AP Psych Review

• The multiple choice section has 100 questions in 70 minutes
• Methods


  How we study - case study, survey, naturalistic observation, correlation, experimentation
• Ethics


  Should we study - informed consent, deception, debriefing, protection from harm, confidentiality
• Operational definition


  A specific, measurable way of defining a variable
• Operational definitions are important for replication and generalizability of research
• Measures of central tendency


  Mean, median, mode - show one number for a whole data set
• Measures of variation


  Range, standard deviation - show how different the data is
• The normal distribution has a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15 for IQ scores
• Skewed distribution


  When the data is not symmetrical, the median is a better measure of central tendency than the mean
• Neuron


  Structure and functions including resting potential, action potential, myelin sheath
• Types of neurons


  Sensory (afferent), motor (efferent), interneurons
• Neurotransmitter release


  Presynaptic neuron releases neurotransmitters into the synapse, which bind to receptor sites on the postsynaptic neuron
• Agonists


  Drugs that enhance the effects of neurotransmitters by binding to receptor sites
• Reuptake blockers


  Drugs that block the reuptake of neurotransmitters, increasing their effects
• Synapse


  The space between the axon terminals of a neuron and the receptor sites on the dendrite of the next neuron
• Receptor sites


  The teal-ish pieces sticking out from the dendrite of the postsynaptic neuron that the neurotransmitters will activate
• Agonist


  A drug that enhances the effects of neurotransmitters by binding to the receptor site along with the neurotransmitter
• Agonist


  A drug that blocks reuptake, leaving neurotransmitters in the synapse longer so they can bind to receptor sites repeatedly
• Antagonist


  A drug that inhibits or reduces the effects of neurotransmitters by blocking the receptor sites
• Parts of the nervous system

  • Central (brain and spinal cord)
  • Peripheral (outside the body)
• Parts of the peripheral nervous system

  • Autonomic (involuntary)
  • Somatic (voluntary)
• Sympathetic nervous system


  Activated in fight-or-flight situations, increases arousal
• Parasympathetic nervous system


  Activated in rest-and-digest situations, promotes homeostasis
• Major endocrine glands


  • Pituitary
  • Pineal
  • Ovaries
  • Testes
• Limbic system


  The brain's reward and pleasure center
• Thalamus


  Relays sensory information to the appropriate parts of the brain
• Hypothalamus


  Regulates hunger, body temperature, reproduction, and the fight-or-flight response
• Amygdala


  Processes emotions, especially fear
• Hippocampus


  Involved in the formation of new memories
• Lobes of the brain

  • Frontal (higher order functioning)
  • Occipital (vision)
  • Parietal (touch)
  • Temporal (hearing)
• Transduction


  The process of converting one form of energy (e.g. light, sound) into a neural impulse
• Absolute threshold


  The minimum amount of a stimulus needed to detect it
• Difference threshold


  The minimum amount of change in a stimulus that can be detected
• Fovea


  The area of the retina with the highest concentration of cones, responsible for sharp central vision
• Cones


  Photoreceptors in the retina responsible for color vision and high visual acuity
• Rods


  Photoreceptors in the retina responsible for black and white vision and peripheral vision
• Trichromatic theory


  The theory that we have three types of cones (red, green, blue) that allow us to perceive color
• Opponent process theory


  The theory that we perceive color by comparing opposing pairs (red-green, blue-yellow)
• Parts of the ear

  • External (sound waves)
  • Middle (vibrations)
  • Inner (neural impulses)
• Ossicles


  The three small bones in the middle ear (hammer, anvil, stirrup) that transmit vibrations