AP Psychology

Structuralism

Looks at the mind's different structures of consciousness through individual parts.

Gestalt

Believes we cannot simply separate our consciousness and perception into different parts, we need to look at the whole experience.

Functionalism

Seeks to understand how mental and behavioral processes operate.

Psychodynamic

Focuses on unconsciousness.

Free association

When a word or image triggers another idea, word, or picture in your head.

Behaviorism

Believes that psychology should be objective science, focusing on studying observable behaviors without referencing the mental processes.

William James

First psych textbook, created functionalism. Allowed more women to enter the field.

Mary Whiton Calkins

Made a significant contribution to memory research and became first woman president of APA.

Margret Floy Washburn

First female psychology PhD and second female president of APA.

Stanley Hall

First person to earn PhD in psych, 1st president of APA, first psych lab.

Sigmund Freud

Developed the psychodynamic approach.

Representative Sample

A sample group in a study that represents all the different people in a population.

Surveys

Self reported data from questions. Can be skewed.

Correlation studies

Allow researchers to predict the relationship between 2 variables.

Naturalistic observation

Allow researchers to observe behaviors in the real world.

Case Studies

Allow researchers to analyze different perspectives of a topic or subject.

Longitudinal studies

Studies that follow one particular group over a long period of time.

Cross sectional studies

Compare different groups at the same time, inexpensive and can be completed at the same time.

Confounding Variables

Other variables other than the IV that impact the DV.

Third Variable Problem

When there are other variables impacting an experiment or study, potentially skewing the results.

Random Assignment

When each participant of a study has an equal chance of being put into the control group or experiment group.

Random sample

When each person in the population has an equal chance of being chosen for the study.

Single Blind Study

When participants in an experiment are unaware of which group they are in.

Double blind study

When the participants and the researcher conducting the experiment are unaware which group the participants are in.

Placebo effect

When participants may act differently in a study or experiment because they expect a certain outcome from a study, experiment, or IV.

Control Group

Group in an experiment that receives the placebo.

Placebo

A substance that is as close to the IV as possible but missing a key component of the IV.

Experimental Group

Group that receives the IV.

Quasi Experiments

Used in situations where controlled experiments would be impossible or unethical to do, these experiments do not include a random assignment of participants.

Hindsight Bias

The tendency to think that one could have anticipated the outcome of an event or experiment after it already occurred.

False Consensus Effect

When individuals overestimate how many others share their opinions or ideas.

Confirmation Bias

When individuals focus on only specific information that aligns with their viewpoint and ignore conflicting information.

Experimenter Bias

When researchers unknowingly influences the outcome of the research.

Social Desirability Bias

When participants in a study skew their answers to create a more favorable impression of themselves.

Hawthorne Effect

When participant alters their behavior because they know they are being observed.

Quantitative Data

Number or facts that are not up for interpretation.

Qualitative Data

Often in word form and is up for interpretation.

Descriptive Statistics

Used to organize and describe data that is collected.

Inferential Statistics

Used to make predictions about data to better determine if the data from a sample can be applied to the population.

Standard Deviation

Allows researchers to indicate the average distance from the mean for a data set.

Institutional Review Board

Ensures that studies and experiments in colleges and universities are set up in a way to protect everyone involved.

IACUC

Oversees protection of animals in studies.

Heredity

The passing on of physical and mental traits from one generation to another.

Natural Selection

Survival of the fittest.

Heritability

Mathematical measure to estimate how much variation there is in a population related to genes.

Glands

Endocrine system glands produce hormones that help regulate different biological processes.

Homeostasis

Body's ability to maintain stability.

Hypothalamus

Controls Pituitary gland, directs different autonomic functions of the body.

Pituitary gland

Releases growth hormones oxytocin and vasopressin. Known as the master gland.

Pineal gland

Located near brain stem, controls the production of melatonin (sleep hormone).

Thyroid and parathyroid gland

Located in throat, helps regulate an individual's metabolism, growth, nervous system, and regulate calcium levels in blood.

Adrenal Gland

Pair of glands above kidneys, secretes several hormones that regulate salt, blood pressure, oxygen intake, and increase heart rate and blood flow.

Pancreas

Located near stomach, produces insulin and glucagon, helps regulate a person's sugar levels.

Gonads

Reproductive organs that produce testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone.

Central Nervous System

Made of brain and spinal cord, sends messages through PNS.

Peripheral Nervous System

Made of nerves that branch off the brain and spine, can send messages back to CNS.

Sensory Division

Known as afferent division (to brain), focuses on conducting impulses from sensory stimuli to CNS.

Motor Division

Known as efferent division (from brain), has signals that come from the brain and spinal cord and go out to the muscles and glands of your body through efferent neurons.

Somatic NS

Includes 5 senses and skeletal movements.

Autonomic NS

Controls involuntary movements.

Sympathetic division

Mobilizes body, gets it ready for action, heart rate increases etc.

Parasympathetic division

Slows body, helps relax the body.

Glial Cells

Supply neurons with nutrition and protect them by providing structural support.

Neuron

Basic functional units of the NS, uses chemical and electrical signals to communicate through the NS.

Neural Firing

Action potential when a neuron sends an impulse down the axon to other neurons.

Permeability

The ability for certain ions to cross the cell membrane.

Refractory Period

A short time when no other action potentials can occur until the axon is back in its resting state

Chemical Synapse

Junctions between two neurons that use neurotransmitters to send neural signals

Electrical Synapse

Used for messages that need to be sent quickly and immediately

Reuptake

When the sending neuron reabsorbs the extra neurotransmitters

Excitatory Neurotransmitters

Increase the likelihood that neuron will fire an action potential

Inhibitory

Decrease the likelihood that neuron will fire an action potential

Acetylcholine

Enables muscle action, learning, and helps with memory

Dopamine

Helps with movement, learning, attention, and emotion

Serotonin

Impacts an individual's hunger, sleep, arousal, and mood

Endorphins

Help with pain control and impacts individual pain tolerance

Norepinephrine

Increases blood pressure, heart rate, and alertness

Glutamate

Involved with long term memory and learning

GABA

Helps with sleep, movement, and slows down nervous system

Agonist

Increase the effectiveness of a neurotransmitter

Antagonist

Decrease effectiveness

Broca's Area

Area in the left frontal lobe associated with ability to speak

Wernicke's Area

Left Temporal lobe associated with interpreting and creating language

Medulla Oblongata

Right above spinal cord and below pons, regulates respiratory and cardiovascular system

Pons

Bridge between the medulla and cerebellum, helps coordinate movement and sleep

Cerebellum

Located at the base of the brain in the back, allows person to maintain balance and manage coordination

Brainstem

Base of brain, above spinal cord, includes medulla, pons, and midbrain

Spinal Cord

Connects brain to body, info highway that allows nerves to send info

Midbrain

Helps with sending visual and auditory info to the appropriate structures of brain

Reticular Formation

Structure in brain that tunnels down brainstem, function has to do with arousal and sleep cycle

Cerebrum

Where brain processes complex thoughts, not the brainstem or cerebellum

Corpus Callosum

Made up of nerve fibers that connect the two hemispheres, allows communication between them

Frontal Lobe

Behind forehead, responsible for higher level thinking

Parietal Lobe

On top of head behind frontal lobe, processes sensory info

Occipital Lobe

Back of the head, helps you see

Temporal Lobe

Helps recognize faces, smells, hear noise, balance and assists memory

Thalamus

Takes sensory info and sends to forebrain to be interpreted

Limbic System

Involved in emotion, learning, and memory

Hippocampus

Helps create memory and learn

Amygdala

Involved in emotional reaction