AP
Psychology_Comprehensi
ve Exam Review
2025-2026
Final Exam Questions with
Verified Answers | Grade A+ |
New Version
,psychology the scientific study of behavior and mental processes
critical thinking Question, analyze, interpret, evaluate, and make judgment on information you
receive
hindsight bias the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it
confirmation bias a tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore
or distort contradictory evidence
overconfidence Tendency to overestimate our ability to make correct predictions
peer reviews The evaluation of scientific, academic, or professional work by others in the same
field to ensure its quality and validity before publication or presentation.
Hypothesis A testable prediction, often implied by a theory
falsifiable hypothesis tested to see if it can be proven wrong based on scientific observation
and investigation
operational definition a statement of the procedures used to define research variables (how are the
variables measured)
replication repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in
different situations, to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants
and circumstances
case study a descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the
hope of revealing universal principles
meta-analysis a procedure for statistically combining the results of many different research studies
naturalistic observation observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to
manipulate and control the situation
survey a descriptive technique for obtaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a
particular group
social desirability bias A tendency to give socially approved answers to questions about oneself.
,self-report bias Inaccuracies or distortions in responses to surveys or questionnaires due to factors
such as social desirability, memory recall, or misunderstanding of questions.
experimenter bias a phenomenon that occurs when a researcher's expectations or preferences about
the outcome of a study influence the results obtained
population the group from which your participants were drawn from
sample a subset of the population
sampling bias exists when a sample is not representative of the population from which it was
drawn
random sample a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal
chance of inclusion
convenience sampling using a sample of people who are readily available to participate
representative sample a sample that accurately reflects the characteristics of the population as a whole
experimental methodology Aim to determine cause and effect relationships by manipulating, and controlling for,
certain factors/variables
non-experimental methodology Is research that lacks the manipulation of an independent variable, random
assignment of participants to conditions or orders of conditions, or both
correlation Expresses the relationship between two variables. NO cause and effect!
correlational coefficient a number between -1 and +1 expressing the degree of relationship between two
variables
directionality problem a problem encountered in correlational studies; the researchers find a relationship
between two variables, but they cannot determine which variable may have caused
changes in the other variable
scatterplot a graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables
third variable problem the concept that a correlation between two variables may stem from both being
influenced by some third variable
, regression toward the mean tendency for extremely high or low scores (outliers) to move closer to the mean with
retesting over time
experiment A research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to
observe the effect on some behavior or mental process; to show cause the effect
experimental group In an experiment, the group that is exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version
of the independent variable.
control group In an experiment, the group that is not exposed to the treatment; contrasts with the
experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the
treatment.
independent variable The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being
studied.
dependent variable The outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of
the independent variable.
random assignment assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus
minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups
single-blind procedure research design in which participants don't know whether they are in the
experimental or control group
double-blind procedure an experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research
staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the research participants have received the
treatment or a placebo. Commonly used in drug-evaluation studies.
placebo A harmless pill, medicine, or procedure prescribed more for the psychological
benefit to the patient than for any physiological effect.
placebo effect a measurable or observable improvement in health or behavior that occurs after a
"dummy" treatment or inert substance, driven by the patient's belief in the
treatment's effectiveness rather than its active ingredients
confounding variable a factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect in an
experiment
validity the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to
reliability the extent to which a test yields consistent results, as assessed by the consistency
of scores on two halves of the test, on alternate forms of the test, or on retesting
quantitative research research that collects and reports data primarily in numerical form
Psychology_Comprehensi
ve Exam Review
2025-2026
Final Exam Questions with
Verified Answers | Grade A+ |
New Version
,psychology the scientific study of behavior and mental processes
critical thinking Question, analyze, interpret, evaluate, and make judgment on information you
receive
hindsight bias the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it
confirmation bias a tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore
or distort contradictory evidence
overconfidence Tendency to overestimate our ability to make correct predictions
peer reviews The evaluation of scientific, academic, or professional work by others in the same
field to ensure its quality and validity before publication or presentation.
Hypothesis A testable prediction, often implied by a theory
falsifiable hypothesis tested to see if it can be proven wrong based on scientific observation
and investigation
operational definition a statement of the procedures used to define research variables (how are the
variables measured)
replication repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in
different situations, to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants
and circumstances
case study a descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the
hope of revealing universal principles
meta-analysis a procedure for statistically combining the results of many different research studies
naturalistic observation observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to
manipulate and control the situation
survey a descriptive technique for obtaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a
particular group
social desirability bias A tendency to give socially approved answers to questions about oneself.
,self-report bias Inaccuracies or distortions in responses to surveys or questionnaires due to factors
such as social desirability, memory recall, or misunderstanding of questions.
experimenter bias a phenomenon that occurs when a researcher's expectations or preferences about
the outcome of a study influence the results obtained
population the group from which your participants were drawn from
sample a subset of the population
sampling bias exists when a sample is not representative of the population from which it was
drawn
random sample a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal
chance of inclusion
convenience sampling using a sample of people who are readily available to participate
representative sample a sample that accurately reflects the characteristics of the population as a whole
experimental methodology Aim to determine cause and effect relationships by manipulating, and controlling for,
certain factors/variables
non-experimental methodology Is research that lacks the manipulation of an independent variable, random
assignment of participants to conditions or orders of conditions, or both
correlation Expresses the relationship between two variables. NO cause and effect!
correlational coefficient a number between -1 and +1 expressing the degree of relationship between two
variables
directionality problem a problem encountered in correlational studies; the researchers find a relationship
between two variables, but they cannot determine which variable may have caused
changes in the other variable
scatterplot a graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables
third variable problem the concept that a correlation between two variables may stem from both being
influenced by some third variable
, regression toward the mean tendency for extremely high or low scores (outliers) to move closer to the mean with
retesting over time
experiment A research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to
observe the effect on some behavior or mental process; to show cause the effect
experimental group In an experiment, the group that is exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version
of the independent variable.
control group In an experiment, the group that is not exposed to the treatment; contrasts with the
experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the
treatment.
independent variable The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being
studied.
dependent variable The outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of
the independent variable.
random assignment assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus
minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups
single-blind procedure research design in which participants don't know whether they are in the
experimental or control group
double-blind procedure an experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research
staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the research participants have received the
treatment or a placebo. Commonly used in drug-evaluation studies.
placebo A harmless pill, medicine, or procedure prescribed more for the psychological
benefit to the patient than for any physiological effect.
placebo effect a measurable or observable improvement in health or behavior that occurs after a
"dummy" treatment or inert substance, driven by the patient's belief in the
treatment's effectiveness rather than its active ingredients
confounding variable a factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect in an
experiment
validity the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to
reliability the extent to which a test yields consistent results, as assessed by the consistency
of scores on two halves of the test, on alternate forms of the test, or on retesting
quantitative research research that collects and reports data primarily in numerical form
