AP PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS A+ GRADED
ablation - - removal or destruction of brain tissue in a surgical procedure
-absolute threshold - - intensity level at which one can detect a stimulus 50% of the time
-accommodation - - the process of modifying a schema to account for new information; the process of
the eyes lens changing shape in order to focus on distant or near objects
-acetylcholine (ACh) - - a neurotransmitter involved in learning, memory and muscle movement
-need for achievement - - desire for accomplishment, mastery of people, ideas, things, desire for
reaching a high standard
-achievement test - - a test that assesses what one has learned
-acquisition - - a process in classical conditioning by which the association of a neutral stimulus with a
natural stimulus is first established
-action potential - - the electrical process by which information is transmitted the length of an axon
-activation synthesis - - the idea that dreams are the result of the cerebral cortex interpreting and
organizing random flashes of brain activity, originating in the lower brain structures, especially the pons
-adrenal gland - - source of the hormone norepinephrine which affects arousal
-affective disorders - - psychological disturbances of mood
-need for affiliation - - desire to associate with others, to be part of a group, to form close and intimate
relationships
-after image - - an image that remains after a stimulus is removed, especially one in which the colors are
reversed
-agonists - - drugs which mimic the activity of neurotransmitters
-alcohol - - the most frequently used and abused CNS depressant in most cultures; its use affects mood,
judgment, cognition
-all-or-nothing - - description of the action of neurons when firing
-alpha waves - - seen when an individual is in a relaxed, unfocused, yet still awake state
-amygdala - - limbic system component associated with emotion, particularly fear and anger
-anal stage - - Freud's pychosexual period during which a child learns to control his bodily excretions
,-anorexia (nervosa) - - an eating disorder in which one starves oneself even though significantly
underweight
-antagonist - - drug which blocks the activity of neurotransmitters
-anterograde amnesia - - loss of memory for events that occur after the onset of the amnesia; eg, see in
a boxer who suffers a severe blow to the head and loses memory for events after the blow
-retrograde amnesia - - loss of memory for events that occurred before the onset of amnesia; eg a
soldier's forgetting events immediately before a shell burst nearby, injuring him
-antisocial personality disorder - - psychological disorder in which one demonstrates a lack of
conscience
-anvil - - the middle of the three ossicles
-aphasia - - impairment of language usually caused by damage to the left hemisphere
-arousal - - condition in which the sympathetic nervous system is in control
-artificial intelligence - - a subdiscipline of computer science that attempts to simulate human thinking
-assimilation - - interpreting new experiences in terms of existing schema
-association areas - - areas of the cerebral cortex which have no specific motor or sensory
repsonsibilities, but rather are involved in thinking, memory and judgment
-associative learning - - learning in which an organism learns that certain events occur together, such as
my cat knowing that she will be fed when I get home from work
-attachment - - theory developed by Harlow; types include secure and insecure
-attitude - - a relatively enduring evaluation of a person or thing; Asch demonstrated that this doesn't
always match one's behavior
-attraction - - feeling of being drawn toward another and desiring the company of a person
-attribution theory - - a way of explaining others' behavior by either one's disposition or one's situation
-auditory canal - - the area that sound waves pass through to reach the eardrum
-authoritarian - - style of parenting in which the parent creates strict rules for the child and the child has
little or no input into determining the rules
-autonomic nervous system - - division of the nervous system that control the glands and organs; its
divisions arouse or calm
, -autonomy vs. shame and doubt - - Erikson's stage in which a toddler learns to exercise will and to do
things independently; failure to do so causes shame and doubt
-availability heuristic - - this cognitive shortcut features the idea that events which are vividly in memory
seem to be more common
-axon - - extension of the neuron which carries, via an action potential, information that will be sent on
to other neurons, muscles or glands
-babbling - - stage of language development at about 4 months when an infant spontaneously utters
nonsense sounds
-basic research - - scientific investigations intended to expand the knowledge base
-applied research - - scientific investigations intended to solve practical problems
-behavioral - - perspective on psychology that sees psychology as an objective science without
reference to mental states
-belief perseverance - - situation in which one's beliefs continue despite the fact that the ground for the
beliefs have been discredited
-big 5 personality factors - - openness to new experience, conscientiousness, extraversion,
agreeableness, neuroticism
-binocular cues - - retinal disparity and convergence which enable people to determine depth using
both eyes
-biological - - perspective that stresses links between biology and behavior
-bipolar cells - - eye neurons that receive information from the retinal cells and distribute information to
the ganglion cells
-bipolar disorder - - mood disorder in one experiences both manic and depressed episodes
-blind spot - - point in the retinal where the optic nerve leaves the retina so there are no rods or cones
there
-bottom-up processing - - analysis that begins with sensory receptors and works its way up to the
brain's integration of sensory information
-hemispheres - - we have two, right and left, and some brain functions seem to centered in one or the
other
-brainstem - - oldest part of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells upon entering the skull;
controls fundamental survival processes like heartrate and breathing
-bulimia - - eating disorder characterized by excessive eating followed by purging
