AP Psych Review Terms

Frontal Lobe

Higher-level thinking, emotional regulation, and executive functioning (located at forehead)

Temporal Lobe

Auditory/Linguistic processing, facial recognition, and assistance with memory (located at sides of head near ears/temples)

Parietal Lobe

Processing of sensory information (located at top back/crown of head)

Occipital Lobe

Visual processing (located at bottom of head near neck)

Brainstem

The base of the brain that is connected to the spinal cord, contains the medulla, pons, and the reticular formation and controls basic functions necessary for living

Medulla

Regulation of cardiovascular and respiratory systems (located above the spinal cord but below the pons)

Reticular Activating System

A network of nerves covering the brainstem, regulating arousal/alertness/consciousness, sleep/wake cycles, and other forms of brain stimulation

Cerebellum

coordination of muscle movement, balance, posture, motor skills, and knowledge of procedures (located beneath occipital lobes and behind pons)

Limbic System

Regulates emotion, learning, memory, and basic drives; made up of the thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, corpus callosum, hippocampus, and the cerebellum.

Thalamus

Receives sensory information from all senses (not smell) and routes it to the relevant places for processing (located at the top of the brainstem)

Hypothalamus

drives bodily maintenance (the 5 Fs - homeostasis) by working with the pituitary gland to produce the necessary hormones (located below thalamus)

Pituitary Gland

the “master gland” that produces hormones that regulate bodily functions and promote growth and development as well as controlling the entire endocrine system

Hippocampus

learning and memory formation

Amygdala

controls intense emotional reactions (anxiety, anger, and aggression)

Corpus Callosum

a thick bundle of nerve fibers that cover the limbic system and connect both hemispheres for communication between the two

Somasensory cortex

processing touch, pressure, and temperature information of body parts - the more sensitive an area, the more space for it in the cortex (very front portion of parietal lobe)

Wernicke’s area

the area of the left temporal lobe responsible for creating meaningful speech

Broca’s area

the area in the left frontal lobe (in front of the motor cortex) that is responsible for language production

Motor Cortex

located at the back of the frontal lobe, responsible for voluntary movement (the more purposeful movement an area of the body does, the more space for it in the cortex)

Prefrontal Cortex

executive functions - foresight, judgement, speech, complex thought (front-most part of frontal lobe)

pons

the bridge between various nervous system parts, connects the medulla to the cerebellum

auditory cortex

in the temporal lobes, processing of auditory information

primary visual cortex

in occipital lobe, processing of visual information

left hemisphere

language (recognition/production), math, quick/literal interpretations

right hemisphere

facial recognition, inferences, speech modulation (grammar), self-awareness (physical and mental)

iconic memory

visual sensory memory that lasts a fraction of a second

echoic memory

auditory sensory memory that lasts a few seconds

short term memory

holds about 7-12 items (explicit, implicit, procedural memories) for about 30 seconds

working memory

part of short-term memory; the place where new memories are actively rehearsed (limited storage/duration + made up of phonological loop and visuospatial storage)

long term memory

unlimited capacity and memories may last forever with consistent recall

explicit memory

information that is able to be consciously recalled

episodic memory

personal experiences or events (part of explicit memory)

semantic memory

general knowledge, facts, or information (part of explicit memory)

implicit memory

information or skills learned without conscious awareness

procedural memory

the recollection on how to perform specific motor skills or routines (part of implicit memory)

prospective memory

the memory to perform future actions

fluid intelligence

the ability to quickly reason or break down abstract problems

crystallized intelligence

the accumulated knowledge or verbal skills of an individual

caffeine

antagonistic; reduces drowsiness, high amounts = tremors/anxiety

cocaine

agonist (blocks reuptake of dopamine/mimics dopamine); euphoria, insomnia, hallucinations, and delusions

alcohol

slows brain activity in the frontal lobe (loss of inhibition) and memory centers (loss of memory creation) in addition to slowed overall cognitive function

