AP PSYCH UNIT 2 TEST PREP

Selective attention

focus on one thing while ignoring others

Inattentional blindness

miss something visible because attention is elsewhere

Change blindness ( fails to notice significant/main change)

miss a change in the environment

Perceptual set

mental expectation that shapes what you notice

Gestalt

whole pattern created from parts

Figure-ground

object vs background

Grouping

organize things into groups

Depth perception

sense of distance

Visual cliff

test of depth in infants and animals

Binocular cue

depth info from two eyes

Convergence

eyes move inward for close objects

Retinal disparity

difference between eye images helps judge distance

Monocular cue

depth info from one eye

Stroboscopic movement

fast images create movement effect

Phi phenomenon

blinking lights look like movement

Perceptual constancy

object stays same even when lighting changes

Color constancy

color looks same in different lighting

Perceptual adaptation

adjust to changed sensory input

Cognition

mental processes like thinking and remembering

Metacognition

thinking about your own thinking

Concept

mental group of similar things

Prototype

best example of a category

Schema

mental framework for organizing info

Assimilation

fit new info into old schema

Accommodation

change schema for new info

Creativity

produce new useful ideas

Convergent thinking

pick one best answer by applying logic, reasoning, and existing knowledge to a set of options

Divergent thinking

produce many possible answers

Executive functions

plan, focus, and control behavior

Algorithm

step by step method for correct solution

Heuristic

quick rule to solve problems

Insight

sudden solution

Confirmation bias

focus on info that supports your beliefs

Fixation

stuck on one way to solve a problem

Mental set

use same old strategy

Intuition

quick automatic feeling

Representativeness heuristic

judge by how much something fits a prototype

Availability heuristic

judge by how fast examples come to mind

Overconfidence

think you are more accurate than you are

Belief perseverance

hold beliefs even when proven wrong

Framing ( overall outcome of memory that did not happen)

wording that affects decisions

Memory

the persistence of learning over time through the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information

Recall

pull info from memory without cues

Recognition

identify learned info

Relearning

learn faster the second time

Hermann Ebbinghaus

studied memory and forgetting curve

Encoding

put info into memory

Storage

keep info in memory

Retrieval

take info out of memory

Parallel processing

process many things at once

Sensory memory

brief storage of sensory info

Short term memory

small amount of info held briefly

Long term memory

large store of info over time

Working memory

hold and use info at same time

Phonological loop

stores and processes verbal and sound info

Visuospatial sketchpad

hold visual and space info

Neurogenesis

grow new neurons

Long term potentiation

stronger synapses after learning

Explicit memory

facts and events you can state

Effortful processing

learn with attention

Automatic processing

learn without effort

Implicit memory

stored info without awareness

Iconic memory

brief visual memory

Echoic memory

brief sound memory

Chunking

group items to remember easier

Mnemonics

a memory technique, such as an acronym or rhyme, that links new information to existing knowledge to improve recall

Spacing effect

learn better over time; distributed study or practice leads to better long-term retention

Testing effect

remember more after practice tests

Shallow processing

focus on looks or sound

Deep processing

focus on meaning

Semantic memory

facts and general knowledge

Episodic memory

recollection of specific personal experiences tied to a particular time and place

Hippocampus

makes new explicit memories

Memory consolidation

stabilize memories

Flashbulb memory

clear memory of emotional event

Priming

quick activation of related ideas

Mood congruent memory

remember things that match mood

Serial position effect

remember first and last items best

Interleaving

mix different topics while studying

Anterograde amnesia

no new memories

Retrograde amnesia

lose old memories

Proactive interference

old info blocks new

Retroactive interference

new info blocks old

Repression

hide painful memories

Elizabeth Loftus

studied false memories

Misinformation effect

the phenomenon where a person's memory of an event is distorted by post-event information asked in a certain way

Source amnesia

forget where memory came from

Déjà vu

feel you saw something before

Intelligence

ability to learn and solve problems

General intelligence

one main mental ability

Fluid intelligence

the ability to think abstractly, solve novel problems, and identify patterns without relying on previously acquired knowledge

Crystallized intelligence

knowledge gained over time

Cattell Horn Carroll theory

model with many mental abilities

Savant syndrome

low mental ability but one strong skill

Grit

long term effort and persistence

Emotional intelligence

understand and use emotions

Intelligence test

measures mental abilities

Achievement test

measures learned knowledge

Aptitude test

predicts future performance

Mental age

score level compared to typical age