AP Psychology All Terms Flashcards

Questions and Answers

What is the function of the amygdala?

Linked to emotion

What does the hypothalamus regulate?

Eating, drinking, body temperature

What covers the cerebral hemispheres?

Cerebral cortex

What role do glial cells play in the nervous system?

Support, nourish, and protect neurons Signup and view all the answers

What functions are the frontal lobes involved in?

Speaking, muscle movements, planning, and judgement Signup and view all the answers

What sensory functions are associated with the parietal lobes?

Includes the sensory cortex Signup and view all the answers

What areas does the occipital lobe primarily handle?

Visual information Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary role of the temporal lobes?

Auditory information processing Signup and view all the answers

What does the motor cortex control?

Voluntary movements Signup and view all the answers

What does the sensory cortex do?

Registers and processes body sensations Signup and view all the answers

What are association areas responsible for?

Higher mental functions such as learning and thinking Signup and view all the answers

What causes aphasia?

Left hemisphere damage Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of Broca's area?

Directs muscle movements involved in speech Signup and view all the answers

What does Wernicke's area involve?

Language comprehension and expression Signup and view all the answers

What is neuroplasticity?

The brain's capacity for modification Signup and view all the answers

What connects the two brain hemispheres?

Corpus callosum Signup and view all the answers

What is split-brain?

Condition with isolated brain hemispheres Signup and view all the answers

What does the endocrine system consist of?

A set of glands that secrete hormones Signup and view all the answers

What are hormones?

Chemical messengers Signup and view all the answers

What is the definition of psychology?

The science of behavior and mental processes Signup and view all the answers

What is the nature-nurture issue?

The long-standing controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors. Signup and view all the answers

What is natural selection?

The principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those contributing to reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations. Signup and view all the answers

Define neuroscience in psychological science.

The perspective that deals with how the body and brain create emotions, memories, and sensory experiences. Signup and view all the answers

What does the evolutionary perspective in psychology focus on?

It deals with how nature selects traits that promote the perpetuation of one's genes. Signup and view all the answers

What is behavior genetics?

The perspective of psychological science that deals with how much our genes, and our environment, influence our individual differences. Signup and view all the answers

What is the main focus of the psychodynamic perspective?

It deals with how behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts. Signup and view all the answers

What does the behavioral perspective in psychology deal with?

It deals with how we learn observable responses. Signup and view all the answers

What is the cognitive perspective in psychology?

It deals with how we encode, process, store, and retrieve information. Signup and view all the answers

Define social-cultural perspective in psychology.

It deals with how behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures. Signup and view all the answers

What is basic research?

Pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base. Signup and view all the answers

Define applied research.

Scientific study that aims to solve practical problems. Signup and view all the answers

What is clinical psychology?

A branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders. Signup and view all the answers

What is psychiatry?

A branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders, practiced by physicians who sometimes provide medical treatments as well as psychological therapy. Signup and view all the answers

Explain hindsight bias.

The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it. Signup and view all the answers

What is critical thinking?

Thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions, but examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions. Signup and view all the answers

Define hypothesis.

A testable prediction, often implied by a theory. Signup and view all the answers

What is operational definition?

A statement of the procedures (operations) used to define research variables. Signup and view all the answers

Explain replication in research.

Repeating the essence of a research study with different participants in different situations to see whether the basic finding generalizes. Signup and view all the answers

What is a case study?

An observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles. Signup and view all the answers

Define survey.

A technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of people, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of them. Signup and view all the answers

What is the false consensus effect?

The tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors. Signup and view all the answers

Define population in research.

All the cases in a group from which samples may be drawn for a study. Signup and view all the answers

What is a random sample?

A sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion. Signup and view all the answers

Define naturalistic observation.

Observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation. Signup and view all the answers

What is a correlation coefficient?

A statistical measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other. Signup and view all the answers

Define scatterplot.

A graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables. Signup and view all the answers

What is an illusory correlation?

The perception of a relationship where none exists. Signup and view all the answers

Explain the experiment method in psychology.

A research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors (independent variables) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variable). Signup and view all the answers

What is a placebo?

An inert substance or condition that may be administered instead of a presumed active agent to see if it triggers the effects believed to characterize the active agent. Signup and view all the answers

What is a double-blind procedure?

An experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo. Signup and view all the answers

Explain the placebo effect.

Any effect on behavior caused by a placebo. Signup and view all the answers

What is the experimental condition?

The condition of an experiment that exposes participants to the treatment. Signup and view all the answers

Define control condition.

The condition of an experiment that contrasts with the experimental condition and serves as a comparison for evaluation of the effect of the treatment. Signup and view all the answers

What is random assignment?

Assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups. Signup and view all the answers

Define independent variable.

The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied. Signup and view all the answers

What is dependent variable?

The experimental factor—the behavior or mental process—that is being measured. Signup and view all the answers

What is mode?

The most frequently occurring score in a distribution. Signup and view all the answers

Define mean.

The arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores. Signup and view all the answers

What is median?

The middle score in a distribution; the scores are above it, and half are below it. Signup and view all the answers

What is range?

The difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution. Signup and view all the answers

Define standard deviation.

A computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score. Signup and view all the answers

What is statistical significance?

A statistical criterion for rejecting the assumption of no differences in a particular study. Signup and view all the answers

Define culture in psychology.

The enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next. Signup and view all the answers

What is biological psychology?

Concerned with links between biology and behavior. Signup and view all the answers

What are neurons?

Building blocks of the nervous system. Signup and view all the answers

Define dendrite.

Branches designed to receive/send and transport information. Signup and view all the answers

What is the axon?

Transports messages to different muscles/glands in the body. Signup and view all the answers

Define action potential.

A neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon. Signup and view all the answers

What is myelin sheath?

A layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons. Signup and view all the answers

What is threshold in neural impulses?

The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse. Signup and view all the answers

Define synapse.

The junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. Signup and view all the answers

What are neurotransmitters?

Chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps between neurons. Signup and view all the answers

What is acetylcholine?

A neurotransmitter that triggers muscle contraction. Signup and view all the answers

Define endorphins.

"Morphine within" - natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure. Signup and view all the answers

What is the nervous system?

The body's speedy, electrochemical communication system. Signup and view all the answers

Define central nervous system (CNS).

The brain and spinal cord. Signup and view all the answers

What is the peripheral nervous system (PNS)?

The sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body. Signup and view all the answers

Define nerves in the context of the nervous system.

Neural "cables" containing many axons. Signup and view all the answers

What are sensory neurons?

Neurons that carry incoming information from the sense receptors to the central nervous system. Signup and view all the answers

Define interneurons.

Central nervous system neurons that intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs. Signup and view all the answers

What are motor neurons?

Neurons that carry outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands. Signup and view all the answers

Define the somatic nervous system.

The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles. Signup and view all the answers

What is the autonomic nervous system?

The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs. Signup and view all the answers

Define sympathetic nervous system.

The division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations. Signup and view all the answers

What is the parasympathetic nervous system?

The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy. Signup and view all the answers

Define reflex.

A simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response. Signup and view all the answers

What are neural networks?

Interconnected neural cells that can learn through experience. Signup and view all the answers

What is phrenology?

An ill-fated theory that claimed bumps on the skull could reveal our mental abilities and character traits. Signup and view all the answers

Define lesion.

Tissue destruction; a brain lesion is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue. Signup and view all the answers

What is EEG (electroencephalogram)?

An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface. Signup and view all the answers

Define CT (computed tomography).

A series of X-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation. Signup and view all the answers

What is PET (positron emission tomography)?

A visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task. Signup and view all the answers

Define MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).

A technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue. Signup and view all the answers

What is the brainstem?

The oldest part and central core of the brain, responsible for automatic survival functions. Signup and view all the answers

What is the medulla?

The base of the brainstem; it controls heartbeat and breathing. Signup and view all the answers

Define reticular formation.

A nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal. Signup and view all the answers

What is the thalamus?

The brain's sensory switchboard; it directs messages to sensory receiving areas in the cortex. Signup and view all the answers

Define cerebellum.

The "little brain" attached to the rear of the brainstem; it helps coordinate voluntary movement and balance. Signup and view all the answers

What is the limbic system?

A doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions such as fear and aggression. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Psychology Fundamentals

Psychology is the science of behavior and mental processes.
The nature-nurture issue debates how genes and environment influence psychological traits and behaviors.
Natural selection promotes the passing of traits that enhance survival and reproduction.

