All the key terms from the AP Psychology Crash Course by Larry Krieger.
Terms : Hide Images
| 775493844 | Behavioral Perspective | Perspective emphasizing observable behavior that can be objectively measured. | |
| 775493845 | Humanistic Perspective | Perspective emphasizing the importance of self-esteem and free will. | |
| 775493846 | Psychodynamic Perspective | Perspective emphasizing the role of unconscious conflicts and drives in determining behavior and personality. | |
| 775493847 | Cognitive Perspective | Perspective emphasizing thinking, perceiving, and information processing. | |
| 775493848 | Biological Perspective | Perspective emphasizing genetics, the roles of parts of the brain, and the structure and function of individual nerve cells. | |
| 775493849 | Evolutionary Perspective | Perspective emphasizing natural selection and adaptation in the evolution of behavior and mental processes. | |
| 775493850 | Experimental Method | Procedure involving manipulation of variables to determine cause and effect. | |
| 775493851 | Independent Variable | The factor that is manipulated. | |
| 775493852 | Dependent Variable | The factor that is affected by the independent variable, and is measured by the experimenter. | |
| 775493853 | Experimental Group | Group that is exposed to the independent variable. | |
| 775493854 | Control Group | Group exposed to all variables except independent, and is used for comparison. | |
| 775493855 | Confounding Variables | Variables that have an unwanted influence on the outcome of an experiment. | |
| 775493856 | Double Blind Study | A procedure in which neither the researcher nor the participant knows which group is the experimental group. Reduces both participant and experimenter bias. | |
| 775493857 | Case Study | An in-depth examination of a single research participant, or a small group of participants. | |
| 775493858 | Correlation Research | Research to find the extent to which to variables may predict one another. | |
| 775493859 | Correlation Coefficient | From -1.00 to +1.00 that indicates the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables. The closer to -1.00 or +1.00 the correlation coefficient, the stronger the relationship. | |
| 775493860 | Mean | The statistical average in a distribution. | |
| 775493861 | Median | The middle number in a distribution. | |
| 775493862 | Mode | Most occurring score in a distribution. | |
| 775493863 | Standard Deviation | A measure of how much the scores vary around the mean. | |
| 775493864 | Normal Distribution | A bell-shaped curve, where 68% of scores are in one standard deviation. | |
| 775493865 | Positively Skewed Distribution | Contains a preponderance of scores on the low end of the scale, and moves the mean higher up on the scale. | |
| 775493866 | Negatively Skewed Distribution | Contains a preponderance of scores on the high end of the scale, and moves the mean down on the scale. | |
| 775493867 | P-Value | A measure of statistical significance. The lower, the more likely the results of an experiment did not occur simply chance. | |
| 775493868 | Neuron | A nerve cell responsible for receiving and transmitting information in electrical and chemical forms. They are the fundamental building blocks of the nervous system. | |
| 775493869 | Myelin Sheath | A white, fatty covering wrapped around the axons of some neurons, increasing the rate at which nerve impulses travel. | |
| 775493870 | Action Potential | A brief electrical impulse by which info is transmitted along the axon of a neuron. | |
| 775493871 | All-Or-Nothing Law | The principle that either a neuron is sufficiently stimulated and an action potential occurs or a neuron is not sufficiently stimulated an an action potential does not occur. | |
| 775493872 | Endorphins | Chemical substances in the nervous system that reduce perception of pain. | |
| 775493873 | Neurotransmitters | Chemical transmitters manufactured by a neuron. | |
| 775493874 | Sympathetic Nervous System | Branch of the autonomic system that produces rapid physical arousal in response to emergency. | |
| 775493875 | Parasympathetic Nervous System | Branch of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body. | |
| 775493876 | Hypothalamus | Brain structure under the thalamus that helps control hormones and regulates hunger and thirst. | |
| 775493877 | Cerebral Cortex | A thin surface layer on the cerebral hemispheres that regulates complex behavior, like higher mental processes such as decision making. | |
| 775493878 | Cerebral Hemispheres | The nearly symmetrical left and right halves of the cerebral cortex. | |
| 775493879 | Corpus Callosum | Connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain. | |
| 775493880 | Amygdala | An almond-shaped part of the limbic system linked aggression and fear. | |
| 775493881 | Hippocampus | Curved part of the limbic system involved in learning and forming memories. | |
| 775493882 | Absolute Threshold | The minimum amount of stimulus which can be detected 50 percent of the time. | |
| 775493883 | Sensory Adaptation | The decline in sensitivity to a constant stimulus. | |
| 775493884 | Transduction | The process by which sensory receptors convert the incoming physical energy of stimuli, such as light waves, into neural impulses. | |
| 775493885 | Gate-Control Theory | Theory that explains how the nervous system blocks or allows pain signals to pass to the brain. | |
| 775493886 | Rods | Photoreceptors responsible for peripheral and black-and-white vision. | |
| 775493887 | Cones | Photoreceptors responsible for color vision and fine detail. | |
| 775493888 | Blind-Spot | Point at the back of the retina where the optic nerve leaves the eye. | |
| 775493889 | Cochlea | The coiled, snail-shaped structure in the inner ear containing receptors for hearing. | |
| 775493890 | Circadian Rhythm | Biological processes that systematically vary over a period of about 24 hours. | |
| 775493891 | REM Sleep | Type of sleep where dreams usually occur. Often called paradoxical sleep, it is characterized by active eye movements and paralysis. | |
| 775493892 | Hypnosis | A trancelike state of heightened suggestibility, deep relaxation, and intense focus. | |
| 775493893 | Dissociation | The splitting of consciousness into two or more simultaneous streams of mental activity. | |
| 775493894 | Classical Conditioning | The learning process that occurs when a previously neutral stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus. | |
| 775493895 | Unconditioned Stimulus | An unlearned stimulus. | |
| 775493896 | Unconditioned Response | An unlearned response. | |
| 775493897 | Neutral Stimulus | A stimulus that produces no conditioned response prior to learning. | |
| 775493898 | Conditioned Stimulus | The learned stimulus. | |
| 775493899 | Conditioned Response | The learned response. | |
| 775493900 | Extinction | The gradual weakening of a conditioned behavior. | |
| 775493901 | Stimulus Generalization | Occurs when stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus elicit the same response. | |
| 775493902 | Stimulus Discrimintation | The ability to distinguish between two similar stimulus. | |
| 775493903 | Operant Conditioning | A learning process in which behavior is shaped an maintained by consequences. | |
| 775493904 | Reinforcement | Strengthens a response, making it more likely to occur. |
