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AP Psychology > Midterm Vocab > Flashcards

Midterm Vocab Flashcards

1
Q

behaviorism

A

focus on observing and controlling behavior

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2
Q

biopsychology

A

study of how biology influences behavior

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3
Q

cognitive psychology

A

study of cognitions, or 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, rather than a method based only on forms of logical argument or previous authorities

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5
Q

functionalism

A

focused on how mental activities helped an organism adapt to its environment

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6
Q

humanism

A

perspective within psychology that emphasizes the potential for good that is innate to all humans

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7
Q

introspection

A

process by which someone examines their own conscious experience in an attempt to break it into its component parts

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8
Q

psychoanalytic theory

A

focus on the role of the unconscious in affecting conscious behavior

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9
Q

psychology

A

scientific study of the mind and behavior

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10
Q

structuralism

A

understanding the conscious experience through introspection

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11
Q

clinical or case study

A

observational research study focusing on one or a few people

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12
Q

confirmation bias

A

tendency to ignore evidence that disproves ideas or beliefs

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13
Q

confounding variable

A

unanticipated outside factor that affects both variables of interest, often giving the false impression that changes in one variable causes changes in the other variable, when, in actuality, the outside factor causes changes in both variables

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14
Q

control group

A

serves as a basis for comparison and controls for chance factors that might influence the results of the study—by holding such factors constant across groups so that the experimental manipulation is the only difference between groups

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15
Q

correlation

A

relationship between two or more variables; when two variables are correlated, one variable changes as the other does

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16
Q

correlation coefficient

A

number from -1 to +1, indicating the strength and direction of the relationship between variables, and usually represented by 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 involved deception, participants are told complete and truthful information about the experiment at its conclusion

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19
Q

dependent variable

A

variable that the researcher measures to see how much effect the independent variable had

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20
Q

double-blind study

A

experiment in which both the researchers and the participants are blind to group assignments

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21
Q

empirical

A

grounded in objective, tangible evidence that can be observed time and time again, regardless of who is observing

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22
Q

experimental group

A

group designed to answer the research question; experimental manipulation is the only difference between the experimental and control groups, so any differences between the two are due to experimental manipulation rather than chance

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23
Q

hypothesis

A

(plural: hypotheses) tentative and testable statement about the relationship between two or more variables

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24
Q

illusory correlation

A

seeing relationships between two things when in reality no such relationship exists

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25
Q

independent variable

A

variable that is influenced or controlled by the experimenter; in a sound experimental study, the independent variable is the only important difference between the experimental and control group

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26
Q

inductive reasoning

A

conclusions are drawn from observations

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27
Q

longitudinal research

A

studies in which the same group of individuals is surveyed or measured repeatedly over an extended period of time

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28
Q

naturalistic observation

A

observation of behavior in its natural setting

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29
Q

negative correlation

A

two variables change in different directions, with one becoming larger as the other becomes smaller; a negative correlation is not the same thing as no correlation

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30
Q

operational definition

A

description of what actions and operations will be used to measure the dependent variables and manipulate the independent variables

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31
Q

population

A

overall group of individuals that the researchers are interested in

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32
Q

positive correlation

A

two variables change in the same direction, both becoming either larger or smaller

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33
Q

random assignment

A

method of experimental group assignment in which all participants have an equal chance of being assigned to either group

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34
Q

random sample

A

subset of a larger population in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected

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35
Q

reliability

A

consistency and reproducibility of a given result

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36
Q

replicate

A

repeating an experiment using different samples to determine the research’s reliability

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37
Q

sample

A

subset of individuals selected from the larger population

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38
Q

statistical analysis

A

determines how likely any difference between experimental groups is due to chance

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39
Q

survey

A

list of questions to be answered by research participants—given as paper-and-pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally—allowing researchers to collect data from a large number of people

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40
Q

theory

A

well-developed set of ideas that propose an explanation for observed phenomena

41
Q

validity

A

accuracy of a given result in measuring what it is designed to measure

42
Q

action potential

A

electrical signal that moves down the neuron’s axon

43
Q

agonist

A

drug that mimics or strengthens the effects of a neurotransmitter; substance that bind to synaptic receptors and increase the effect of the neurotransmitter.

44
Q

axon

A

major extension of the soma

45
Q

dendrite

A

branch-like extension of the soma that receives incoming signals from other neurons

46
Q

glial cell

A

nervous system cell that provides physical and metabolic support to neurons, including neuronal insulation and communication, and nutrient and waste transport

47
Q

neuron

A

cells in the nervous system that act as interconnected information processors, which are essential for all of the tasks of the nervous system

48
Q

resting potential

A

the state of readiness of a neuron membrane’s potential between signals

49
Q

reuptake

A

neurotransmitter is pumped back into the neuron that released it

50
Q

semipermeable membrane

A

cell membrane that allows smaller molecules or molecules without an electrical charge to pass through it, while stopping larger or highly charged molecules

