MYERS PSYCHOLOGY FOR
AP - EXAM
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,MYERS PSYCHOLOGY FOR AP - EXAM
(PET) Positron emission tomography scan - answer-A visual display of brain activity that
detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task.
absolute refractory period - answer-The minimum length of time after an action potential
during which another action potential cannot begin.
absolute threshold - answer-minimal amount of energy required to produce any sensation,
50 percent of the time
accommodation - answer-in the theories of Jean Piaget: the modification of internal
representations in order to accommodate a changing knowledge of reality
accommodation - answer-Process by which the eye lens changes shape to focus near or far
objects on the retina
achievement test - answer-a test designed to assess what a person has learned.
acoustic encoding - answer-encoding of sound, especially the sound of words
acquisition - answer-in classical conditioning, the initial stage, when one links a neutral
stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus begins triggering the
conditioned response. In operant conditioning, the strengthening of a reinforced response
action potential - answer-A brief change in a neuron's electrical charge.
activation-synthesis theory - answer-theory that dreams reflect inputs from brain activation
originating in the pons, which the forebrain then attempts to weave into a story
active listening - answer-echoing, restating, and seeking clarification of what the person
expresses and acknowledging the expressed feelings
adaptation-level phenomenon - answer-our tendency to form judgments (of sounds, of lights,
of income) relative to a neutral level definite by our prior experience.
addiction - answer-compulsive drug craving and use, despite adverse consequences
adolescence - answer-the time period between the beginning of puberty and adulthood
adrenal glands - answer-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.
aggression - answer-any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy.
aggression - answer-violent action that is hostile and usually unprovoked
agonist - answer-A chemical that mimics the action of a neurotransmitter.
agoraphobia - answer-an anxiety disorder involving strong fear of being alone or away from
the security of home
Albert Bandura - answer-researcher famous for work in observational or social learning
including the famous Bobo doll experiment
,Albert Bandura - answer-social-congnitive; personality comes from observing others and
modeling ourselves after them.
Alfred Adler - answer-inferiority complex, overcomeing childhood feelings of inferiority
Alfred Binet - answer-the indvidual that published the first measure of intelligence in 1905.
The purpose of his intelligence test was to correctly place students on academic tracks in the
French school system.
algorithm - answer-a precise rule (or set of rules) specifying how to solve some problem
alpha waves - answer-the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state
altruism - answer-unselfish regard for the welfare of others.
alzheimers disease - answer-an irreversible, progressive brain disorder, characterized by the
deterioration of memory, language, and eventually, physical functioning
amnesia - answer-loss of memory
Amos Tversky - answer-A key figure in the discovery of systematic human cognitive bias
amphetamines - answer-drugs that stimulate neural activity, causing sped-up body functions
and associated energy and mood changes
amygdala - answer-neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked
to emotion. (fear & aggression)
anal stage - answer-Psychosexual stage (18-36m) Pleasure focuses on bowel and bladder
elimination; coping with demands for control
anorexia nervosa - answer-an eating disorder in which a normal-weight person (usually an
adolescent female) diets and becomes significantly (15 percent or more) underweight, yet,
still feeling fat, continues to starve.
antagonist - answer-A chemical that opposes the action of a neurotransmitter.
antianxiety drugs - answer-drugs that depress central nervous system activity; reduce
symptoms without resolving underlying problems
antidepressant drugs - answer-drugs that increase the availability of neurotransmitters
norepinephrine or serotonin, which elevate arousal and mood and appear scarce during
depression
antipsychotic drugs - answer-certain drugs, used for other medical purposes, calmed
psychotic patients
antisocial personality disorder - answer-a personality disorder characterized by shameless
disregard for, and violation of, other people's rights
anxiety disorder - answer-a condition in which intense feelings of apprehension are long-
standing and disruptive
, aphasia - answer-impairment of language, usually caused by Left Hemisphere damage to
Brocas area or Wernickes.
applied research - answer-scientific study that aims to solve practical problems
aptitude test - answer-a test designed to predict a person's future performance; aptitude is
the capacity to learn.
archetypes - answer-ideas and images of the accumulated experience of all human beings
assimilation - answer-the process of assimilating new ideas into an existing cognitive
structure
association areas - answer-Areas of the cerebral cortex that are not invoved in primary
motor or sensory funtions; they are involved in higher mental funtions such as learning,
remebering, thinking and speaking.
associative learning - answer-learning that certain events occur together. The events may be
two stimuli (as in classical conditioning) or a response and its consequences (as in operant
conditioning
attachment - answer-The strong bond (social-emotional) a child forms with his or her primary
caregiver.
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) - answer-patients diagnosed with this disorder
are impulsive and unable to concentrate on an activity as well as other children their age can
attitude - answer-feelings often based on our beliefs, which predispose us to respond in a
particular way to objects, people, and events.
attribution theory - answer-suggests how we explain someone's behavior—by crediting
either the situation or the person's disposition.
audtition - answer-The sense of hearing.
Autism - answer-a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by deficient
communication, social interaction, and understanding of others' states of mind
automatic processing - answer-unconscious encoding of incidental information, such as
space, time, and frequence
autonomic nervous system (ANS) - answer-The system of nerves that connect to the heart,
blood vessels, smooth muscles, and glands.
availability heuristic - answer-estimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in
memory; if instances come readily to mind, we presume such events are common
aversion theory - answer-Aversion therapy is a form of behavior therapy in which an aversive
(causing a strong feeling of dislike or disgust) stimulus is paired with an undesirable behavior
in order to reduce or eliminate that behavior.
aversive conditioning - answer-tries to replace a positive response to a harmful stimulus with
negative response; opposite of systematic desensitization
