AP Exam Prep

Question 1

Which of the following types of scientists were the first to contend that an individual’s ways of thinking are shaped primarily by cultural values and ideas?

Answer 1

Anthropologists

Question 2

The primary research method used by developmental psychologists is

Answer 2

cross sectional research

Question 3

John Locke

Answer 3

tabula rasa
mind is a blank slate

Question 4

Wilhelm Wundt

Answer 4

Structuralist

Question 5

titchener

Answer 5

structuralist
introspection

Question 6

wiliam james

Answer 6

functionalist

Question 7

structuralism

Answer 7

an early school of psychology that used introspection to explore the elemental structure of the human mind

Question 8

funtionalism

Answer 8

early school of thought promoted by James and influenced by Darwin; explored how mental and behavioral processes function- how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish

Question 9

empiricism

Answer 9

the view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should, therefore, rely on observation and experimentation

Question 10

decartes

Answer 10

mind is separate from body and lives on after death. knowledge is innate. animal spirits flow & control movement and contain memories.

Question 11

jean piaget

Answer 11

Four stage theory of cognitive development:
1. sensorimotor
2. preoperational
3. concrete operational
4. formal operational.

Question 12

rogers

Answer 12

Humanisic; self-concept and unconditional positive regard drive personality

Question 13

psychometrics

Answer 13

the scientific study of the measurement of human abilities, attitudes, and traits

Question 14

operational def

Answer 14

a carefully worded statement of the exact procedures used in a research study

Question 15

inferential statistics

Answer 15

numerical data that allow one to generalize- to infer from sample data the probability of something being true of a population

Question 16

statistical significance

Answer 16

a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance

Question 17

patient HM (henry molaisson)

Answer 17

A patient who, because of damage to medial temporal lobe structures, was unable to encode new declarative memories.

Question 18

gazzaniga and sperry

Answer 18

studied split brain patients; showed that left/right hemispheres have different functions

Question 19

hilgard and orne

Answer 19

hypnosis

Question 20

Hobson and McCarley

Answer 20

Proponents of the Activation-Synthesis Theory and argued that REM sleep furnishes the brain with an internal source of needed stimulation

Question 21

action potential

Answer 21

a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

Question 22

depolarization (think depo)

Answer 22

The process during the action potential when sodium is rushing into the cell causing the interior to become more positive.

Question 23

synapse vs synaptic cleft

Answer 23

synapse: includes the axon terminal end, gap, and start of the dendrite

vs.

cleft: just the space between the two neurons

Question 24

acetylcholine

Answer 24

A neurotransmitter that enables learning and memory and also triggers muscle contraction

Question 25

GABA

Answer 25

A major inhibitory neurotransmitter. Undersupply linked to anxiety. Oversupply linked to overly relaxed/sedated

Question 26

Glutamate

Answer 26

A major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory. Undersupply linked to insomnia, concentration problems, mental exhaustion. Oversupply linked to overstimulation, migranes, and seizures.

Question 27

endorphins

Answer 27

“morphine within”–natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure. Undersupply linked to aches, pain, depression, mood swings, & addiction. Oversupply linked to addiction-intense feelings of happiness

Question 28

sensory neurons

Answer 28

afferent

neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord

Question 29

motor neurons

Answer 29

efferent

neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands

Question 30

interneurons

Answer 30

neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs

Question 31

somatic nervous systems

Answer 31

the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls voluntary movement of skeletal muscles

Question 32

sympathetic NS

Answer 32

fight or flight

Question 33

parasympathetic NS

Answer 33

rest and digest

Question 34

pituitary gland

Answer 34

The endocrine system’s most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, this regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands.

Question 35

hypothalamus

Answer 35

Regulates the autonomic nervous system by producing & releasing hormones. A neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward.

Question 36

CT scan

Answer 36

Series of x-ray beams. Creates 3D cross-sectional images of the brain that shows abnormalities (shows structures)

Question 37

PET scan

Answer 37

Shows brain activity using radioactive form of glucose while the brain performs a given task (shows function). Used in experiments to see where brain is activated as we engage in different activities & cognitive tasks.

Question 38

MRI

Answer 38

Uses magnetic fields & radio waves. Distinguishes among different types of brain tissue (shows structure)