AP Psych Extreme Study Guide

Achievement tests

Assessments designed to evaluate acquired knowledge.

Accommodation

Adjustment or adaptation, like changes in the ocular lens for different focal distances.

Acoustic encoding

Processing of sound, particularly words.

Acquisition

Initial stage in classical conditioning or reinforcement strengthening in operant conditioning.

Action potential

Brief electrical charge traveling down an axon.

Active listening

Empathic listening involving echoing, restating, and clarifying, a feature of client-centered therapy.

Adaptation-level phenomenon

Tendency to make judgments relative to prior experiences.

Adrenal glands

Endocrine glands secreting stress hormones.

Aggression

Physical or verbal behavior aimed at harm.

Algorithm

Logical procedure ensuring problem-solving.

Alpha waves

Short brain waves in a relaxed, awake state.

Altruism

Selfless concern for others' well-being.

Amnesia

Memory loss, including retrograde, anterograde, and source amnesia.

Retrograde Amnesia

type of memory loss that occurs when you cannot remember old memories

Anterograde Amnesia

type of memory loss that occurs when you cannot form new memories

Source Amnesia

attributing to the wrong source an event we have experiences, heard about, read about, or imagined the heart of many false memories

Antidepressant drugs

Medications for depression, including SSRIs.

SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)

types of antidepressants that block the repuptake of serotonin into the axon

Antipsychotic drugs

Medications for schizophrenia treatment.

Antisocial personality disorder

Lack of conscience for wrongdoing, even towards loved ones.

Anxiety disorders

Psychological conditions marked by persistent anxiety.

Aphasia

Language impairment, including Broca’s and Wernicke’s aphasia.

Broca’s aphasia

damage in Broca’s area int he frontal lobe that results in difficulty producing speech

Wernicke’s aphasia

Damage in Wernicke’s area in the temporal lobe that results in difficulty understanding speech

Applied research

Scientific study addressing practical issues.

Association areas

Brain regions involved in higher mental functions.

Associative learning

Linking events together, including classical and operant conditioning.

Classical Conditioning

a type of learning in which one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events

Operant Conditioning

type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer or diminished if followed by a punishment

Attachment

an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

a psychological disorder marked by the appearance by age seven of one or more of these: extreme inattention, Hyperactivity, impulsivity

Attitude

feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events

Attribution Theory

theory that we explain someone’s behavior by crediting either a situation or the person’s disposition (Dispositional vs. situational)

Audtion

the sense or act of hearing

Autism

a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by deficient communication, social interaction, and understanding of others’ states of minds

Automatic processing

unconscious encoding of incidental information, such as space, time and frequency, and of well-learned information (such as word meanings)

Aversive conditioning

type of counterconditioning that associates an unpleasant state with an unwanted behavior

Axon

the extension of a neuron that allows the message to travel through

Babbling stage

beginning at about four months, the stage of speech development in which the infant spontaneously utters various sounds at first unrelated to the household language

Barbiturates

drugs that depress the activity of the CNS, reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgment

Basal metabolic rate

body’s resting rate of energy spending

Basic research

pure science that aims to increase scientific knowledge base (through experiments mostly)

Basic research

pure science that aims to increase scientific knowledge base (through experiments mostly)

Basic trust

According to Eric Erickson, a sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy; said to be formed during infancy by appropriate experiences with responsive caregivers

Behavior therapy

therapy that applies learning principles to the elimination of unwanted behaviors

Behavioral psychology

the school of psychology that believes that behaviors are the result of associations, observation, and rewards and punishments

Belief perseverance

Clinging to one’s initial conceptions after the basis on which they were formed has been discredited

Binge-eating disorder

Episodes of significant eating followed by distress, disgust, or guilt without compensatory purging or fasting.

Binocular cues

Depth perception relying on the use of two eyes.

Biofeedback

System recording, amplifying, and providing information on subtle psychological states.

Biopsychosocial approach

Integrated method considering biological, psychological, and social levels of analysis.

Bipolar disorder

Mood disorder involving alternating between depression and mania.

Blind spot

Area where the optic nerve leaves the eye, filled in by the brain.

Bottom-up processing

Analysis starting from sensory receptors to the brain.

Brainstem

Oldest part of the brain responsible for automatic survival functions.

Bystander effect

Phenomenon where fewer people respond when more are present.

Cannon-Bard Theory

Emotion theory stating arousal and emotion occur simultaneously.

Case study

In-depth study of individuals or groups to reveal universal principles.

Catharsis

Emotional release.

Central nervous system (CNS)

Brain and spinal cord.

Central route persuasion

Attitude change based on argumentation, facts, and details.

Cerebellum

Responsible for movement coordination and balance.

Chunking

Organizing items into manageable units.

Circadian rhythm

24-hour biological clock regulating bodily patterns.

Client-centered therapy

Humanistic therapy focusing on active listening and empathy.

Clinical psychology

Branch treating psychological disorders.

Cochlea

Inner ear structure containing hearing receptors.

Cognition

Mental activities related to thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Therapy addressing thinking patterns through behavior change.

Cognitive dissonance theory

Discomfort reduction by changing attitudes.

Cognitive Therapy

Teaching adaptive thinking and acting.

Collective unconscious

Shared reservoir of memory traces.

Collectivism

Prioritizing group goals over individual goals.

Color constancy

Perceiving familiar objects with consistent colors.

Companionate love

Deep affectionate attachment in settled relationships.

Concept

Mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people.

Concrete Operational stage

Piaget's stage (7-11 years) for logical thinking.

Conditioned reinforcer

Stimulus gaining power through association with a primary reinforcer.

Conditioned stimulus (CS)

Originally irrelevant stimulus triggering a response after association.

Confirmation bias

Tendency to seek information supporting preconceptions.