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AP Psychology Flashcards

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13894070366independent variableThe experimental fact that is going to be manipulated or changed (what is tested or manipulated)0
13894086185dependent variablebehavior or mental process that is being tested (what is measured or changed)1
13894112247operational definitiona statement of the procedures used to define research variables2
13894118026confounding variableuncontrolled variables that affect the control group and experimental group affecting your results .3
13894193737sympathetic nervous systemfight or flight4
13894196764parasympathetic nervous systemcalms the body5
13894209942lateral hypothalamuspart of the hypothalamus that stimulates hunger6
13894220709ventromedial hypothalamussuppresses hunger7
13894269962frontal lobeA region of the cerebral cortex that has specialized areas for abstract thinking, planning, memory, and judgement; control of the limbic system8
13894316431parietal lobeA region of the cerebral cortex whose functions include processing information about touch; sensory strip9
13894373639occipital lobeA region of the cerebral cortex that processes visual information10
13894381056temporal lobeA region of the cerebral cortex responsible for hearing and language; wernicke's and broea's area11
13894409854brain stemcontains: - reticular activating system: arousal - medulla: heart rate and breathing - thalamus: connects the sensory apparatus and the higher brain12
13894441893limbic systemcontains: - hypothalamus: regulars basic drives, pleasure center (hunger, thirst, sex) - amygdala: primitive emotions, anger, fear - hippocampus: short term memory13
13894529928neurons/neurotransmitters- acetylcholine (muscle action, learning, memory) - endorphines (pain relief)14
13902408459motor cortexcontrols voluntary movement15
13902518238CT/CAT scancomputer generated image that is made up of many different pictures of the brain at different angles16
13902534537EEGamplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface17
13902539302PET scanmeasures the different levels of activity in the brain by detecting where a form of glucose is consumed18
13902562046MRIuses radio waves to produce computer images of different structures of the brain19
13902574606fMRIreveals blood flow and brain activity of the brain20
13902621962prenatal developmentzygote, embryo, fetus21
13902705168Jean Piaget (cognitive development)Four stages: 1) sensorimotor (0-2) - object permanence 2) preoperational (2-6) - cannot think abstractly, black and white, egocentric, cannot grasp the idea of conservation 3) concrete operational (6-12) - can think concretely, understands conservation 4) formal operational (after 12) - moral reasoning develops, concrete and abstract thinking22
13902843856Parenting stylesauthoritarian, permissive, and authoritative23
13902851720Erikson (cognitive development)8 stages: 1) trust vs. mistrust - infants developing a sense of basic trust 2) autonomy vs. shame - toddlers toilet training, learning of ways to do things themselves 3) initiative vs. guilt - preschoolers learn to initiate tasks and carry out plans, or they feel guilty about efforts to be independent 4) industry vs. inferiority - children learn the pleasure of applying themselves, or they'll feel inferior 5) identity vs. confusion - teenagers work at refining a sense of self by testing roles, or they get confused on who they are 6) intimacy vs. isolation - young adults struggle to find a close relationship for intimate love, or they feel socially isolated 7) Generatively vs. stagnation - middle aged people discover a sense of contribution to the world, may feel like they lack a purpose 8) integrity vs. despair - when reflecting on his or her life, the older adult may feel a sense of satisfaction or regret24
13903075431Kohlberg (cognitive development)three stages: 1) preconventional - right and wrong determined by whether or not you will be punished 2) conventional - you decide appropriate behavior based on what society says 3) post-conventional - requires formal operational thinking: morality25
13904477556Gesalt PsychologyThe idea is that the whole, the sum of the parts, is greater than the individual parts. We're hardwired to look for the whole.26
13904485338Figure-ground perceptionwe can look at a figure against a background. Or we can switch the background to be the figure we're looking at, and the old figure becomes the new ground. Doing this can make us see different things27
13904577499Visual Cliffbabies would not crawl across a glass table because they perceived a drop-off.28
13904580908Monocular cues1) Relative height - things seen higher up are perceived as farther away. 2) Relative size - things small are perceived as farther away. 3) Interposition - when things are "stacked", the one that's covered up is farthest, the one that's not covered is closest. 4) Linear perspective - parallel lines, like railroad tracks, converge in the distance; the more they converge, the farther away. 5) Light and shadow - close objects reflect more light; farther ones appear dimmer. 6) Relative motion - while we move, things close to us appear to move fast in the opposite direction29
13904602068sleep stages- stage one: alpha waves; not fully asleep, extremely relaxed - stage two: lasts about 20 mins, sleep spindles - stage three: slow delta waves - stage four: "deep sleep", lasts 30 mins, where you most likely cannot hear loud noses - REM (rapid eye movement): "5th stage", where your brain is the most active - NREM sleep (non-rapid eye movement): when you circle back through the stages30
13904637253classical conditioning (Ivan Pavlov)UCS (unconditioned stimulus) - this is the natural stimulus UCR (unconditioned response) - this is the natural response CS (conditioned stimulus) - this is what's associated to the UCS CR (conditioned response) - this is the response (which is the same as the UCR)31
13904653542Pavlov (behaviorism)tested his classical conditioning theory on dogs with bells32
13904703555operant conditioning (Skinner)Fixed ratio - reinforcer is given after a set number of behaviors. Think of being paid for every 10 units you make on an assembly line. Variable ratio - reinforcer is given after a random number of behaviors. Think of pulling a slot machine handle, you never know which pull will win. Fixed interval - reinforcer is given after a set time period. Think of being paid every Friday. Variable interval - reinforcer is given after a random time period.33
