitting new info into existing ideas.

Accommodation

Changing your ideas for new info.

Creativity

Thinking in new, original ways.

Convergent thinking

Finding one correct answer.

Divergent thinking

Finding many possible answers.

Executive functions

Skills for planning and self-control.

Algorithm

A step-by-step procedure that always works.

Heuristic

A quick mental shortcut.

Insight

A sudden “aha!” solution.

Confirmation bias

Searching for info that supports what you already believe.

Fixation

Being stuck on one way of thinking.

Mental set

Using past solutions for new problems.

Intuition

Gut feeling thinking.

Representativeness heuristic

Judging based on how much something fits a stereotype.

Availability heuristic

Judging based on what comes to mind easily.

Overconfidence

Thinking you’re more right than you are.

Belief perseverance

Holding onto beliefs even when proven wrong.

Framing

How wording affects decisions.

Recognition

Identifying correct info when you see it.

Relearning

Learning something faster the second time.

Encoding

Taking in information.

Storage

Keeping information over time.

Retrieval

Bringing information back out.

Parallel processing

Doing multiple mental tasks at the same time.

Sensory memory

Very short memory from your senses.

Short-term memory

Holds a few items briefly.

Long-term memory

Stores information for a long time.

Working memory

Holding and using information at the same time.

Central executive

The part of working memory that directs attention.

Long-term potentiation (LTP)

Strengthening of neural connections through repeated firing.

Explicit memory

Facts and events you consciously know.

Effortful processing

Learning that requires attention.

Automatic processing

Learning that happens without effort.

Implicit memory

Unconscious memory (like riding a bike).

Iconic memory

Very brief visual memory.

Chunking

Grouping info to remember it better.

Semantic memory

Facts and knowledge.

Episodic memory

Personal events.

Hippocampus

brain part involved in forming new memories

Memory consolidation

Memories becoming stable over time.

Priming

Exposure to something influences later behavior.

Mood-congruent memory

Remembering things that match your mood.

Interleaving

Mixing different topics while studying.

Retrograde amnesia

Forgetting past memories.

Proactive interference

Old info blocks new info.

Retroactive interference

New info blocks old info.

Repression

Unconsciously blocking painful memories.

Reconsolidation

Remembering changes memories slightly.

Misinformation effect

Memories change when you hear wrong info.

Source amnesia

Remembering info but not where it came from.

General intelligence (g)

One overall mental ability.

Fluid intelligence (Gf)

Quick reasoning and problem-solving.

Crystallized intelligence (Gc)

Knowledge from past experiences.

CHC theory

A big model describing many types of intelligence.

Savant syndrome

Low general ability but an extreme talent.

grit

Passion and perseverance for long-term goals.

Emotional intelligence

Understanding and managing emotions.

Aptitude vs. Achievement test

achievement measures what you learned

aptitude predicts future performance.

Stanford-Binet

A famous IQ test.

Flynn effect

IQ scores rise over generations.

Reliability

Consistency of a test.

Validity

Accuracy of a test.