AP Psychology Unit 1

AP Psychology Unit 1

Biological Bases of Behavior

• Neurotransmitters: Chemical messengers that transmit signals across a synapse (the gap between two nerve cells).
• Nervous System: Consists of the brain and the spinal cord, responsible for coordinating body functions and responding to stimuli.
• Neurons: Specialized cells that transmit electrical signals to other cells in the nervous system.
• Brain: Orchestrates the nervous system's activities and is divided into three parts: the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem.
• Hormones: Chemical messengers produced by endocrine glands that regulate various bodily functions.

Sensation and Perception

• Sensation: The process by which sensory receptors detect and transmit information about the environment to the brain.
• Perception: The process by which the brain interprets and organizes sensory information to create meaningful experiences.
• Sensory Systems: Five primary systems: olfactory (smell), gustatory (taste), visual, auditory, and somatosensory (touch).

Learning

• Classical Conditioning: A learning process in which an association is formed between a neutral stimulus and a biologically significant stimulus.
• Operant Conditioning: A learning process in which behavior is modified by its consequences.
• Pavlov's Law of Effect: States that behavior followed by a positive consequence is likely to be repeated, and behavior followed by a negative consequence is likely to be avoided.
• Social Learning Theory: Suggests that people learn through observing others and imitating their behaviors.

Motivation and Emotion

• Motivation: The internal drive to pursue goals and engage in behaviors.
• Emotion: A complex psychological state that involves physiological arousal, cognitive appraisal, and expressive behaviors.
• Hunger: An emotion that motivates individuals to seek food to maintain energy levels.
• Arousal: A state of physiological excitation associated with increased alertness and readiness to respond to stimuli.

Research Methods

• Surveys: A research method in which participants are asked to respond to a set of questions.
• Experiments: A research method in which researchers manipulate one or more variables to observe their effects on a dependent variable.
• Observation: A research method in which researchers observe and record participants' behaviors in a natural or controlled setting.
• Case Studies: A research method in which researchers examine an individual's or group's experiences in depth.

History

• Wilhelm Wundt: Established the first psychology lab in 1879 and is considered the father of modern psychology.
• Structuralism: An early psychological approach that focused on the structure of mental processes.
• Functionalism: A psychological approach that emphasized the study of mental processes in relation to their adaptive functions.
• Behaviorism: A psychological approach that focused on observable behavior and rejected the study of internal mental processes.
• Humanistic Psychology: A psychological approach that emphasized the importance of individual growth and self-actualization.
• Cognitive Neuroscience: A field that explores the neural basis of mental processes such as perception, memory, and problem-solving.