13904767034conditioning processes- Acquisition is the initial learning of a stimulus - Extinction is the diminished association between the UCS and the CS, after the UCS is removed. - Spontaneous recovery emerges even after extinction. This is when, after a time lapse, the association between the UCS and the CS reappears. - Discrimination is drawing the line between responding to some stimuli, but not others.34
13904803727iconic memorya momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a photographic or picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second35
13904813682echoic memorya momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds36
13904841301serial position effectour tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list37
13910680458top-down processingthe use of preexisting knowledge to organize individual features into a unified whole38
13910690342bottom-up processinganalysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information39
13913164828representative heuristicjudging the likelihood of things in terms of how well they seem to represent, or match, particular prototypes (judgement)40
13913204134availbility heuristicwe make our evaluations based partly on the ease with which we get the information on which we make them (new information)41
13913234861mental seta tendency to approach a problem in one particular way, often a way that has been successful in the past42
13913248468overconfidenceoverestimating our power or knowledge43
13913251740confirmation biasa tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence44
13913260344Phomemethe smallest distinctive sound unit in language45
13913260346morphmeSmallest meaningful unit of a language; used to form words (minimal unit of meaning, and cant be broken into parts)46
13913286226lingustic determinismWhorf's hypothesis that language determines the way we think, culture can influence this47
13913388508factor analysisa statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items48
13913414593Alfred Binet- father of intelligence testing - mental age and chronological age49
13913440813Flynn effectThe rise in average IQ scores that has occurred over the decades in many nations50
13913504258IQmental age/chronological age x 10051
13913539142David WechslerDeveloped WAIS (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale) and WISC (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children) (IQ tests)52
13913578522drive-reduction theorythe idea that a physiological need creates an aroused tension state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need53
13913592128instinct theoryfocuses on how genetics dictates behavior54
13913606048arousal thoeryfocuses on finding the right level of stimulation, we focus on basic needs first, then on to greater things.55
13913634780Maslow's Hierarchy of Needsphysiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, self-actualization56
13913651164set pointthe stable weight that is maintained despite variability in exercise and food intake57
13913706230James-Lange Theoryour bodies react first, then we experience the emotional feeling58
13913712195Cannon-Bard Theoryour bodies reaction and our emotional feeling occur at the same time.59
13913729033Singer-Schachter Two-factor theoryemotions are made up of (1) physical arousal and (2) a cognitive label (we must be actually aware of the physical arousal).60
13913753204autonomic nervous systemthe part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms.61
13913809909adaptation-level phenomenonour tendency to form judgments (of sounds, of lights, of income) relative to a neutral level defined by our prior experience62
13913978456General Adaptation Syndrome- Alarm - Resist - Exhaustion63
13914463019metabolic ratethe rate that we burn energy when at rest64
13916167729defense mechanisms- Repression: pushing desires that cause anxiety out of consciousness - Regression: going back to a comfortable way when we face a stressful situation - Projection: hides bad desires by projecting them on to others - Rationalization: justification - Displacement: directs unwanted desire toward something more acceptable - Denial: rejecting an idea65
13916194781psychoanalytic theory- Id: Unconscious desires - Ego: reality - Superego: Moral compass - right from wrong - Conscious: awareness of present perceptions - Preconscious: data that can be brought to the conscious - Unconscious: retained data thats not easily available66
13916505468big fiveopenness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism67
13916564804pyschosexual stages- oral: 0-8 months, pleasure centers in mouth - anal: 18 months - 3 years, potty training - phallic: 3-6, pleasure centers in genitals - latent: 6 - puberty, sexuality is dormant - genital: past puberty sexuality is mature68
13924071420Carl Jung69
13924075807Horneydeveloped a theory based on basic anxiety; rejected the concept of penis envy70
13924083902AdlerInferiority complex - we when fail to overcome struggles as kids71
13924093803Rogers (Humanist)1. Genuineness: being honest with yourself 2. Acceptance: accept others and ourselves for who we are 3. Empathy: should share another's feelings72
13924101009Maslow (Humanist)- believed that people are basically good and unless stopped, would more towards self-actualization 1. Physiological: hunger and thirst 2. Safety: to feel the world is predictable 3. Belongingness and love: the need to love and feel loved 4. Esteem needs: achievement, independence, recognition 5. Self-actualization: to live to your full potential73
13924115106Criteria for psychological disordersDeviant, distressful and dysfunctional74
13924123556Schizophrenia- Paranoid - Disorganized - Catatonic75
13924141049attribution theorythe theory that we explain someone's behavior by crediting either the situation or the person's disposition76
13924147194fundamental attribution errorwe tend to overestimate a person's natural personality and underestimate the position that they're in.77
13924162819Philip ZimbardoStanford Prison Experiment78
13924184255Solomon AschConducted famous conformity experiment that required subjects to match lines.79
13924201281Stanley Milgramobedience to authority; had participants administer what they believed were dangerous electrical shocks to other participants; wanted to see if Germans were an aberration or if all people were capable of committing evil actions80
13924205550Social facilitationbetter performance while someone is watching81
13924216515Deindividuationthe loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity (riots after football games)82
13924244595Group polarizationthe enhancement of a group's prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group83

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