marijuana

changes is perception of reality/time, memory loss and slowed cognition

acetylcholine

enables muscle action, learning, alertness, and memory

Substance P

transmission of pain signals from sensory nerves to CNS

Dopamine

movement, learning, attention, and emotions

Seratonin

hunger, sleep-wake cycles, arousal, and mood/emotion

Endorphins

pain control or pain tolerance

norepinephrine

aids flight-or-flight response, attention/alertness, and memory

Glutamate

long term memory, learning, and various motor functions

GABA

sleep-wake cycles, movement, calming of the nervous system

adrenaline

flight-or-fight response, memory, from adrenal glands

leptin

inhibits hunger

ghrelin

creates hunger

melatonin

regulates sleep-wake cycles

oxytocin

affection, emotional bonding, aids childbirth

Multiple sclerosis

damage of the mylien sheath; muscle weakness, coordination and vision issues, fatigue

Myasthenia gravis

destruction of acetylcholine receptors; muscle weakness and fatigue

representativeness heuristic

making judgements on something based on its similarity to prototypes/stereotypes

availability heuristic

making judgements based on the information most readily available/easiest to come to mind

homeostasis

regulation of an organisms internal bodily processes based on outside factors

openness

imagination, creativity, curiosity, willingness to enjoy new experiences

contientiousness

organization, dependability, discipline, goal-setting, and efficient

extraversion

sociability, enthusiasm, assertiveness, outgoingness, and energy

agreeableness

trustworthiness, friendliness, altruism, kindness, affection, and cooperation

neuroticism

emotional instability, lack of resiliency, inconsistent mood

generalizability

the extent to which data from an experiment can be applied to the larger population based on the characteristics of the sample

proactive interference

proactive procures the past; old information blocks the recall of new information

retroactive interference

retroactive remembers recent; new information blocks the recall of old information

arousal theory

individuals are motivated to keep the same levels of arousal for optimal performance, performance increases as arousal increases up until a certain point (the point of optimal arousal, which differs by individual) after which performance decreases

paranoid personality disorder

the belief that others are out to get the individual (extreme worry, distrust, and paranoia)

schizoid personality disorder

patterns of detachment from social situations and restricted emotions reactions (preference for solitude)

schizotypal personality disorder

odd beliefs, behaviors, or speech patterns in addition to discomfort in social settings and inappropriate emotional displays

antisocial personality disorder

disregard for the rights/lives of others, lack of remorse, willingness to use others for own benefit

histrionic personality disorder

excessive emotionality, agreeability, or attention-seeking behaviors

narcissistic personality disorder

the intense need for admiration, lack of empathy, and inflated self-importance

borderline personality disorder

instability in relationships, self-image, and emotions with a high fear of abandonment leading to suicidal tendencies or substance abuse

avoidant personality disorder

social inhibition/inadequacy, hypersensitivity to negative evaluation, and the fear of rejection

dependent personality disorder

need to be taken care of/extreme reliance on others and a strong fear of seperation

obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

perfectionism, need for control or order, and rigidity or stubbornness

serial position effect

the order in which information was presented in a list affects how easily it is to recall

forgetting curve

forgetting happens rapidly after learning of new information, but over time, the information that does stick will last a while

debriefing

the requirement that researchers fully inform their subjects as to the true nature of the experiment after its completion when deception was used

informed consent

giving the potential subjects enough information that their can make an informed decision about their participation

protection from harm

the requirement that researchers much protect their subjects from greater-than-normal phsysical or mental harm

confidentiality

the requirement that the identities of subjects in an experiment are kept anonymous

IQ formula

(mental age/actual age) * 100

central nervous system

brain and spinal cord; responsible for sending our orders to the body and processing sensory and other information

peripheral nervous system

connections of the CNS to the body’s organs and muscles; transmits information

somatic nervous system

conscious or voluntary muscle movements

autonomic nervous system

involuntary or automatic functions of the body

sympathetic nervous system

prepares the body for danger

parasympathetic nervous system

relaxes the body after the danger has passed

opiates

agonist (mimics endorphins); instantaneous euphoria or pain relief