AP Psych Midterm Reivew

CGHS NC Mrs. Trembow 2025. Specific questions targeting my weakest ideas.

Biological perspective

Behavior influenced by the physical processes and parts of the body interacting with each other.

Cognitive perspective

Behavior is influenced by the way people encode, process, store, and retrieve information.

Evolutionary Perspective

Behavior influenced by how similar situations allowed our ancestors to survive & reproduce.

Acetylcholine (ACH)

Potentially responsible for muscle activation; not enough can lead to paralysis, too much can cause spasms.

Endorphins

Opiate inhibitory neurotransmitters; not enough can lead to pain sensitivity, too much can cause euphoria.

Dopamine

Involved in reward and pleasure; not enough can lead to Parkinson's disease, too much can cause schizophrenia.

Serotonin

Regulates mood; not enough can lead to depression, too much can cause anxiety.

Glutamate

Excitatory neurotransmitter; not enough can lead to learning problems, too much can cause seizures.

GABA

Inhibitory neurotransmitter; not enough can lead to anxiety, too much can cause sedation.

Substance P

Excitatory neurotransmitter; not enough can lead to pain sensitivity, too much can cause chronic pain.

Cocaine

Stimulant that increases heart rate and blood pressure; leads to euphoria and alertness.

Heroin

Depressant that provides euphoria and pain relief; can lead to depressed physiology.

Nicotine

Stimulant that increases heart rate and alertness; can lead to health issues.

Amphetamine

Stimulant that increases alertness and euphoria; can cause insomnia and hypertension.

Alcohol

Depressant that slows brain activity; can lead to slurred speech and impaired motor skills.

Marijuana

Mild hallucinogen that relaxes and alters perception; can affect memory retention.

LSD

Hallucinogen that causes visual hallucinations and altered sense of time.

Left hemisphere functions

Interpreting language, verbal skills, and controls right side of body.

Right hemisphere functions

Making inferences, spatial awareness, facial recognition, and controls left side of body.

Medulla

Part of hindbrain; problems if damaged include irregular breathing and heart rate.

Cerebellum

Part of hindbrain; problems if damaged include poor coordination and balance.

Hippocampus

Part of limbic system; problems if damaged include difficulty forming new long-term memories.

Hypothalamus

Part of limbic system; problems if damaged include irregular hunger, thirst, and body temperature.

Amygdala

Part of limbic system; problems if damaged include difficulty processing and controlling emotions.

Thalamus

Part of limbic system; problems if damaged include sensory information not being properly sent to cortex.

Motor cortex

Part of frontal lobe; problems if damaged include difficulty controlling movement.

Somatosensory cortex

Part of parietal lobe; problems if damaged include difficulty sensing touch and movement.

Frontal lobe functions

Involved in language processing, decision making, and executive functions.

Parietal lobe functions

Receives sensory input for touch and body position.

Temporal lobe functions

Includes auditory areas and enables language processing.

Occipital lobe functions

Includes visual areas and processes visual information.

Sour

indicates potentially toxic acid

Oleogustus

Indicates fats for energy, insulation, and cell growth.

Umami

indicates proteins to grow and repair tissue

Sweet

indicates energy source

Kinesthetic Sense

perception of the positions in space and movements of our bodies and our limbs

Vestibular Sense

sense of balance

Frequency Matching Theory

the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense pitch

Place Theory

the pitch we hear depends on the place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated

Opponent-Process Theory

the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. For example, some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green

Gate Control Theory

the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain

Stages of Sleep that Increase

REM, NREM2

activation-synthesis theory

dreams are the brain's attempt to synthesize random neural activity

Information processing/consolidation theory

dreams help us sort out the day's events and consolidate our memories