AP Psych A-Z

Lane Tech McMahon

6 core virtues

Fundamental moral principles that guide individual behavior and promote positive interactions with others.

absolute threshold

The minimum level of stimulus intensity needed for detection by the sensory system.

Acetylcholine

A neurotransmitter involved in muscle movement, learning, and memory.

Achievement Test

An assessment that measures knowledge or proficiency in a subject area.

acquisition

The process of gaining or learning a new skill or knowledge.

Action potential

A temporary reversal of the electrical charge in a neuron that propagates signals along the axon.

activation synthesis theory

A theory proposing that dreams are the result of the brain's attempt to make sense of random neural activity during sleep.

actor-observer bias

A cognitive bias where people tend to attribute their own actions to situational factors, while attributing others' actions to their personality traits.

adrenaline

A hormone released in response to stress that increases heart rate and energy, known as epinephrine.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Traumatic events that occur in childhood, which can have lasting impacts on health and well-being.

Agonist

A substance that activates a receptor to produce a biological response.

agreeableness

A personality trait characterized by being compassionate and cooperative.

algorithm

A step-by-step procedure or formula for solving a problem.

All-or-none principle

The principle that a neuron either fires completely or does not fire at all, with no partial activation.

Altruism

Selfless concern for the well-being of others.

Alzheimer’s Disease

A progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by memory loss and cognitive decline.

amygdala

A brain structure involved in emotion regulation and memory processing.

Anonymity

The state of being unknown or unacknowledged by others.

anorexia

An eating disorder characterized by an obsession with being excessively thin, often leading to self-starvation.

Antagonist

A substance that blocks or inhibits the action of a neurotransmitter.

anterograde amnesia

The inability to form new memories after a brain injury or trauma.

anxious/ambivalent attachment

A type of insecure attachment characterized by anxiety and uncertainty in relationships.

aphasia

A language disorder that affects a person's ability to communicate.

Aptitude Test

An assessment intended to measure a person's ability to perform specific tasks or skills.

arousal theory

The theory that individuals are motivated to maintain an optimal level of arousal for performance.

Assimilation

Integrating new experiences into existing schemas.

accommodation

Altering schemas to fit new information.

Attitude

A learned predisposition to respond positively or negatively to a particular object or person.

authoritarian parent

A parenting style characterized by high demands and low responsiveness, often enforcing strict rules.

authoritative parent

A parenting style characterized by high responsiveness and high demands, promoting independence while providing support.

Automatic processing

The unconscious encoding of information.

effortful processing

The encoding of information that requires conscious attention

Autonomic nervous system

The part of the nervous system that controls involuntary bodily functions, including the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions.

avoidant attachment

A type of insecure attachment where individuals refrain from seeking comfort from caregivers.

Axon

The long, slender projection of a neuron that transmits electrical impulses away from the cell body.

Babinski reflex

A reflex action in infants where the toes fan out when the sole of the foot is stroked.

behavioral perspective

A psychological viewpoint that focuses on observable behaviors and the environmental factors that condition them.

belief perseverance

The tendency to cling to one's initial beliefs even in the face of contradictory evidence.

bimodal distribution

A probability distribution with two different modes, often indicating two peaks in data.

binocular cues

Depth cues that require both eyes, including retinal disparity and convergence.

biological perspective

A viewpoint that emphasizes the influence of biological factors on behavior and mental processes.

biological preparedness

The inherent predisposition of organisms to learn certain associations more easily than others.

blind spot

An area on the retina where there are no photoreceptors, resulting in a lack of visual information.

blindsight

A condition in which individuals with damage to the primary visual cortex can respond to visual stimuli without conscious awareness.

boredom susceptibility

A personality trait associated with the tendency to experience boredom easily.

bottom-up processing

Information processing that starts with sensory input and builds up to perception.

brain plasticity

The brain's ability to adapt and change throughout life in response to experiences or damage.

broaden and build theory of emotion

A theory suggesting that positive emotions enhance an individual's resources and potential.

