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AP Psychology Midterm > AP Psychology Midterm Study Set > Flashcards

AP Psychology Midterm Study Set Flashcards

1
Q

behaviorism

A

shifting psychology’s focus to observing and controlling behavior and how it’s influenced by our environment

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2
Q

biopsychology

A

the study of how biology influences behavior

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3
Q

cognitive psychology

A

the study of cognitions and thoughts and their relationship to experiences and actions

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4
Q

empirical method

A

method for acquiring knowledge based on observation; including experimentation, instead of a method based only on forms of logical argument or previous authorities

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5
Q

functionalism

A

the focus on how mental activities help an organism adapt to its environment

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6
Q

humanism

A

the perspective within psychology that emphasizes the potential for good, that is natural to all humans

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7
Q

introspection

A

the process in which someone examines their own conscious experience in an attempt to break its component parts

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8
Q

psychoanalytical theory

A

the unconscious affecting conscious behavior

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9
Q

psychology

A

the scientific study of the mind and behavior

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10
Q

structuralism

A

understanding conscious experience through introspection

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11
Q

clinical case study

A

an observational research study that focuses on one or a few people

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12
Q

confirmation bias

A

the tendency to ignore evidence that disproves ideas or beliefs

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13
Q

confounding variable

A

an unanticipated outside factor that affects both variables of interest, often giving the false impression that the changes in one variable causes changes in another variable, when actually the outside factor causes change in both variables

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14
Q

control group

A

serves as a basis for comparison (and controls) for factors that might affect the results of the study, by holding these factors as constant across groups, the only difference between them is the experimental manipulation

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15
Q

correlation

A

the relationship between two or more variables; when two are correlated, one changes as the other one does

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16
Q

correlation coefficient

A

numbers from -1 to +1, indicating and representing the strength and direction of the relationship between variables, usually represented as r

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17
Q

cross-sectional research

A

compares multiple segments of a population at a single time

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18
Q

debriefing

A

when an experiment involving deception (someone believing something that isn’t true)

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19
Q

dependant variable

A

the outcome factor in an experiment; the variable that may change in response to manipulations on the independent variable

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20
Q

double-blind study

A

an experiment in which both the researchers and participants are blind to group assignments with who was given the placebo vs. the treatment

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21
Q

empirical

A

based on and connected to tangible evidence that can be observed (not a theory)

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22
Q

experimental group

A

the group that is being tested on to answer a search question, and exposed to treatment

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23
Q

hypothesis

A

a testable prediction about the relationship between two or more variables

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24
Q

illusionary correlation

A

seeing relationships between two things when in reality no such relationship exists

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25
Q

independent variable

A

the variable that is controlled or influenced by the experimenter, this variable should be the only difference between the experiential and control group

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26
Q

inductive reasoning

A

conclusions that are drawn from observation

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27
Q

longitudinal research

A

studies where the same group of individuals is surveyed or observed repeatedly over an extended period of time or throughout many developmental stages

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28
Q

naturalistic observation

A

observation of behavior in its natural setting

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29
Q

negative correlation

A

when two variables change in different directions, with one becoming larger as the other becomes smaller

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30
Q

operational definition

A

the description of what actions and operations will be used to measure the dependent variables and manipulate the independent variables

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31
Q

population

A

the overall group of individuals that the researchers are interested in

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32
Q

positive correlation

A

when two variables change in the same direction, both becoming either larger or smaller

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33
Q

random assignment

A

a subset of a larger population in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected

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34
Q

reliability

A

consistency and reproducibility of a given result

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35
Q

replicate

A

repeating an experiment using different samples to determine the research’s reliability

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36
Q

sample

A

subset of individuals selected from the larger population

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37
Q

statistical analysis

A

determines how likely any difference between experimental groups is due to chance

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38
Q

survey

A

list of questions to be answered by research participants (self reporting)

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39
Q

theory

A

a well-developed set of ideas that proposes reasoning or an explanation for what has occurred and been observed

40
Q

validity

A

accuracy of a given result in measuring what it is designed to measure

41
Q

action potential

A

electrical signal that moves down the neuron’s axon

42
Q

agonist

A

a drug that mimics or strengthens the effects of a neurotransmitter

43
Q

neurotransmitter

A

a chemical substance that is released at the end of a nerve fiber by the arrival of a nerve impulse, its job is to carry chemical signals from one neuron to the next cell

44
Q

axon

A

major extension of the soma

45
Q

soma

A

the region of the neuron that contains the nucleus

46
Q

dendrite

A

branch-like extensions of the soma that receives incoming signals from other neutrons

47
Q

glial cell

A

nervous system cell that provides physical and metabolic support to neurons, including neuronal insulation, communication, and nutrient, and waste support

