AP Psychology Review - Terms

removal or destruction of brain tissue in a surgical procedure

ablation

intensity level at which one can detect a stimulus 50% of the time

absolute threshold

the process of modifying a schema to account for new information; the process of the eyes lens changing shape in order to focus on distant or near objects

accommodation

a neurotransmitter involved in learning, memory and muscle movement

acetylcholine (ACh)

desire for accomplishment, mastery of people, ideas, things, desire for reaching a high standard

need for achievement

a test that assesses what one has learned

achievement test

a process in classical conditioning by which the association of a neutral stimulus with a natural stimulus is first established

acquisition

the electrical process by which information is transmitted the length of an axon

action potential

the idea that dreams are the result of the cerebral cortex interpreting and organizing random flashes of brain activity, originating in the lower brain structures, especially the pons

activation synthesis

source of the hormone norepinephrine which affects arousal

adrenal gland

category of mental disorders characterized by disturbances in mood and emotion

mood disorders

desire to associate with others, to be part of a group, to form close and intimate relationships

need for affiliation

an image that remains after a stimulus is removed, especially one in which the colors are reversed

after image

drugs which mimic the activity of neurotransmitters

agonists

the most frequently used and abused CNS depressant in most cultures; its use affects mood, judgment, cognition

alcohol

description of the action of neurons when firing

all-or-nothing

seen when an individual is in a relaxed, unfocused, yet still awake state

alpha waves

limbic system component associated with emotion, particularly fear and anger

amygdala

Freud's pychosexual period during which a child learns to control his bodily excretions

anal stage

an eating disorder in which one starves oneself even though significantly underweight

anorexia (nervosa)

drug which blocks the activity of neurotransmitters

antagonist

loss of memory for events that occur after the onset of the amnesia; eg, see in a boxer who suffers a severe blow to the head and loses memory for events after the blow

anterograde amnesia

loss of memory for events that occurred before the onset of amnesia; eg a soldier's forgetting events immediately before a shell burst nearby, injuring him

retrograde amnesia

psychological disorder in which one demonstrates a lack of conscience

antisocial personality disorder

the middle of the three ossicles

anvil

impairment of language usually caused by damage to the left hemisphere

aphasia

condition in which the sympathetic nervous system is in control

arousal

a subdiscipline of computer science that attempts to simulate human thinking

artificial intelligence

interpreting new experiences in terms of existing schema

assimilation

areas of the cerebral cortex which have no specific motor or sensory repsonsibilities, but rather are involved in thinking, memory and judgment

association areas

learning in which an organism learns that certain events occur together, such as my cat knowing that she will be fed when I get home from work

associative learning

theory developed by Harlow; types include secure and insecure

attachment

a relatively enduring evaluation of a person or thing; doesn't always match behavior

attitude

feeling of being drawn toward another and desiring the company of a person

attraction

a way of explaining others' behavior by either one's disposition or one's situation

attribution theory

the area that sound waves pass through to reach the eardrum

auditory canal

style of parenting in which the parent creates strict rules for the child and the child has little or no input into determining the rules

authoritarian

division of the nervous system that control the glands and organs; its divisions arouse or calm

autonomic nervous system

Erikson's stage in which a toddler learns to exercise will and to do things independently; failure to do so causes shame and doubt

autonomy vs. shame and doubt

this cognitive shortcut features the idea that events which are vividly in memory seem to be more common

availability heuristic

extension of the neuron which carries, via an action potential, information that will be sent on to other neurons, muscles or glands

axon

stage of language development at about 4 months when an infant spontaneously utters nonsense sounds

babbling

scientific investigations intended to expand the knowledge base

basic research

scientific investigations intended to solve practical problems

applied research

perspective on psychology that sees psychology as an objective science without reference to mental states

behavioral

situation in which one's beliefs continue despite the fact that the ground for the beliefs have been discredited

belief perseverance

openness to new experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism

big 5 personality factors

retinal disparity and convergence which enable people to determine depth using both eyes

binocular cues

perspective that stresses links between biology and behavior

biological

eye neurons that receive information from the retinal cells and distribute information to the ganglion cells

