AP Psych U1: Biological Bases of Behavior

Psychology

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

Behavior

Any observable action, response, or conduct exhibited by an individual; includes both voluntary and involuntary actions.

Introspection

Self-examination or observation of one's own emotional states or thought processes.

Correlations

A statistical measure of the strength and direction of the relationship between two factors.

False Consensus Effect

A cognitive bias where individuals overestimate the extent to which their opinions and beliefs are shared by others.

Hindsight Bias

The tendency to believe, after an event has occurred, that one would have foreseen or predicted the outcome.

Illusory correlation

The belief that a relationship exists between two variables when it does not.

Independent variable

The variable that is manipulated to observe its effect on the dependent variable.

Dependent variable

The outcome of the experiment that is being measured.

Measures of central tendency

Statistical values that represent the center or typical value of a dataset; includes mean, mode, and median.

Overconfidence

The tendency of an individual to overestimate their abilities and knowledge.

Placebo effect

A psychological phenomenon where a person experiences an improvement in their condition after receiving an inactive treatment.

Random assignment

The process of assigning participants to different groups in an experiment using randomization.

Population

All individuals who share particular characteristics and can be studied as part of a larger group.

Research methods

Various approaches to collecting information, including experiments and surveys.

Correlation coefficient

A numerical measure of the strength and direction of a linear relationship between two variables.

Scatter plots

Graphs that show the relationship between two quantitative variables.

Operational definitions

Descriptions of the procedures and variables used in a study.

Cross-sectional

A research method that examines people of different groups at the same time.

Longitudinal

A research method that studies the same individuals over a long period.

Midbrain

The part of the brain responsible for eye movement, light reflex, and alertness.

Frontal Lobe

Brain region involved in problem-solving, decision making, and judgment.

Hypothalamus

Brain structure that regulates homeostasis and controls the endocrine system.

Acetylcholine

Neurotransmitter key for muscle contraction and memory formation.

Plasticity

The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections.

Circadian rhythm

Internal biological clock that regulates physical processes on a roughly 24-hour cycle.

Psychoactive drugs

Substances that alter normal activities of the central nervous system.

Sleep spindles

Bursts of neural activity occurring during stage 2 NREM sleep.

Selective attention

The ability to focus on one specific stimulus while ignoring other competing stimuli.

Nature-nurture controversy

Debate over the extent to which heredity and environment influence behavior.

Genotype

The genetic makeup of an individual for a particular trait.

Phenotype

The expression or observable characteristics of a gene.

Dominant gene

A gene that is expressed when present, overshadowing the recessive gene.

Down syndrome

A genetic disorder caused by the presence of three copies of chromosome 21.

Latent Content

The underlying meaning of a dream.

Manifest Content

The remembered storyline of a dream.

Narcotics

Analgesics that work by depressing the central nervous system.

Stimulants

Psychoactive drugs that activate motivational centers and enhance brain activity.

Hallucinogens

Psychoactive drugs that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images.

Sensory or afferent neurons

Neurons that transmit impulses from sensory receptors to the central nervous system.

Motor or efferent neurons

Neurons that transmit impulses from the central nervous system to muscle or gland cells.

Broca’s area

Brain region essential for speech production, linked to expressive aphasia.

Wernicke’s area

Brain region important for language comprehension, linked to receptive aphasia.

Lesions

Precise destruction of brain tissue for systematic study of brain functions.

Central nervous system

Comprises the brain and spinal cord.

Peripheral nervous system

Nervous system division that includes somatic and autonomic systems.

Somatic nervous system

Controls voluntary movements through motor neurons.

Autonomic nervous system

Controls involuntary functions in the body.

Sympathetic stimulation

Prepares the body for stress-related activities (fight or flight).

Parasympathetic stimulation

Restores normal bodily functions after stress (rest and digest).

Association areas

Regions of the cerebral cortex involved in higher mental functions.