AP Notes, Outlines, Study Guides, Vocabulary, Practice Exams and more!

ALL Psychology terms

Terms : Hide Images
gaps between axon terminals and dendrites of neurons, across which chemical messages are sent
chemicals which encourage or stop neurons from firing messages on to next neuron
works to conserve energy and help the body recover after emergency/strenuous activity
part of nervous system that is the brain+spinal cord
part of the peripheral nervous system that controls involuntary movements of internal organs
prepares the body for dealing with emergencies / strenuous activity
network of nerves beyond spinal cord that conduct info from organs to central nervous systemn and back again
region of brain stem that controls involuntary processes including breathing and heart rate
located above medulla on brain stem; it is involved in dreaming + arousal; relays info between cerebellum + cerebral cortex
lower portion of brain that controls posture + balance and regulates details of motor commands from cerebral cortex
grey mass surrounding the subcortex, which is the info-proessing center that controls the higher brain functions (reading and problem solving)
long, thin cells that constitue the structural + functional unit of nerve tissue along which messages travel to and from brain
structure of brain that relays messages from sense organs to cerebral cortex
band of nerves that connects the 2 hemispheres of cortex and carries messages back and forth between them
small area located below the thalamus that regulates the autonomic nervous system and motivates behavior such as eating, drinking, and temp. regulation
decision making, prob solving, planning. Includes motor cortex
(top) navigation, spatial awareness. Contains Somatosensory cortex
(back) visual sight
(side) hearing
registers + processes body sensations, ie Touch
part of cerebral cortex which controls body movement
brain structure in limbic system that forms + indexes memories
division of peripheral nervous system; controls voluntary actions
pattern of reinforcement in which a specific number of correct responses is required before reinforcement can be obtained
stimulus, such as food/water, that is natually rewarding and satisfying and requires no learning on part of subject to become pleasurable
stimulus such as money that becomes rewarding through its link
pattern of reinforcement in which a specific number of correct responses is required before reinforcement can be obtained
form of learning in which a certain action is reinforced / punished, resulting in corresponding increases / decreases in the likelihood that similar actions will occur again
ability to respond differently to similar but distinct stimuli
pattern of reinforcement in which changing mounts of time must elapse before a response will obtain reinforcement
learning procedure in which associations are made between a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus
in classical conditioning, tendency for a stimulus that is similar to the original conditioned stimulus to elicit a response that is similar to the conditioned response
info received after an action as to its effectiveness / correctness
in classical conditioning gradual disappearnace of a conditioned response because the reinforcement is withheld or because conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented w/out the unconditioned stimulus
technique of operant conditioning in which desired behavior is "modeled" by first rewarding any act similar to that bahavior then requiring ever=closer approximations to the desired behavior before giving the reward
effects of past learning on ability to learn new tasks
when a "perceived unpleasant" stimulus is removed / not applied (subtracted) after a behavior, thus increasing likelihood of behavior happening again
relatively permanent change in behavior that results from experience
when a "perceived pleasant" stimulus is given / received (added) after a behavior, thus increasing the likelihood of behavior happening again
pattern of reinforcement in which an unpredictable number of responses is required before reinforcement can be obtained each time
when person over time receives rewards w/out effort they learn they don't have to work hard
condition in which repeated attempts to control / influence a situation fail, resulting in the belief that the situation is uncontrollable and that any effort to cope will fail
event that elicits a certain predictable respopnse w/out previous training
an organism's automatic (natural) reaction to a stimulus
once-neutral event that elicits a given response after a period of training in which it has been paired wih an unconditioned stimulus
response elicited by the conditioned stimulus; it is similar to the unconditioned response, but not identicla in magnitude / amount
techniques of memorizing info by forming vivid associations / images, which facilitate recall and decrease forgetting
system for remembering that involves repeating info to oneself w/out attempting to find meaning in it
info storage that has unlimited capacity and often may last indefinitely
type of memory retrieval in which you must identify items you learned earlier, as in a multiple choice question
ability to remember with great accuracy visual info on basis of short-term exposure
limited in capacity to about 7 items for a short period of time
exclusion from conscious awareness of a painful, unpleasant, or undesirable memory
hampering of recall of learned material by the recall of other material learned more recently
very brief memory storage immediately following initial stimulation of a receptor
forgetting process in which info that we learned ealier blocks / disrupts the retrieval of related new info
act of filling in memory with statements that make sense but that may be untrue
combining seperate items of info into a larger unit and then remembering parts of info rather than an individual item
type of declarative memory consisting of factual knowledge of language, including its rules, words, and meanings
chronological regention of events of one's life
permanent storage of learned skills that does not require conscious recollection
stored knowledge of facts or events such as scenes, stories, words, faces, or daily events that can be called forth consciously as needed
type of memory retrieval in which a person reconstructs previously learned material w/out the aid of or with very few external cues
type of memory retrieval in which a person is required to identify an object, idea, or situation as one he or she has or has not experienced before
process by which a person changes his old methods or schemas to adjust or deal with new situations
process of fitting objects and experiences into one's schemas to deal w/ new situations and to understand environment
(Piaget) principle that is a given quantity doesn't change when its appearance is changed
inherited tendency of some newborn animals to follow first moving object they see
internally programmed growth of a child that ocfcurs as a result of automatic, genetically determined signals
child's realization that an object exists even when he can't sense it
intellectual ability of a child to picture something in his mind
process of learning he rules of behavior of the culture withing which an individual is born and will live
(Piaget stage of intellectual development 0-2) child experiences world through sense and actions, lacks concept of object permanence
(Piaget stage of intellectual development 2-7) child represents things w/ words and images but lacks ability for logical reasoning
(Piaget stage of intellectual development 6-11) logical reasoning begins w/ concrete events; also able to grasp concrete analogies and perform basic operations of arithmetic. understands convos
(Piaget stage of intellectual development 12+) can do abstract reasoning, figure out consequences of actions and events and think about moral issues
adolescents participate in decisions affecting their lives
parents attempts to contol, shape, evaluate behavior and attitudes of children in accordance with set code of conduct
period of inner conflict during which adolescents worry intensely about who they are
children have final say
sleeper acts out his nightmares because skeletal muscles are not paralyzed during REM sleep
snoring, breathing difficulty during sleep , and overweight
problems falling or staying asleep
uncontrollable sleep attacks
Repeated involuntary movement of the legs and sometimes arms during sleep
an irresistible urge to move the legs, temporarily relieving pain but disrupting sleep.
walking while sleeping
characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being scared; occur during stage 4 sleep, and are seldom remembered
false beliefs, as of persecution or grandeur, that a person maintains in face of contradictory evidence
fifth version of American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
characterized by confused thoughts, emotions, behavior, and perception
person's mood drastically alternates between mania and depression
false sensory perceptions that have no direct external cause
intense and irrational fear of a particular object/situation
disorder in which victims of catastrophes experience flashbacks/dreams of event
anxiety disorder consisting of obsessions and compulsions

Need Help?

We hope your visit has been a productive one. If you're having any problems, or would like to give some feedback, we'd love to hear from you.

For general help, questions, and suggestions, try our dedicated support forums.

If you need to contact the Course-Notes.Org web experience team, please use our contact form.

Need Notes?

While we strive to provide the most comprehensive notes for as many high school textbooks as possible, there are certainly going to be some that we miss. Drop us a note and let us know which textbooks you need. Be sure to include which edition of the textbook you are using! If we see enough demand, we'll do whatever we can to get those notes up on the site for you!