48
Q

neuron

A

cells in the nervous system that act as interconnected information processors, which are essential for all tasks of the nervous system

49
Q

resting potential

A

the state of readiness of a neron membrane’s potential between signals

50
Q

reuptake

A

when a neurotransmitter is pumped back into the neuron that released it

51
Q

semipermeable membrane

A

a cell membrane that allows smaller molecules or molecules without an electrical charge to pass through it, but stops larger or highly charged molecules

52
Q

synaptic cleft/ synapse

A

a small gap between two neurons where communication occurs

53
Q

threshold of excitation

A

level of charge in the cell membrane that causes the neuron to become active

54
Q

circadian rhythm

A

the biological rhythm that occurs over approx. 24 hrs

55
Q

collective unconsciousness

A

carl jung’s idea that a collection of unconscious thoughts are shared amongst all humans

56
Q

consciousness

A

awareness of internal and external stimuli

57
Q

delta wave

A

a type of brain wave that occurs during stage 3 NREM sleep, which has a high amplitude and low frequency of less than 3 Hz

58
Q

jet lag

A

the collection of symptoms brought on by travel from one-time zone to another that results from the mismatch between our internal circadian cycles and our environment

59
Q

melatonin

A

the hormone produced by the endocrine gland that serves as an important regulator of the sleep-wake cycle

60
Q

narcolepsy

A

sleep disorder where their body cannot resist falling sleep during the day

61
Q

night terror

A

sleep disorder where they experience a sense of panic

62
Q

nREM

A

period of sleep outside of rapid eye movement (REM sleep)

63
Q

obstructive sleep apnea

A

sleep disorder defined by episodes when breathing stops during sleep as a result of blockage of the airway

64
Q

parasomnia

A

one of a group of sleep disorders characterized by unwanted, disruptive motor activity and/or experiences during sleep

65
Q

pineal gland

A

endocrine structure located inside the brain that releases melatonin

66
Q

REM sleep (rapid eye movement)

A

period of sleep characterized by brain waves very similar to those during wakefulness and by darting movements of the eyes under closed eyelids

67
Q

sleep apnea

A

sleep disorder is defined by episodes during which breathing stops during sleep

68
Q

sleep debt

A

result of insufficient sleep on a chronic basis

69
Q

sleep rebound

A

sleep-deprived individuals will experience shorter sleep inactivity during subsequent opportunities for sleep

70
Q

stage 1 sleep

A

the transitional phase that occurs between wakefulness and sleeps; the period during which a person drifts off to sleep

71
Q

stage 2 sleep

A

the body goes into deep relaxation; characterized by the appearance of sleep spindles

72
Q

stage 3 sleep

A

deep sleep characterized by low-frequency, high amplitude delta waves

73
Q

suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)

A

area of the hypothalamus in which the body’s biological clock is located

74
Q

absolute threshold

A

minimum amount of stimulus energy that must be present for the stimulus to be detected 50% of the time

75
Q

afterimage

A

continuation of a visual sensation after removal of the stimulus

76
Q

bottom-up processing

A

system in which perceptions are built from sensory input

77
Q

cone

A

specialized photoreceptor that works best in bright light conditions and detects color

78
Q

feature detectors

A

the visual system has feature detectors for lines and angles of different orientations as well as for more complex stimuli, such as faces

79
Q

fovea

A

small indentation in the retina that contains cones; central focus area of the retina

80
Q

frequency

A

number of waves that pass a given point in a given time period

81
Q

ganglion cells

A

the only type of neuron in the retina that sends signals to the brain resulting from visual stimulation

82
Q

intensity/amplitude

A

the quantitative value of a stimulus or sensation

83
Q

just noticeable difference

A

the difference in stimuli required to detect a difference between the stimuli

84
Q

opponent-process theory of color perception

A

color is coded in opponent pairs: black-white, yellow-blue, and red-green

85
Q

perception

A

way that sensory information is interpreted and consciously experienced

86
Q

pitch

A

perception of a sound’s frequency

87
Q

prosopagnosia

A

“face blindness”

88
Q

pupil

A

the small opening in the eye through which light passes

89
Q

retina

A

the light-sensitive lining of the eye

90
Q

rod

A

specialized photoreceptor that works well in low-light conditions

91
Q

sensory adaptation

A

not perceiving stimuli that remain relatively constant over prolonged periods of time

92
Q

signal detection theory

A

change in stimulus detection as a function of the current mental state

93
Q

top-down processing

A

interpretation of sensations is influenced by available knowledge, experiences, and thoughts

94
Q

transduction

A

conversion from sensory stimulus energy to action potential

95
Q

trichromatic theory of color perception

A

color vision is mediated by the activity across the three groups of cones

AP Psychology Midterm (2 decks)

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