AP Psych semester 1

7 plus or minus 2

Processing emotions, especially fear and aggression.

The study of mental processes like thinking, memory, and problem-solving.

Wilhelm Wundt.

Whether genetics (nature) or environment (nurture) has a greater influence on behavior.

It is crucial for the formation of new memories.

A clear, precise definition of a variable used in a study.

The variable that is manipulated by the researcher.

It prepares the body for "fight or flight" responses by increasing heart rate, respiration, and energy availability.

A random sample ensures every individual has an equal chance of being selected, while random assignment ensures participants are placed into groups randomly.

Behaviorism focuses on observable behavior and dismisses mental processes.

It is responsible for decision-making, planning, and voluntary movements.

When participants experience changes due to their expectations of treatment, not the treatment itself.

Positive reinforcement adds a desirable stimulus, while negative reinforcement removes an undesirable stimulus to increase a behavior.

The strength and direction of the relationship between two variables.

It insulates axons, speeding up the transmission of neural impulses.

An agonist enhances the action of a neurotransmitter, while an antagonist inhibits it.

The ability to focus on a specific stimulus while ignoring other stimuli.

Studying physical, cognitive, and social changes throughout a lifespan.

A learning process where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus, eliciting a conditioned response.

Sensation is the process of detecting stimuli, while perception is the process of interpreting those stimuli.

It processes visual information.

The phenomenon where individuals are less likely to help in an emergency when others are present.

An in-depth study of an individual or group to explore complex issues.

The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life.

The tendency to search for and favor information that confirms one's preexisting beliefs.

It processes sensory information like touch, temperature, and pain.

An experiment where neither the participants nor the researchers know who is receiving the treatment.

It influences movement, motivation, and the brain's reward system.

Learning by observing and imitating the behavior of others.

Implicit memory is unconscious, while explicit memory involves conscious recall of information.

It coordinates movement, balance, and posture.

The phenomenon where spaced study sessions lead to better long-term memory than cramming.

Behavior is influenced by unconscious drives and conflicts.

Reliability refers to consistency, while validity refers to accuracy.

It emphasizes personal growth, free will, and self-actualization.

It regulates body temperature, hunger, thirst, and other homeostatic processes.

Grouping information into meaningful units to enhance memory capacity.

It is involved in speech production.

Retroactive interference occurs when new information disrupts recall of old information, while proactive interference happens when old information disrupts new learning.

The theory that spinal "gates" regulate the transmission of pain signals to the brain.

The mental discomfort experienced when holding two conflicting beliefs or attitudes.

Fixed schedules provide reinforcement after a set number of responses or time, while variable schedules provide reinforcement after unpredictable intervals or responses.

It controls basic life functions such as breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure.

A type of long-term memory involving skills and tasks that are performed without conscious thought.

To ensure the ethical treatment of human research participants.

The tendency to perform better on simple tasks in the presence of others.

Assimilation involves fitting new information into existing schemas, while accommodation involves altering schemas to fit new information.

Behaviors followed by favorable outcomes are more likely to be repeated.

It regulates arousal and attention.

The smallest difference in stimulus intensity that can be detected.

The tendency to recall the first and last items in a list better than the middle items.

A state of passive resignation when one feels unable to avoid repeated negative events.

Development occurs through resolving conflicts at different stages across the lifespan.

It is involved in language comprehension.

A phenomenon where the desire for group harmony overrides realistic decision-making.

When participants experience changes due to their expectations of treatment, not the treatment itself.

The process of realizing and achieving one’s fullest potential.

A hypothesis is a testable prediction, while a theory is a well-supported explanation of phenomena.

Descriptive statistics summarize data, while inferential statistics make predictions about a population.

A decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated exposure.

A tool that measures electrical activity in the brain.

Type I errors involve rejecting a true null hypothesis, while Type II errors involve failing to reject a false null hypothesis.

Longitudinal studies follow the same group over time, while cross-sectional studies compare different groups at a single point in time.

The principle that moderate arousal leads to optimal performance.

The tendency to overestimate the accuracy of one’s beliefs and judgments.

An EEG records brain activity, while an MRI provides detailed images of brain structure.

They allow imitation and empathy by firing when observing others’ actions.

Improving workplace behavior and productivity.

The process of perceiving and responding to challenging or threatening events.

It regulates hormones and maintains homeostasis.

It processes auditory information and is involved in memory.

Learning by observing and imitating others’ behavior.

Judging the likelihood of events based on how easily examples come to mind.

It affects mood, appetite, and sleep regulation.

The tendency to overestimate personality traits and underestimate situational factors when explaining others’ behavior.

The phenomenon where repeated exposure to a stimulus increases liking for it.

Reinforcement increases behavior, while punishment decreases behavior.

It acts as an inhibitory neurotransmitter, reducing neural activity.

A mental shortcut used to solve problems or make decisions efficiently.

It relays sensory information to the appropriate areas of the brain for processing.

Recall involves retrieving information without cues, while recognition involves identifying previously learned information from a set of options.

It influences social bonding, trust, and emotional connections.

A mental framework or concept that organizes and interprets information.

It regulates emotions, memory, and motivation.

The tendency to believe, after an event has occurred, that we "knew it all along."

The delay in reaction time when the color of a word doesn't match the name of the color.

Bottom-up processing starts with sensory input, while top-down processing is guided by prior knowledge and expectations.

The ability to focus on a single conversation in a noisy environment while filtering out other stimuli.

It is involved in muscle action, learning, and memory.

It regulates sleep-wake cycles by producing melatonin.

When older information hinders the recall of newer information.

The tendency to overestimate how much others share our beliefs or behaviors.

It is involved in decision-making, planning, and moderating social behavior.

A type of explicit memory involving personal experiences and events.

Intrinsic motivation comes from internal satisfaction, while extrinsic motivation is driven by external rewards.

It is involved in alertness, arousal, and the fight-or-flight response.

It connects the brain's two hemispheres, allowing communication between them.

The tendency to rely heavily on the first piece of information encountered when making decisions.

Primary reinforcers satisfy biological needs, while secondary reinforcers are learned and associated with primary reinforcers.

A therapeutic technique used to identify and change negative thought patterns.

Convergent thinking focuses on finding a single correct answer, while divergent thinking involves generating multiple creative solutions.

An absolute threshold is the minimum stimulus required for detection, while a difference threshold is the smallest detectable difference between two stimuli.

It is the brain's primary excitatory neurotransmitter, involved in learning and memory.

Reliability is consistency in measurement, while validity is the accuracy of the measurement.

They regulate the body's biological processes, such as sleep-wake cycles, roughly every 24 hours.