Psychological Perspectives

Neuroscience focuses on bodily and brain functions related to emotions and sensations.
Evolutionary psychology emphasizes traits that promote genetic perpetuation.
Behavior genetics studies the influence of genetics and environment on individual differences.
Psychodynamic perspective investigates unconscious drives and conflicts.
Behavioral perspective examines learned observable behaviors.
Cognitive perspective analyzes information encoding, processing, and retrieval.
Social-cultural perspective looks at behavior and thinking variations across cultures and situations.

Research Methodology

Basic research seeks to expand knowledge, while applied research addresses practical problems.
Clinical psychology assesses and treats psychological disorders.
Psychiatry combines psychological therapy with medical treatments.
Hindsight bias reflects the tendency to believe one could have predicted past outcomes.

Critical Thinking and Scientific Inquiry

Critical thinking involves discerning assumptions, evaluating evidence, and questioning conclusions.
Theories provide integrated sets of principles to explain and predict observations.
Hypotheses are testable predictions derived from theories.
Operational definitions clarify the procedures for defining research variables.

Research Techniques

Replication verifies findings across different studies and participants.
Case studies provide in-depth analysis of individual cases.
Surveys assess self-reported attitudes or behaviors using representative samples.
False consensus effect overestimates how much others share our beliefs.

Sampling and Observation

A population consists of all members that can be sampled for a study.
A random sample fairly represents the population, giving each member an equal chance of inclusion.
Naturalistic observation records behavior in natural settings without manipulation.

Correlation and Experimentation

Correlation coefficients measure variable relationships and predictability.
Scatterplots visually represent data correlation; scatter amount indicates relationship strength.
Illusory correlation perceives nonexistent relationships between variables.
Experiments manipulate independent variables to observe effects on dependent variables.

Experimental Design

Placebos assess false treatment effects; placebo effects influence behavior.
Double-blind procedures prevent bias by keeping both participants and researchers unaware of treatment conditions.
Control conditions serve as a comparison to evaluate treatment impacts.
Random assignment minimizes pre-existing group differences in experimental studies.

Data Interpretation

The mode is the most frequently occurring score; mean is the arithmetic average; median is the middle score.
Range shows the difference between the highest and lowest scores.
Standard deviation measures score variability around the mean.
Statistical significance indicates if study differences are meaningful.

Biological Foundations

Biological psychology links biological processes with behavior.
Neurons are the nervous system's building blocks; dendrites receive information; axons transmit signals.
Action potential is a brief electrical charge traveling along an axon.
The myelin sheath increases neural impulse transmission speed.
The synapse is the junction between sending and receiving neurons.

Neurotransmitters and the Nervous System

Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers affecting neural impulse generation.
Acetylcholine triggers muscle contractions; endorphins manage pain and pleasure.
The nervous system facilitates rapid electrochemical communication.
The central nervous system (CNS) includes the brain and spinal cord; the peripheral nervous system (PNS) connects the CNS to the body.

Brain Structure and Function

The brainstem controls automatic survival functions; the medulla regulates heartbeat and breathing.
The thalamus directs sensory messages to the cortex.
The cerebellum coordinates voluntary movement and balance.
The limbic system manages emotions and drives; includes hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus.

Cortical Areas and Functions

The cerebral cortex is responsible for higher-level processing, including learning and decision-making.
Frontal lobes are involved in planning and judgment; parietal lobes process sensory information; occipital lobes handle visual input; temporal lobes manage auditory information.
Motor and sensory cortices control movement and sensation, respectively.
Association areas support complex functions like learning and language processing.

Language and Brain Plasticity

Aphasia impairs language abilities due to brain damage.
Broca's area is crucial for speech production; Wernicke's area is important for language comprehension.
Brain plasticity indicates the brain's ability to reorganize itself after damage or with experience.

Brain Connectivity and Endocrine System

The corpus callosum connects the brain's hemispheres and facilitates communication.
Split brain occurs when the corpus callosum is severed, isolating hemispheric functions.
The endocrine system is a slow chemical communication system involving hormone-secreting glands.
Hormones are chemical messengers that affect distant cells and organs.

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Test your knowledge of key psychology terms with these flashcards. Each card defines essential concepts in psychology, from foundational theories to contemporary issues. Perfect for AP Psychology students looking to reinforce their understanding.