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AP Psychology Review
AP Psychology Definitions
50
Psychology
12th Grade
05/05/2013

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Term
Absolute Threshold
Definition
The minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time.
Term
Action Potential
Definition
A neural impulse;a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon.
Term
Aggression
Definition
Physical or Verbal behavior intended to hurt someone.
Term
Anxiety
Definition
The physiological and psychological reaction to an expected danger, whether real or imagined.
Term
Anxiety Disorder
Definition
Psychological disorders characterized by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety.
Term
Artificial Intelligence
Definition
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a computer or machine that has been created to "think" like a human.

Read more: http://www.alleydog.com/glossary/definition.php?term=Artificial%20Intelligence#ixzz2SRu8f4Ls
Term
Associationism
Definition
A theory that regards the simple association of ideas our sensations as primary basis of meaning thought or learning.
Term
Attachment
Definition
The strong bond a child forms with his or her primary caregiver.
Term
Attitude change, factors influencing
Definition
Term
Attitudes and behavior
Definition
Term
Attribution theory
Definition
The theory that argues people look for explanation of behavior, associating either dispositional (internal) attributes or situational (external) attributes.
Term
Avoidance learning
Definition
Term
Binocular depth cues
Definition
depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes.
Term
Central nervous system
Definition
The brain and the spinal cord.
Term
Cerebellum
Definition
Part of the brain associated with balance, smooth movement, and posture.
Term
Cerebral cortex
Definition
It is your brain's thinking crown, your body's ultimate control and information-processing center.
Term
Cerebral hemispheres
Definition
The two halves of the brain (right and left)
Term
Childhood, characteristics
Definition
Term
Classical Conditioning
Definition
The behavioral technique of pairing a naturally occurring stimulus and response chain with a different stimulus in order to produce a response which is not naturally occurring.
Term
Cognitive development
Definition
The theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent. For example, when our awareness of our attitudes and of our actions clash, we can reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitudes.
Term
Cognitive dissonnace theory
Definition
The realization of contradictions in one's own attitudes and behaviors.
Term
Conditioned stimulus
Definition
The stimulus in a stimulus-response chain that is not naturally occurring, but rather has been learned through its pairing with a naturally occurring chain.
Term
Conditioned reflex
Definition
Acquired response to a stimulus
Term
Conformity
Definition
Changing your attitudes, beliefs, thoughts, or behaviors in order to be more consistent with others.
Term
Consciousness
Definition
Awareness of yourself and the world around you.
Term
Contrast
Definition
Term
Control group
Definition
The group of subjects in an experiment that does not receive the independent variable.
Term
Correlation coefficitent
Definition
The statistic or number representing the degree to which two or more variables are related. Often abbreviated 'r.'
Term
Correlational method
Definition
a statistical method, most often used in clinical and other applied areas of psychology, to study the relationship which exists between one characteristic and another in an individual.
Term
Dendrite
Definition
Extensions of the cell body of a neuron responsible for receiving incoming neurotransmitters
Term
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
Definition
A complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes.
Term
Dependent Variable
Definition
The variable in an experiment that is measured; the outcome of an experiment.
Term
Depression
Definition
Severe despondency and dejection, accompanied by feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy
Term
Depth Perception
Definition
The ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance.
Term
Determinism
Definition
The doctrine that all events, including human action, are ultimately determined by causes external to the will.
Term
Developmental stages, theories of
Definition
Term
Distance cues
Definition
A sensory cue is a statistic or signal that can be extracted from the sensory input by a perceiver, that indicates the state of some property of the world that the perceiver is interested in perceiving. A distance cue would be the eyes vergence angle.
Term
Ego
Definition
In Psychoanalytical theory, the part of the personality which maintains a balance between our impulses (id) and our conscience (superego).
Term
Electroencephalograph
Definition
An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp.
Term
Empiricism
Definition
The theory that all knowledge is derived from sense-experience
Term
Etiology
Definition
Causal relationships of diseases; theories regarding how the specific disease or disorder began.
Term
Evolution and functionalism
Definition
Term
Experimental group
Definition
In research, the group of subjects who receive the independent variable.
Term
Extinction
Definition
The reduction and eventual disappearance of a learned or conditioned response after it is no longer paired with the unconditioned stimulus-response chain.
Term
Forgetting curve
Definition
This curve shows how information is lost over time when there is no attempt to retain it.
Term
Free association
Definition
In psychoanalysis, a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing.
Term
Free recall
Definition
Is a basic paradigm in the psychological study of memory. In this paradigm, participants study a list of items on each trial, and then are prompted to recall the items in any order.
Term
Frequency (audition)
Definition
The number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time (for example, per second).
Term
Gestalt Principles of Organization
Definition
a principle of Gestalt psychology that identifies factors leading to particular forms of perceptual organization
Term
Gestalt psychology
Definition
is a theory of mind and brain of the Berlin School; the operational principle of gestalt psychology is that the brain is holistic, parallel, and analog, with self-organizing tendencies
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