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AP Psychology Unit 1-7 Practice Exam with Answers (880 Solved Questions)

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    AP Psychology Unit 1-7 WITH BEST SOLUTIONS Psychology - the scientific study of behavior and mental processes nature-nurture issue - the longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors. Today's science sees traits and behaviors arising from the interaction of nature and nurture natural selection - the principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those contributing to reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations naturalistic observation - a descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation population - the whole group that you want to study and describe

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    random sample - A sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion correlation - A measure of the relationship between two variables correlation coefficient - A statistical index of the relationship between two things (from -1 to +1); closer to 1, the stronger the relationship is. scatterplot - A graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables. experiment - A research method in which an investigator manipulates one factor to observe the effect on another; the only way to determine causality random assignment - Assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups validity - the extent to which a test or experiment measures or predicts what it is supposed to do

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    hypothesis - A testable prediction, often implied by a theory operational definition - A statement of the procedures used to define research variables that is specific and allows research to be replicated replication - replicate the original study in attempt to yield similar results case study - An observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles. survey - A study, generally in the form of an interview or questionnaire, that provides researchers with information about how people think and act. double-blind study - An experiment in which neither the participant nor the researcher knows whether the participant has received the treatment or the placebo experimental group - A subject or group of subjects in an experiment that is exposed to the factor or condition being tested.

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    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 - (statistics) a variable whose values are independent of changes in the values of other variables confounding variable - A factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect in an experiment. dependent varibale - the outcome factor the cariable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variables --what you are measuring (ex. obesity rates) mode - Measure of central tendency that uses most frequently occurring score. mean - arithmetic average median - A measure of center in a set of numerical data. The median of a list of values is the value appearing at the center of a sorted version of the list - or the mean of the two central values if the list contains an even number of values.

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    range - Distance between highest and lowest scores in a set of data. standard deviation - A computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score. normal curve - the symmetrical bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes. Most scores fall near the average, and fewer and fewer scores lie near the extremes. statistical significance - A statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance, and not a causation of one variable to the other. (Do a T-Test and yield a p-value of less than 0.05) informed consent - A written agreement to participate in a study made by an adult who has been informed of all the risks that participation may entail. debriefing - A verbal description of the true nature and purpose of a study

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    sample - A part of the population you are studying. positive correlation - two variable rise and fall together, such as height and weight negative correlation - variables are related inversely, one goes up and the other goes down, such as inner speech and psychological distress 1 standard deviation - 68% skewed disribution - a representation of scores that lack symmetry around their average value positive skew - high outlier negative skew - low outlier measures of variability - depict diversity of the distribution (range, standard deviation) ethics in research - informed consent protection from harm/discomfort maintain confidentiality

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    debriefing Wilhelm Wundt - father of psychology, structuralism Psychoanalysis - School of thought that stresses early childhood experiences and the unconscious drives Sigmund Freud - founder of psychoanalysis Behaviorism - The theory that psychology should only study observable behaviors, not mental processes. John B. Watson - founder of behaviorism biopsychological approach - an approach that views behavior as strongly influenced by physiological functions such as hormones and the activity of the nervous system evolutionary psychology - the study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection sociocultural perspective - A psychological approach that emphasizes social and cultural influences on behavior such as race, sex, and culture

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    Humanistic Perspective - stresses the human capacity for self-fulfillment and the importance of consciousness, self- awareness, and the capacity to make choices Behavioral/Learning Perspective - Personal experience and reinforcement guide individual development cognitive perspective - A psychological approach that emphasizes mental processes in perception, memory, language, problem solving, and other areas of behavior Histogram - a bar graph depicting a frequency distribution Placebo - a fake drug used in the testing of medication APA - American Psychological Association, a national association that sets ethical guidelines and provides resources and support in the field. AP Psychology Unit 2, Sensation and Perception Overview Neuron - A Specialized cell that transmits nerve impulses

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    Cell body - contains genetic information, maintains the neurons's structure, and provides energy to drive activities. dendrites - The branch-like extention of a neuron that recieves messages and conducts impulses toward the cell body axon - The extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to neurons,muscles, or glands. mylelin sheath - coats the axon and speeds up the process of neural impulse moving down the axon. glial cells (glia) - Cells in the nervous system that support, nourish and protect neurons. Action potential - the change in electric potential that propagates along the axon of a neuron during the transmission of a nerve impulse or the contraction of a muscle

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    resting potential (-70mv) - The difference in electric charge between the inside and outside of a neuron's cell membrane threshold (-55mV) - the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse refractory period - a period of inactivity after a neuron has fired all-or-none response - a neuron's reaction of either firing (with a full-strength response) or not firing. Synapse - the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron Neurotransmitters - Chemicals that transmit information from one neuron to another Acetylchlorine - enables muscle action, learning, and memory Malfunctions of Acetylcholine - With Alzheimer's disease, ACh- producing neurons deteriorate

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    Dopamine - influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion Malfunctions of Dopamine - Oversupply linked to schizophrenia. Undersupply linked to tremors and decreased mobility in Parkinson's disease Seratonin - Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal malfunctions of serotonin - under supply linked to depression. Some drugs that raise serotonin levels are used to treat depression Norepinephrine - helps control alertness and arousal Malfunctions of Norepinephrine - undersupply can depress mood GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) - a major inhibitory neurotransmitter Malfunctions of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) - undersupply linked to seizures, tremors, and insomnia

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    Glutamate - A major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory malfunctions of glutamate - oversupply can overstimulate brain, producing migraines or seizures (Which is why some people avoid MSG, monosodium) Endorphins - Neurotransmitters that influence the perception of pain or pleasure Malfunctions of Endorphins - oversupply with opiate drugs can suppress the body's natural endorphin supply Reuptake - a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron polarized - Electrical condition of the plasma membrane of a resting neuron Depolarized - a condition in which the inside of a cell membrane is more positively charged than the outside Repolarized - Once sodium ions have flooded the neuron, the sodium channels close. At this point, the potassium channels

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    open and the potassium ions rush out of the axon, and the electrical changes reverse again, so it is negative on the inside, and positive on the outside. Once the charges are restores, the section of the neuron is said to be repolarized. agonist - A chemical that mimics the action of a neurotransmitter. antagonist - Antagonists are drugs or substances which bind to receptor sites and block the binding of neurotransmitters, which reduces the effect of the neurotransmitter. nervous system - the network of nerve cells and fibers that transmits nerve impulses between parts of the body. central nervous system (CNS) - consists of the brain and spinal cord Peripheral nervous system (PNS) - the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body.

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    Nerves - bundled axons that form neural "cables" connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs sensory (afferent) neurons - neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord motor (efferent neurons) - neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands Interneurons - neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs Somatic nervous system - Division of the Parasympathetic Nervous System that controls the body's skeletal muscles. autonomic nervous system - the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms.

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    sympathetic nervous system - the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations parasympathetic nervous system - the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy reflex - A simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response. endocrine system - the body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream hormones - chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues adrenal glands - a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress.

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