51
Q

synaptic cleft/synapse

A

small gap between two neurons where communication occurs

52
Q

threshold of excitation

A

level of charge in the cell membrane that causes the neuron to become active (controlled by levels of sodium and potassium ions)

53
Q

circadian rhythm

A

biological rhythm that occurs over approximately 24 hours

54
Q

collective unconscious

A

theoretical repository of information shared by all people across cultures, as described by Carl Jung

55
Q

consciousness

A

awareness of internal and external stimuli

56
Q

delta wave

A

type of brain wave characteristic during stage 3 NREM sleep, which has a high amplitude and low frequency of less than 3 Hz

57
Q

jet lag

A

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

58
Q

melatonin

A

hormone secreted by the endocrine gland that serves as an important regulator of the sleep-wake cycle

59
Q

narcolepsy

A

sleep disorder in which the sufferer cannot resist falling to sleep at inopportune times

60
Q

night terror

A

sleep disorder in which the sleeper experiences a sense of panic and may scream or attempt to escape from the immediate environment

61
Q

non-REM (NREM)

A

period of sleep outside periods of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep

62
Q

obstructive sleep apnea

A

sleep disorder defined by episodes when breathing stops during sleep as a result of blockage of the airway

63
Q

parasomnia

A

one of a group of sleep disorders characterized by unwanted, disruptive motor activity and/or experiences during sleep

64
Q

pineal gland

A

endocrine structure located inside the brain that releases melatonin

65
Q

rapid eye movement (REM) sleep

A

period of sleep characterized by brain waves very similar to those during wakefulness and by darting movements of the eyes under closed eyelids

66
Q

REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD)

A

sleep disorder in which the muscle paralysis associated with the REM sleep phase does not occur; sleepers have high levels of physical activity during REM sleep, especially during disturbing dreams

67
Q

sleep

A

state marked by relatively low levels of physical activity and reduced sensory awareness that is distinct from periods of rest that occur during wakefulness

68
Q

sleep apnea

A

sleep disorder defined by episodes during which breathing stops during sleep

69
Q

sleep debt

A

result of insufficient sleep on a chronic basis

70
Q

sleep rebound

A

sleep-deprived individuals will experience shorter sleep latencies during subsequent opportunities for sleep

71
Q

stage 1 sleep

A

first stage of sleep; transitional phase that occurs between wakefulness and sleep; the period during which a person drifts off to sleep

72
Q

stage 2 sleep

A

second stage of sleep; the body goes into deep relaxation; characterized by the appearance of sleep spindles

73
Q

stage 3 sleep

A

third stage of sleep; deep sleep characterized by low frequency, high amplitude delta waves

74
Q

suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)

A

area of the hypothalamus in which the body’s biological clock is located

75
Q

absolute threshold

A

minimum amount of stimulus energy that must be present for the stimulus to be detected 50% of the time

76
Q

afterimage

A

continuation of a visual sensation after removal of the stimulus

77
Q

bottom-up processing

A

system in which perceptions are built from sensory input

78
Q

cocktail-party effect

A

the ability to attend to one of several speech streams while ignoring others, as when one is at a cocktail party.

79
Q

cone

A

specialized photoreceptor that works best in bright light conditions and detects color

80
Q

Feature detectors

A

the visual system has feature detectors for lines and angles of different orientations as well as for more complex stimuli, such as faces.

81
Q

fovea

A

small indentation in the retina that contains cones; central focus area of the retina

82
Q

frequency

A

number of waves that pass a given point in a given time period

83
Q

Ganglion cells

A

the only type of neuron in the retina that sends signals to the brain resulting from visual stimulation. Retinal ganglion cells receive input from retinal bipolar cells and amacrine cells. The axons of retinal ganglion cells form the optic nerve.

84
Q

intensity/amplitude

A

the quantitative value of a stimulus or sensation.

85
Q

just noticeable difference

A

difference in stimuli required to detect a difference between the stimuli

86
Q

opponent-process theory of color perception

A

color is coded in opponent pairs: black-white, yellow-blue, and red-green

87
Q

perception

A

way that sensory information is interpreted and consciously experienced

88
Q

pitch

A

perception of a sound’s frequency

89
Q

Prosopagnosia

A

“face blindness”

90
Q

pupil

A

small opening in the eye through which light passes

91
Q

retina

A

light-sensitive lining of the eye

92
Q

rod

A

specialized photoreceptor that works well in low light conditions

93
Q

sensory adaptation

A

not perceiving stimuli that remain relatively constant over prolonged periods of time

94
Q

signal detection theory

A

change in stimulus detection as a function of current mental state

95
Q

top-down processing

A

interpretation of sensations is influenced by available knowledge, experiences, and thoughts

96
Q

transduction

A

conversion from sensory stimulus energy to action potential

97
Q

trichromatic theory of color perception

A

color vision is mediated by the activity across the three groups of cones

98
Q

Volley Principle

A

the principle that individual fibers in an auditory nerve respond to one or another stimulus in a rapid succession of rhythmic sound stimuli, whereas other fibers in the nerve respond to the second, third, or nth stimulus.

AP Psychology (14 decks)

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