Broca’s area

A region in the frontal lobe associated with speech production and language processing.

bulimia

An eating disorder characterized by binge eating followed by purging.

Bystander effect

A social phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help in an emergency when others are present.

Cannon-Bard theory

A theory of emotion proposing that physiological arousal and emotional experience occur simultaneously.

Case study

In-depth analysis of a single individual or group to understand complex issues.

Central nervous system

The part of the nervous system that includes the brain and spinal cord.

Central route to persuasion

A method of persuasion that involves presenting logical arguments and evidence.

cerebral cortex

The outer layer of the brain involved in higher-level functions, including perception, reasoning, and decision-making.

change blindness

A phenomenon where an individual fails to notice changes in a visual stimulus.

circadian rhythm

The body’s internal clock that regulates sleep-wake cycles over a 24-hour period.

classical conditioning

A learning process in which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus, eliciting a conditioned response.

cochlea

A spiral-shaped structure in the inner ear that converts sound vibrations into electrical signals.

Cocktail Party Phenomenon/selective attention

The ability to focus on a specific conversation in a noisy environment while filtering out other stimuli.

Coercion

The practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats.

cognitive dissonance

The psychological discomfort one feels when holding two or more conflicting beliefs or values.

cognitive map

A mental representation of physical locations or environments.

cognitive perspective

A psychological viewpoint that focuses on mental processes such as thinking, memory, and problem-solving.

Collective unconscious

A concept by Carl Jung, referring to theories and memories shared among a culture or society.

concept

A mental grouping of similar objects, events, or people.

conditioned response (CR)

The learned response to a previously neutral stimulus after classical conditioning.

conditioned stimulus (CS)

A previously neutral stimulus that, after conditioning, elicits a conditioned response.

conduction deafness

Hearing loss resulting from problems in the outer or middle ear that impede sound to the inner ear.

cones and fovea

Specialized photoreceptor cells in the retina responsible for color vision and high acuity.

Confidentiality

The ethical principle of protecting the privacy of individuals participating in research or therapy.

Confirmation bias

The tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information that confirms one’s pre-existing beliefs or hypotheses.

Conformity

Changing one’s behavior or beliefs to match those of others.

Confounding variable

An extraneous variable that affects the dependent variable.

conscientiousness

A personality trait characterized by being diligent, organized, and disciplined.

consolidation theory

The hypothesis that memories become stable over time after being encoded.

constructive memory

The process of creating memories based on existing knowledge and beliefs.

context-dependent memory

The phenomenon where recall is improved when in the same context as the original learning.

continuous reinforcement

A schedule of reinforcement where every desired response is reinforced immediately.

Control group

A group in an experiment that does not receive the treatment or intervention being tested.

convenience sampling

A non-probability sampling technique where subjects are selected based on availability.

Convergent thinking

The ability to find a single, correct answer to a problem.

divergent thinking

Generating multiple possibilities or solutions.

corpus callosum

A band of neural fibers connecting the two hemispheres of the brain.

Correlation coefficient

A statistical measure that expresses the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables.

correlation

A relationship between variables that can be positive or negative.

creativity

The ability to produce new and original ideas or solutions.

critical period

A specific time during development when an organism is especially sensitive to certain environmental stimuli.

cross-sectional study

A research method that compares subjects from different age groups at one point in time.

crystallized intelligence

The accumulated knowledge and verbal skills that remain stable or improve with age.

Debriefing

The process of informing research participants about the goals and results of the study after it has concluded.

defense mechanisms

Psychological strategies employed to cope with anxiety or stress.

deindividuation

A psychological state characterized by a loss of self-awareness in groups.

dementia

A cognitive decline characterized by memory loss and diminished cognitive functions.

Dendrite

The branching extensions of a neuron that receive signals from other neurons.

denial

A defense mechanism where an individual refuses to accept reality or truth.

Dependent variable (DV)

The outcome variable measured in an experiment affected by changes in the independent variable.

depressants

Substances that reduce neural activity and slow down bodily functions.

Descriptive Statistics

Statistical methods that summarize and describe the characteristics of a dataset.