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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
independent variable
the variable that is controlled or influenced by the experimenter, this variable should be the only difference between the experiential and control group
26
inductive reasoning
conclusions that are drawn from observation
27
longitudinal research
studies where the same group of individuals is surveyed or observed repeatedly over an extended period of time or throughout many developmental stages
28
naturalistic observation
observation of behavior in its natural setting
29
negative correlation
when two variables change in different directions, with one becoming larger as the other becomes smaller
30
operational definition
the description of what actions and operations will be used to measure the dependent variables and manipulate the independent variables
31
population
the overall group of individuals that the researchers are interested in
32
positive correlation
when two variables change in the same direction, both becoming either larger or smaller
33
random assignment
a subset of a larger population in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected
34
reliability
consistency and reproducibility of a given result
35
replicate
repeating an experiment using different samples to determine the research’s reliability
36
sample
subset of individuals selected from the larger population
37
statistical analysis
determines how likely any difference between experimental groups is due to chance
38
survey
list of questions to be answered by research participants (self reporting)
39
theory
a well-developed set of ideas that proposes reasoning or an explanation for what has occurred and been observed
40
validity
accuracy of a given result in measuring what it is designed to measure
41
action potential
electrical signal that moves down the neuron’s axon
42
agonist
a drug that mimics or strengthens the effects of a neurotransmitter
43
neurotransmitter
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
axon
major extension of the soma
45
soma
the region of the neuron that contains the nucleus
46
dendrite
branch-like extensions of the soma that receives incoming signals from other neutrons
47
glial cell
nervous system cell that provides physical and metabolic support to neurons, including neuronal insulation, communication, and nutrient, and waste support
48
neuron
cells in the nervous system that act as interconnected information processors, which are essential for all tasks of the nervous system
49
resting potential
the state of readiness of a neron membrane's potential between signals
50
reuptake
when a neurotransmitter is pumped back into the neuron that released it
51
semipermeable membrane
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
synaptic cleft/ synapse
a small gap between two neurons where communication occurs
53
threshold of excitation
level of charge in the cell membrane that causes the neuron to become active
54
circadian rhythm
the biological rhythm that occurs over approx. 24 hrs
55
collective unconsciousness
carl jung's idea that a collection of unconscious thoughts are shared amongst all humans
56
consciousness
awareness of internal and external stimuli
57
delta wave
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
jet lag
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
melatonin
the hormone produced by the endocrine gland that serves as an important regulator of the sleep-wake cycle
60
narcolepsy
sleep disorder where their body cannot resist falling sleep during the day
61
night terror
sleep disorder where they experience a sense of panic
62
nREM
period of sleep outside of rapid eye movement (REM sleep)
63
obstructive sleep apnea
sleep disorder defined by episodes when breathing stops during sleep as a result of blockage of the airway
64
parasomnia
one of a group of sleep disorders characterized by unwanted, disruptive motor activity and/or experiences during sleep
65
pineal gland
endocrine structure located inside the brain that releases melatonin
66
REM sleep (rapid eye movement)
period of sleep characterized by brain waves very similar to those during wakefulness and by darting movements of the eyes under closed eyelids
67
sleep apnea
sleep disorder is defined by episodes during which breathing stops during sleep
68
sleep debt
result of insufficient sleep on a chronic basis
69
sleep rebound
sleep-deprived individuals will experience shorter sleep inactivity during subsequent opportunities for sleep
70
stage 1 sleep
the transitional phase that occurs between wakefulness and sleeps; the period during which a person drifts off to sleep
71
stage 2 sleep
the body goes into deep relaxation; characterized by the appearance of sleep spindles
72
stage 3 sleep
deep sleep characterized by low-frequency, high amplitude delta waves
73
suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)
area of the hypothalamus in which the body’s biological clock is located
74
absolute threshold
minimum amount of stimulus energy that must be present for the stimulus to be detected 50% of the time
75
afterimage
continuation of a visual sensation after removal of the stimulus
76
bottom-up processing
system in which perceptions are built from sensory input
77
cone
specialized photoreceptor that works best in bright light conditions and detects color
78
feature detectors
the visual system has feature detectors for lines and angles of different orientations as well as for more complex stimuli, such as faces
79
fovea
small indentation in the retina that contains cones; central focus area of the retina
80
frequency
number of waves that pass a given point in a given time period
81
ganglion cells
the only type of neuron in the retina that sends signals to the brain resulting from visual stimulation
82
intensity/amplitude
the quantitative value of a stimulus or sensation
83
just noticeable difference
the difference in stimuli required to detect a difference between the stimuli
84
opponent-process theory of color perception
color is coded in opponent pairs: black-white, yellow-blue, and red-green
85
perception
way that sensory information is interpreted and consciously experienced
86
pitch
perception of a sound’s frequency
87
prosopagnosia
“face blindness”
88
pupil
the small opening in the eye through which light passes
89
retina
the light-sensitive lining of the eye
90
rod
specialized photoreceptor that works well in low-light conditions
91
sensory adaptation
not perceiving stimuli that remain relatively constant over prolonged periods of time
92
signal detection theory
change in stimulus detection as a function of the current mental state
93
top-down processing
interpretation of sensations is influenced by available knowledge, experiences, and thoughts
94
transduction
conversion from sensory stimulus energy to action potential
95
trichromatic theory of color perception
color vision is mediated by the activity across the three groups of cones

AP Psychology Midterm (2 decks)

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