AP Psych full set

Aaron Beck

Aaron Beck

Psychologist who used cognitive therapy to challenge and change negative beliefs

Absolute threshold

Minimum stimulation needed to detect a stimulus half the time

Accommodation

Adjusting schemas to fit new information

Achievement tests

Assess what a person has learned

Acoustic encoding

Encoding sound, especially words

Acquisition

Initial stage in conditioning

Action potential

Neural impulse down an axon

Active listening

Empathic listening echoing and clarifying

Adaptation-level phenomenon

Judging based on prior experience

Addiction

Compulsive drug use despite consequences

Adolescence

Transition from childhood to adulthood

Adrenal glands

Secrete stress hormones

Aggression

Behavior intended to harm

Algorithm

Logical problem-solving method

Alpha waves

Brain waves in a relaxed state

Altruism

Unselfish concern for others

Amnesia

Loss of memory

Amphetamines

Stimulant drugs affecting mood

Amygdala

Neural clusters linked to emotion

Anorexia nervosa

Eating disorder leading to underweight

Antianxiety drugs

Control anxiety and agitation

Antidepressant drugs

Treat depression and anxiety

Antipsychotic drugs

Treat severe thought disorders

Antisocial Personality Disorder

Lack of conscience for wrongdoing

Anxiety Disorders

Characterized by distressing anxiety

Aphasia

Language impairment due to brain damage

Applied research

Solving practical problems through study

Aptitude tests

Predict future performance

Assimilation

Interpreting new experiences with existing schemas

Association areas

Involved in higher mental functions

Associative learning

Learning events occur together

Attachment

Emotional bond with caregiver

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Marked by inattention and hyperactivity

Attitude

Feelings influencing responses

Attribution theory

Explains behavior by situation or disposition

Audition

Sense of hearing

Autism

Disorder affecting communication and social interaction

Automatic processing

Unconscious encoding of information

Autonomic nervous system

Controls internal organs

Availability heuristic

Estimating likelihood based on memory

Aversive conditioning

Associates unpleasant state with behavior

Axon

Extension of a neuron for message transmission

Babbling stage

Speech development stage in infants

Barbiturates

Depress central nervous system activity

Basal metabolic rate

Body's energy expenditure at rest

Basic research

Increases scientific knowledge base

Basic trust

Sense of predictability and trustworthiness

Behavior genetics

Study of genetic and environmental influences on behavior

Behavior therapy

Applies learning principles to eliminate behaviors

Behavioral medicine

Integrates behavioral and medical knowledge

Behavioral psychology

Study of observable behavior

Behaviorism

Objective science studying behavior

Belief perseverance

Clinging to initial beliefs despite discrediting

Binge-eating disorder

Episodes of binge-eating without purging

Binocular cues

Depth cues using two eyes

Biofeedback

Records and feeds back physiological information

Biological psychology

Links biology and behavior

Biomedical therapy

Medications acting on the nervous system

Biopsychological approach

Integrates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels

Bipolar Disorder

Alternates between depression and mania

Blind spot

Point where optic nerve leaves the eye

Bottom-up processing

Analysis from sensory receptors to brain

Brainstem

Responsible for automatic survival functions

Broca's area

Controls language expression

Bulimia nervosa

Eating disorder with binge-eating and purging

Bystander effect

Less likely to help in a group

Cannon-Bard theory

Emotion triggers physiological responses and experience

Case study

In-depth study of one person

Catharsis

Emotional release to relieve aggression

Central nervous system (CNS)

Brain and spinal cord

Central route of persuasion

Focuses on argument for attitude change

Cerebellum

Processes sensory input and coordinates movement

Cerebral cortex

Controls and processes information

Change blindness

Failing to detect changes when not focusing

Chromosomes

Threadlike structures containing genes

Chunking

Organizing items into manageable units

Circadian rhythm

Biological clock on a 24-hour cycle

Classical conditioning

Learning to link stimuli

Client-centered therapy

Humanistic therapy by Carl Rogers

Control group

The group in an experiment not exposed to the treatment, used for comparison with the experimental group.

Conversion Disorder

A somatoform disorder where a person experiences genuine physical symptoms without a physiological basis.

Coronary Heart Disease

The blockage of heart-nourishing vessels, a leading cause of death in North America.

Corpus Callosum

Neural fibers connecting brain hemispheres, facilitating message transfer.

Correlation

Measure of how two factors vary together, predicting each other's behavior.

Correlation Coefficient

Statistical index showing the relationship strength between two things (-1 to +1).

Counseling Psychology

Branch aiding people in living problems and well-being improvement.

Counterconditioning

Behavior therapy using classical conditioning to replace unwanted behaviors.

Creativity

Ability to generate novel and valuable ideas.

Critical Period

Optimal time post-birth for stimuli exposure affecting proper development.

Critical Thinking

Evaluative thinking questioning assumptions, values, and evidence.

Cross-Sectional Study

Study comparing people of different ages.

Crystallized Intelligence

Accumulated knowledge and verbal skills increasing with age.

CT (Computed Tomography) Scan

X-ray images combined by a computer for body slice representation.

Culture

Shared enduring behaviors, ideas, and values transmitted through generations.

Debriefing

Post-experiment explanation including purpose and any deceptions to participants.

Defense Mechanisms

Ego's methods to reduce anxiety by distorting reality.

Deindividuation

Loss of self-awareness and restraint in group situations fostering arousal.

Deja Vu

Eerie feeling of experiencing a situation before due to subconscious triggers.

Delta Waves

Large, slow brain waves linked to deep sleep.

Delusions

False beliefs often accompanying psychotic disorders.