AP PSYCHOLOGY EXAM REVIEW
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
psychology - Correct Answers -the scientific study of behavior and mental processes
behavior - Correct Answers -an observable action
monism - Correct Answers -seeing mind and body as different aspects of the same
thing
dualism - Correct Answers -seeing mind and body as two different things that interact
eclectic - Correct Answers -use of techniques and ideas from a variety of approaches
empiricism - Correct Answers -the view that knowledge should be acquired through
observation and often an experiment
science - Correct Answers -way of getting knowledge about the world based on
observation
theory - Correct Answers -a collection of interrelated ideas and facts put forward to
describe, explain, and predict behavior and mental processes
scientific method - Correct Answers -in psychology, the techniques used to discover
knowledge about human behavior and mental processes
hypothesis - Correct Answers -a tentative statement or idea expressing a causal
relationship between two events or variables that is to be evaluated in a research study
experiment - Correct Answers -a procedure in which a researcher systematically
manipulates and observes elements of a situation in order to test a hypothesis and
make a cause-and-effect statement
independent variable - Correct Answers -the variable in a controlled experiment that the
experimenter directly and purposefully manipulates to see how the other variables
under study will be affected
dependent variable - Correct Answers -the variable in a controlled experiment that is
expected to change due to the manipulation of the independent variable
,experimental group - Correct Answers -in an experiment, the group of participants to
whom a treatment is given
control group - Correct Answers -subjects and not exposed to a changing variable in an
experiment
variable - Correct Answers -a condition or characteristic of a situation or a person that is
subject to change (it varies) within or across situations or individuals
sample - Correct Answers -a group of participants who are assumed to be
representative of the population about which an inference is being made
random sample - Correct Answers -selection of a part of the population without reason;
participation is by chance
operational definition - Correct Answers -a definition of a variable in terms of the set of
methods or procedures used to measure or study that variable
participant - Correct Answers -an individual who takes part in an experiment and whose
behavior is observed as part of the data collection process
double-blind procedure - Correct Answers -technique in which neither the persons
involved for those conducting the experiment know in what group to participate is
involved
debriefing - Correct Answers -a procedure to inform participants about the true nature of
an experiment after its completion
ethics - Correct Answers -rules of proper and acceptable conduct that investigators use
to guide psychological research
ethnocentrism - Correct Answers -tendency to believe that one's own group is the
standard, the reference point by which other people and groups should be judged
case study - Correct Answers -a highly detailed description of a single individual or a
vent
ex post facto study - Correct Answers -describes differences between groups of
participants that differ naturally on a variable such as race or gender
naturalistic observation - Correct Answers -observing and recording behavior naturally
without trying to manipulate and control the situation
correlational research - Correct Answers -establish the relationship between two
variables
,survey research - Correct Answers -the measurement of public opinion through the use
of sampling and questioning
experimenter bias - Correct Answers -expectation of the person conducting an
experiment which may be affect the outcome
observer bias - Correct Answers -expectations of an observer which may distort an
authentic observation
response bias - Correct Answers -preconceived notions of a person answering [a
survey] which may alter the experiments purpose
informed consent - Correct Answers -the agreement of participants to take part in an
experiment and their acknowledgement that they understand the nature of their
participation in the research, and have been fully informed about the general nature of
the research, its goals, and methods
normal distribution - Correct Answers -approximate distribution of scores expected
when a sample is taken from a large population, drawn as a frequency polygon that
often takes the form of a bell-shaped curve, called the normal curve
placebo - Correct Answers -typically a pill that is used as a control in the experiment; a
sugar pill
pseudoscience - Correct Answers -an unscientific system which pretends to discover
psychological information that his means are unscientific or deliberately fraudulent
representative sample - Correct Answers -selection of a part of the population which
mirrors the current demographics
significant difference - Correct Answers -in an experiment, a difference that is unlikely to
have occurred because of chance alone and is inferred to be most likely due to the
systematic manipulations of variables by the researcher