bipolar cells

mood disorder in one experiences both manic and depressed episodes

bipolar disorder

point in the retinal where the optic nerve leaves the retina so there are no rods or cones there

blind spot

analysis that begins with sensory receptors and works its way up to the brain's integration of sensory information

bottom-up processing

we have two, right and left, and some brain functions seem to centered in one or the other

hemispheres

oldest part of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells upon entering the skull; controls fundamental survival processes like heartrate and breathing

brainstem

eating disorder characterized by excessive eating followed by purging

bulimia nervosa

the tendency to not offer help when needed if others are present who do not offer help

bystander effect

theory of emotion that says that a stimulus causes simultaneously psyiological arousal and the subjective experience of an emotion

Cannon-Bard

scientific investigation in which a single subject is studied in great detail

case study

a method of creating static images of the brain through computerized axial tomography

CAT scan

a form of schizophrenia in which the patient has muscle immobility and does not move

catatonic

release of aggressive energy through activity or fantasy

catharsis

consists of the brain and the spinal cord

Central Nervous System

brain structure that controls well-learned motor activities like riding a bike

cerebellum

the fabric of interconnecting cells that blankets the brain hemispheres; the brain's center for information processing and control

cerebral cortex

using operant conditioning to teach a complex response by linking together less complex skills

shaping

organizing units of information into manageable units such as memorizing a phone number as three groups of information 248-555-1212

chunking

the daily biological rhythms that occur in a 24-hour period

circadian rhythm

method of learning in which a neutral stimulus can be used to elicit a response that is usually a natural response to a stimulus

classical conditioning

developed by Carl Rogers, this humanistic therapy includes unconditional positive regard

client-centered therapy

this type of psychologist studies, assesses and treats those with psychological disorders

clinical

this coiled structure in the inner ear is fluid-filled and in it the energy from sound waves stimulate hair cells

cochlea

this says that we will suffer discomfort and act to change the situation when our thoughts and actions seem to be inconsistent

cognitive dissonance theory

perspective on psychology that stresses the importance of mental activities associated with thinking, remembering, etc

cognitive

treatment for psychological disorders that centers on changing self-defeating thinking

cognitive therapy

Jung's theory that we all share an inherited memory that contains our culture's most basic elements

collective unconscious

a variety of disorders marked by inability to distinguish some or all colors

color blindness

this adjective describes cultures in which the individual is less important than the group

collectivist

Piaget's stage in which children learn such concepts as conservation and mathematical transformations; about 7 - 11 years of age

concrete operations

the extent to which two measures of the same trait or ability agree

concurrent validity

in classical conditioning, the response elicited by the conditioned stimulus

conditioned response

generally, learning in which certain experiences make certain behaviors more or less likely; there are two forms of this

conditioning

one type of hearing impairment caused by mechanical problems in the ear structures

conduction

neurons in the retina that are responsible for color vision

cones

a tendency to search for information that supports one's preconceptions

confirmation bias

adjusting behavior to meet a group's standard

conformity

extraneous factor that interferes with the action of the independent variable on the dependent variable

confounding variable

one's awareness of one's environment and oneself.

consciousness

includes passion, intimacy and committment

consummate love

subjects in an experiment who do not receive application of the independent variable but are measured nonetheless for the dependent variable

control group

a type of critical thinking in which one evaluates existing possible solutions to a problem to choose the best one

convergent thinking

the transparent outer covering of the eye

cornea

the fibers that connect the right and left hemispheres, enabling them to communicate

corpus callosum

the degree of relationship between two variables

correlation

a positive one near 1.0 indicates two variable are positively related; a negative number indicates a negative relationship; zero indicates no relationship

correlation coefficient

type of study that measures a variable across several age groups at the same time

cross-sectional

giving participants in a research study a complete explanation of the study after the study is completed

debriefing

Freud's processes by which individuals express uncomfortable emotions in disguised ways

defense mechanisms

when an individual seems to lose himself or herself in the group's identity

deindividuation

moving people with psychological or developmental disabilities from highly structured institutions to home- or community-based settings

deinstitutionalization