AP Psych Unit 1.1-1.4 Test
Q: What does “heredity” refer to in psychology?
A: Genetic or biologically predisposed characteristics that influence behavior and mental processes.
Q: What does “environment” refer to?
A: External factors like family life, culture, schooling, and experiences.
Q: What is the key idea of nature vs. nurture today?
A: Behavior results from the interaction of both heredity and environment.
Q: What does the evolutionary perspective emphasize?
A: Natural selection shapes behaviors that increase survival and reproduction.
Q: What is eugenics?
A: A misuse of evolutionary ideas to justify discrimination through selective breeding.
Q: Which research methods study genetic influence?
A: Twin, family, and adoption studies.
Q: What is the central nervous system (CNS)?
A: The brain and spinal cord; it processes information.
Q: What is the peripheral nervous system (PNS)?
A: Nerves outside the CNS; relays messages to/from the body.
Q: What does the somatic nervous system control?
A: Voluntary skeletal muscle movements.
Q: What does the autonomic nervous system control?
A: Involuntary functions like heart rate, digestion, and breathing.
Q: What does the sympathetic nervous system do?
A: Activates “fight-or-flight.”
Q: What does the parasympathetic nervous system do?
A: Activates “rest-and-digest.”
Q: What are glial cells?
A: Cells that support, insulate, and protect neurons.
Q: What three types of neurons create a reflex arc?
A: Sensory neurons, interneurons, and motor neurons.
Q: What is the all-or-none principle?
A: A neuron fires completely or not at all.
Q: What is resting potential?
A: The polarized state of the neuron before firing.
Q: What is the process of reuptake?
A: Neurotransmitters are reabsorbed back into the presynaptic neuron.
Neurotransmitters (COMPLETE list required by AP)
Q: What does dopamine influence?
A: Movement, reward, pleasure.
Q: What does serotonin regulate?
A: Mood, sleep, hunger.
Q: What does norepinephrine regulate?
A: Alertness and arousal.
Q: What does GABA do?
A: Major inhibitory neurotransmitter.
Q: What does glutamate do?
A: Major excitatory neurotransmitter.
Q: What do endorphins do?
A: Pain relief and pleasure.
Q: What does acetylcholine (ACh) do?
A: Learning, memory, and muscle contraction.
Q: What does substance P do?
A: Sends pain messages.
Hormones (complete list for AP)
adrenaline
leptin
ghrelin
melatonin
oxytocin
Q: What do leptin and ghrelin regulate?
A: Appetite and hunger.
Psychoactive Drugs
Q: What is an agonist?
A: A chemical that increases/facilitates neural firing.
Q: What is an antagonist?
A: A chemical that blocks or decreases neural firing.
Q: What is a reuptake inhibitor?
A: A drug that blocks neurotransmitter reabsorption.
Q: What are stimulants?
A: Drugs that increase neural activity (e.g., cocaine, caffeine).
Q: What are depressants?
A: Drugs that reduce neural activity (e.g., alcohol).
Q: What are hallucinogens?
A: Drugs that distort perception (e.g., marijuana).
Q: What are opioids?
A: Drugs that act as pain relievers (e.g., heroin).
Q: What is tolerance?
A: Needing more of a drug for the same effect.
Q: What is withdrawal?
A: Physical and psychological symptoms when drug use stops.
Q: What does the medulla control?
A: Breathing, heart rate, vital functions.
Q: What is the reticular activating system (RAS)?
A: Controls alertness and arousal.
Q: What does the brain's reward center do?
A: Processes pleasure, motivation, reinforcement learning.
Q: What does the cerebellum control?
A: Balance, coordination, procedural memory.
Limbic System
Q: What does the amygdala control?
A: Fear, aggression, emotional processing.
Q: What does the hippocampus do?
A: Forms new memories.
Q: What does the hypothalamus regulate?
A: Hunger, thirst, temperature, reward; controls pituitary gland.
Q: What does the pituitary gland do?
A: Releases hormones and controls endocrine system.
Cerebral Cortex
Q: What does the frontal lobe do?
A: Decision-making, planning, personality, motor cortex.
Q: What does the parietal lobe do?
A: Sensory information, somatosensory cortex, association areas.
Q: What does the occipital lobe do?
A: Vision.
Q: What does the temporal lobe handle?
A: Hearing, language, memory.
Split-Brain & Language
Q: What is the corpus callosum?
A: Connects the two hemispheres.
Q: What does the left hemisphere specialize in?
A: Language, logic, math.
Q: What does the right hemisphere specialize in?
A: Spatial abilities, facial recognition, creativity.
Q: What happens when Broca’s area is damaged?
A: Difficulty producing speech.
Q: What happens when Wernicke’s area is damaged?
A: Difficulty understanding language.
Brain Plasticity
Q: What is brain plasticity?
A: The ability of the brain to adapt and reorganize after damage.
Brain Research Methods
Q: What does an EEG measure?
A: Electrical activity of the brain.
Q: What does fMRI show?
A: Brain activity through blood flow.
Q: What is lesioning?
A: Intentionally destroying brain tissue to study function.