self-fulfilling prophecy - Correct Answers -when a researcher's expectations
unknowingly create a situation that affects the results
statistics - Correct Answers -branch of mathematics that deals with collecting,
classifying, and analyzing data
descriptive statistics - Correct Answers -general set of procedures used to summarize,
condense, and describe sets of data
frequency distribution - Correct Answers -a chart or array of scores, usually arranged
from highest to lowest, showing the number of instances for each score
, frequency polygon - Correct Answers -graph of a frequency distribution that shows the
number of instances of obtained scores, usually with the data points connect by straight
lines
measure of central tendency - Correct Answers -a descriptive statistic that tells which
result or score best represents an entire set of scores
mean - Correct Answers -the arithmetic average of a set of scores
median - Correct Answers -the measure of central tendency that is the data point with
50% of the scores above it and 50% below it
mode - Correct Answers -the most frequently occurring score in a set of data
range - Correct Answers -the spread between the highest and the lowest scores in a
distribution
correlation coefficient - Correct Answers -a number that expresses the degree and
direction of the relationship between 2 variables, ranging from -1 to +1
inferential statistics - Correct Answers -procedures used to draw conclusions about
larger populations from small samples of data
normal distribution - Correct Answers -approximate distribution of scores expected
when a sample is taken from a large population, drawn as a frequency polygon that
often takes the form of a bell-shaped curve, called the normal curve
standard deviation - Correct Answers -a descriptive statistic that measures the
variability of data from the mean of the sample
variability - Correct Answers -the extent to which scores differ from one another
structuralism - Correct Answers -school of psychological thought that considered the
structure and elements of conscious experience to be the proper subject matter of
psychology
introspection - Correct Answers -a person's description and analysis of what he or she
is thinking and feeling or what he or she has just thought about
functionalism - Correct Answers -school of psychological thought that was concerned
with how and why the conscious mind works
psychoanalytic - Correct Answers -perspective developed by freud, which assumes that
psychological problems are the result of anxiety resulting from unresolved conflicts and
forces of which a person might be unaware
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
psychology - Correct Answers -the scientific study of behavior and mental processes
behavior - Correct Answers -an observable action
monism - Correct Answers -seeing mind and body as different aspects of the same
thing
dualism - Correct Answers -seeing mind and body as two different things that interact
eclectic - Correct Answers -use of techniques and ideas from a variety of approaches
empiricism - Correct Answers -the view that knowledge should be acquired through
observation and often an experiment
science - Correct Answers -way of getting knowledge about the world based on
observation
theory - Correct Answers -a collection of interrelated ideas and facts put forward to
describe, explain, and predict behavior and mental processes
scientific method - Correct Answers -in psychology, the techniques used to discover
knowledge about human behavior and mental processes
hypothesis - Correct Answers -a tentative statement or idea expressing a causal
relationship between two events or variables that is to be evaluated in a research study
experiment - Correct Answers -a procedure in which a researcher systematically
manipulates and observes elements of a situation in order to test a hypothesis and
make a cause-and-effect statement
independent variable - Correct Answers -the variable in a controlled experiment that the
experimenter directly and purposefully manipulates to see how the other variables
under study will be affected
dependent variable - Correct Answers -the variable in a controlled experiment that is
expected to change due to the manipulation of the independent variable
,experimental group - Correct Answers -in an experiment, the group of participants to
whom a treatment is given
control group - Correct Answers -subjects and not exposed to a changing variable in an
experiment
variable - Correct Answers -a condition or characteristic of a situation or a person that is
subject to change (it varies) within or across situations or individuals
sample - Correct Answers -a group of participants who are assumed to be
representative of the population about which an inference is being made
random sample - Correct Answers -selection of a part of the population without reason;
participation is by chance
operational definition - Correct Answers -a definition of a variable in terms of the set of
methods or procedures used to measure or study that variable
participant - Correct Answers -an individual who takes part in an experiment and whose
behavior is observed as part of the data collection process