ablation - - removal or destruction of brain tissue in a surgical procedure
-absolute threshold - - intensity level at which one can detect a stimulus 50% of the time
-accommodation - - the process of modifying a schema to account for new information; the process of
the eyes lens changing shape in order to focus on distant or near objects
-acetylcholine (ACh) - - a neurotransmitter involved in learning, memory and muscle movement
-need for achievement - - desire for accomplishment, mastery of people, ideas, things, desire for
reaching a high standard
-achievement test - - a test that assesses what one has learned
-acquisition - - a process in classical conditioning by which the association of a neutral stimulus with a
natural stimulus is first established
-action potential - - the electrical process by which information is transmitted the length of an axon
-activation synthesis - - the idea that dreams are the result of the cerebral cortex interpreting and
organizing random flashes of brain activity, originating in the lower brain structures, especially the pons
-adrenal gland - - source of the hormone norepinephrine which affects arousal
-affective disorders - - psychological disturbances of mood
-need for affiliation - - desire to associate with others, to be part of a group, to form close and intimate
relationships
-after image - - an image that remains after a stimulus is removed, especially one in which the colors are
reversed
-agonists - - drugs which mimic the activity of neurotransmitters
-alcohol - - the most frequently used and abused CNS depressant in most cultures; its use affects mood,
judgment, cognition
-all-or-nothing - - description of the action of neurons when firing
-alpha waves - - seen when an individual is in a relaxed, unfocused, yet still awake state
-amygdala - - limbic system component associated with emotion, particularly fear and anger
-anal stage - - Freud's pychosexual period during which a child learns to control his bodily excretions
,-anorexia (nervosa) - - an eating disorder in which one starves oneself even though significantly
underweight
-antagonist - - drug which blocks the activity of neurotransmitters
-anterograde amnesia - - loss of memory for events that occur after the onset of the amnesia; eg, see in
a boxer who suffers a severe blow to the head and loses memory for events after the blow
-retrograde amnesia - - loss of memory for events that occurred before the onset of amnesia; eg a
soldier's forgetting events immediately before a shell burst nearby, injuring him
-antisocial personality disorder - - psychological disorder in which one demonstrates a lack of
conscience
-anvil - - the middle of the three ossicles
-aphasia - - impairment of language usually caused by damage to the left hemisphere
-arousal - - condition in which the sympathetic nervous system is in control
-artificial intelligence - - a subdiscipline of computer science that attempts to simulate human thinking
-assimilation - - interpreting new experiences in terms of existing schema
-association areas - - areas of the cerebral cortex which have no specific motor or sensory
repsonsibilities, but rather are involved in thinking, memory and judgment
-associative learning - - learning in which an organism learns that certain events occur together, such as
my cat knowing that she will be fed when I get home from work
-attachment - - theory developed by Harlow; types include secure and insecure
-attitude - - a relatively enduring evaluation of a person or thing; Asch demonstrated that this doesn't
always match one's behavior
-attraction - - feeling of being drawn toward another and desiring the company of a person
-attribution theory - - a way of explaining others' behavior by either one's disposition or one's situation
-auditory canal - - the area that sound waves pass through to reach the eardrum
-authoritarian - - style of parenting in which the parent creates strict rules for the child and the child has
little or no input into determining the rules
-autonomic nervous system - - division of the nervous system that control the glands and organs; its
divisions arouse or calm
, -autonomy vs. shame and doubt - - Erikson's stage in which a toddler learns to exercise will and to do
things independently; failure to do so causes shame and doubt
-availability heuristic - - this cognitive shortcut features the idea that events which are vividly in memory
seem to be more common
-axon - - extension of the neuron which carries, via an action potential, information that will be sent on
to other neurons, muscles or glands
-babbling - - stage of language development at about 4 months when an infant spontaneously utters
nonsense sounds
-basic research - - scientific investigations intended to expand the knowledge base
-applied research - - scientific investigations intended to solve practical problems
-behavioral - - perspective on psychology that sees psychology as an objective science without
reference to mental states
-belief perseverance - - situation in which one's beliefs continue despite the fact that the ground for the
beliefs have been discredited
-big 5 personality factors - - openness to new experience, conscientiousness, extraversion,
agreeableness, neuroticism
-binocular cues - - retinal disparity and convergence which enable people to determine depth using
both eyes
-biological - - perspective that stresses links between biology and behavior
-bipolar cells - - eye neurons that receive information from the retinal cells and distribute information to
the ganglion cells
-bipolar disorder - - mood disorder in one experiences both manic and depressed episodes
-blind spot - - point in the retinal where the optic nerve leaves the retina so there are no rods or cones
there
-bottom-up processing - - analysis that begins with sensory receptors and works its way up to the
brain's integration of sensory information
-hemispheres - - we have two, right and left, and some brain functions seem to centered in one or the
other
-brainstem - - oldest part of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells upon entering the skull;
controls fundamental survival processes like heartrate and breathing
-bulimia - - eating disorder characterized by excessive eating followed by purging
