AP Psychology Curriculum Review

Flashcards of key terms and concepts from the the AP Psychology curriculum review.

Cerebral Cortex

Responsible for higher-order functions of the brain.

Frontal Lobe

Specializes in processing information.

Parietal Lobe

Specializes in processing information.

Temporal Lobe

Specializes in processing information.

Occipital Lobe

Specializes in processing information.

Limbic System

Important in terms of processing emotions, memories, and motivation.

Brain Stem

Connects the brain with the spinal cord.

Basal Ganglia

Important for motor control, learning, and decision-making.

Thalamus

Relay station for sensory and motor information.

Hypothalamus

Regulates many of the body's major functions, homeostasis, and balance.

Neurons

Specialized cells for electrical signaling.

Dendrites

Receive signals in neurons.

Soma

Contains the body of a neuron.

Axon

Carries signals away from the soma (cell body).

Myelin

Fatty insulation that speeds up signal transmission in neurons.

Neurotransmitters

Signals released at the synapse that bind with other receptors.

Action Potential

Electrical impulse that travels down a neuron.

Synapse

Where neurons meet.

Dopamine

Deals with pleasure, reward, and motor control.

Serotonin

Affects mood, sleep, appetite, and emotions.

Norepinephrine

Helps with control, alertness, and arousal.

GABA

The brain's main inhibitory neurotransmitter which calms you down and helps with anxiety control.

Central Nervous System

The brain and spinal cord.

Peripheral Nervous System

Nerves outside the central nervous system.

Somatic Nervous System

Deals with voluntary movements.

Autonomic Nervous System

Deals with involuntary movements.

Sympathetic Nervous System

Fight or flight response.

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Maintains homeostasis and that very critical role of balance.

Hormones

Chemical messengers released by the endocrine system, influential on our behavior and psychological and physiological processes.

Cortisol

Associated with stress.

Testosterone

Associated with aggression.

Estrogen

The female sex hormone.

Melatonin

Regulates the sleep-wake cycle.

Cognition

Discussing everything from knowing, thinking, remembering, to even communicating.

Encoding, Storing, and Retrieving

How information is processed.

Central Executive

Deals with attention control.

Phonological Loop

Deals with verbal information.

Visuospatial Sketchpad

Deals with visual and spatial information.

Episodic Buffer

Integrates various sources of information into our brain.

Piaget

Dealt with cognitive development theory concerning children.

Vygotsky

Dealt with social interaction and the role of culture in cognitive development.

Zone of Proximal Development

The difference between what a child can do independently and what they will ultimately need guidance on from a more skilled individual.

Chomsky

Discussing the idea of an innate language acquisition device.

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

A theory that language influences thought and perception, emphasizing that it does not determine thought.

Universal Grammar

Basically built into children.

Spearman

Suggests that a single factor is the foundation of all cognitive abilities.

Sternberg

Triarchic theory, which focuses on analytical, creative, and practical intelligence.

Divergent Thinking

The ability to generate multiple unique solutions to a problem.

Convergent Thinking

The ability to focus on that single best solution to a problem.

Prenatal Stage

Conception to birth.

Infancy to Toddlerhood

Birth to age two.

Early Childhood

Ages two to six.

Middle Childhood

Ages six to eleven.

Adolescence

Focusing on puberty and more abstract thinking.

Social and Emotional Development

Bandura's doll experiment emphasizing the critical role of observation.

Erikson

Psychosocial stages, which are eight different stages, each with a psychosocial crisis that has to be resolved.

Kohlberg

Moral development, where the role of moral reasoning progresses.

Classical Conditioning

Pavlov and learning associations with a neutral stimulus and a reflexive response.

Operant Conditioning

Skinner and where you will draw upon various forms of reinforcement and punishment.

Social Psychology and Behavior

Focusing on thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and how these are impacted by the actual, imagined, or even implied presence of others.

Social Identity Theory

Explains how we group ourselves in and outside of groups, ultimately impacting our self-esteem.

Attribution Theory

Explains how we attribute the causes of behavior.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Describes how we handle psychological discomfort when faced with conflicting thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors.

Fundamental Attribution Error

Where we overestimate dispositional factors and underestimate situational factors when explaining another person's behavior.

Schemas

How the mind organizes and interprets information, impacting our perception.

Heuristics

Mental shortcuts that simplify decision-making.

Primacy Effect

Where information presented first is more likely to be remembered.

Groupthink

Occurs when there is a desire for consensus that overrides critical thinking.

Freud

The role of the unconscious.

Maslow

Hierarchy of needs, where basic needs must be met before reaching self-actualization.

Allostatic Load

Refers to the negative result of ineffective coping, such as substance abuse.

Psychotherapy

Cognitive-based therapy, where you're trying to identify thoughts and behaviors that contribute to adverse mental health conditions.