double-blind procedure - Correct Answers -technique in which neither the persons
involved for those conducting the experiment know in what group to participate is
involved
debriefing - Correct Answers -a procedure to inform participants about the true nature of
an experiment after its completion
ethics - Correct Answers -rules of proper and acceptable conduct that investigators use
to guide psychological research
ethnocentrism - Correct Answers -tendency to believe that one's own group is the
standard, the reference point by which other people and groups should be judged
case study - Correct Answers -a highly detailed description of a single individual or a
vent
ex post facto study - Correct Answers -describes differences between groups of
participants that differ naturally on a variable such as race or gender
naturalistic observation - Correct Answers -observing and recording behavior naturally
without trying to manipulate and control the situation
correlational research - Correct Answers -establish the relationship between two
variables
,survey research - Correct Answers -the measurement of public opinion through the use
of sampling and questioning
experimenter bias - Correct Answers -expectation of the person conducting an
experiment which may be affect the outcome
observer bias - Correct Answers -expectations of an observer which may distort an
authentic observation
response bias - Correct Answers -preconceived notions of a person answering [a
survey] which may alter the experiments purpose
informed consent - Correct Answers -the agreement of participants to take part in an
experiment and their acknowledgement that they understand the nature of their
participation in the research, and have been fully informed about the general nature of
the research, its goals, and methods
normal distribution - Correct Answers -approximate distribution of scores expected
when a sample is taken from a large population, drawn as a frequency polygon that
often takes the form of a bell-shaped curve, called the normal curve
placebo - Correct Answers -typically a pill that is used as a control in the experiment; a
sugar pill
pseudoscience - Correct Answers -an unscientific system which pretends to discover
psychological information that his means are unscientific or deliberately fraudulent
representative sample - Correct Answers -selection of a part of the population which
mirrors the current demographics
significant difference - Correct Answers -in an experiment, a difference that is unlikely to
have occurred because of chance alone and is inferred to be most likely due to the
systematic manipulations of variables by the researcher
self-fulfilling prophecy - Correct Answers -when a researcher's expectations
unknowingly create a situation that affects the results
statistics - Correct Answers -branch of mathematics that deals with collecting,
classifying, and analyzing data
descriptive statistics - Correct Answers -general set of procedures used to summarize,
condense, and describe sets of data
frequency distribution - Correct Answers -a chart or array of scores, usually arranged
from highest to lowest, showing the number of instances for each score
, frequency polygon - Correct Answers -graph of a frequency distribution that shows the
number of instances of obtained scores, usually with the data points connect by straight
lines
measure of central tendency - Correct Answers -a descriptive statistic that tells which
result or score best represents an entire set of scores
mean - Correct Answers -the arithmetic average of a set of scores
median - Correct Answers -the measure of central tendency that is the data point with
50% of the scores above it and 50% below it
mode - Correct Answers -the most frequently occurring score in a set of data
range - Correct Answers -the spread between the highest and the lowest scores in a
distribution
correlation coefficient - Correct Answers -a number that expresses the degree and
direction of the relationship between 2 variables, ranging from -1 to +1
inferential statistics - Correct Answers -procedures used to draw conclusions about
larger populations from small samples of data
normal distribution - Correct Answers -approximate distribution of scores expected
when a sample is taken from a large population, drawn as a frequency polygon that
often takes the form of a bell-shaped curve, called the normal curve
standard deviation - Correct Answers -a descriptive statistic that measures the
variability of data from the mean of the sample
variability - Correct Answers -the extent to which scores differ from one another
structuralism - Correct Answers -school of psychological thought that considered the
structure and elements of conscious experience to be the proper subject matter of
psychology
introspection - Correct Answers -a person's description and analysis of what he or she
is thinking and feeling or what he or she has just thought about
functionalism - Correct Answers -school of psychological thought that was concerned
with how and why the conscious mind works
psychoanalytic - Correct Answers -perspective developed by freud, which assumes that
psychological problems are the result of anxiety resulting from unresolved conflicts and
forces of which a person might be unaware
