The Ultimate Vocabulary Handbook of Ap Psychology: 20/23 High School Edition

By Anisha Mitelan

A comprehensive supplement to help ace the 2023 AP Psychology Exam.
The handbook is a collection of the most common terms, ideas, and vocabulary on the AP Psychology exam.
It was written by a high school student to master the psychology vocabulary tested most frequently on the AP exam. It is a great supplement to your preparation for your AP Psychology exam.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Publishdrive
• Release date: Sep 10, 2022
• ISBN: 9798351748771

Book preview

THE ULTIMATE

VOCABULARY HANDBOOK OF AP* Psychology

2022/2023 High School Edition

ANISHA MITELAN

*AP® and Advanced Placement® are registered trademarks of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.

Copyright © 2022 by Anisha Mitelan

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book.

First edition

This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy.

Find out more at reedsy.com

To my mom and dad.

Table of Contents

Preface

A

Anton Mesmer

Applied Research

Absolute Threshold

Accommodation

Achievement tests

Acoustic Encoding

Acquisition

Action Potential

Active Listening

Adaptation-Level Phenomenon

Addiction

Adolescence

Adrenal Glands

Aggression

Algorithm

Alpha Waves

Altruism

Amnesia

Amphetamines

Amygdala

Anorexia Nervosa

Antianxiety Drugs

Antidepressant Drugs

Antispsychotic Drugs

Antisocial Personality Disorder

Anxiety Disorders

Aphasia

Aptitude Tests

Assimilation

Association Areas

Associative Learning

Attachment

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Attitude

Attribution theory

Audition

Autism

Automatic Processing

Autonomic Nervous System

Availability Heuristic

Aversive Conditioning

Axon

B

Babbling Stage

Barbiturates

Basal metabolic rate

Basic Research

Basic Trust

Behavior Genetics

Behavior Therapy

Behavioral Medicine

Behavior and mental process

Behavioral Psychology

Behaviorism

Belief Perseverance

Binge-eating disorder

Binocular Cues

Biofeedback

Biological Influences

Biological Psychology

Biomedical Therapy

Biopsychological Approach

Bipolar Disorder

Blind spot

Bottom-Up Processing

Brainstem

Broca’S Area

Bulimia Nervosa

Bystander Effect

C

Cannon-Bard Theory

Case Study

Catharsis

Central Lateral Thalamus

Central Nervous System

Central Route of Persuasion

Cerebellum

Cerebral Cortex

Change Blindness

Chromosomes

Chunking

Circadian Rhythm

Clairvoyance

Classical Conditioning

Client centered therapy

Clinical Psychology

Cochela

Cochlear Implant

Cognition

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Cognitive Map

Cognitive Neuroscience

Cognitive Psychology

Cognitive Therapy

Collective Unconscious

Collectivism

Color Constancy

Companionate Love

Concept

Concrete Operational Stage

Conditioned Reinforcer

Conditioned Response

Conditioned Stimulus

Conduction Hearing Loss

Cones

Confirmation Bias

Conflict

Conformity

Confounding Variable

Consciousness

Conservation

Content Validity

Continuous Reinforcement

Continuum of Consciousness

Control Group

Conversion Disorder

Coronary Heart Disease

Corpus Callosum

Correlation

Correlation Coefficient

Counseling Psychology

Counterconditioning

Creativity

Critical Period

Critical Thinking

Cross-Sectional Study

Crystallized Intelligence

CT (computed tomography) scan

Culture

D

Debriefing

Defense Mechanisms

Deindividuation

Deja vu

Delta Waves

Delusions

Dendrite

Denial

Dependent Variable

Depressants

Depth Perception

Developmental Psychology

Difference Threshold

Discrimination

Discriminative Stimulus

Displacement

Dissociation

Dissociative Disorders

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

DNA

Donald Meichenbaum

Double-Blind Procedure

Down Syndrome

Dream

Drive-Reduction Theory

Dsm-Iv-Tr

Dual Processing

Dualism

E

Echoic Memory

Eclectic Approach

Ecstacy (Mdma)

Educational Psychology

Effortful Processing

Ego

Egocentrism

Electroconvulsive Therapy

Electroencephalogram

Embodied Perception

Embryo

Emerging Adulthood

Emotion

Emotional Intelligence

Empirically Derived Test

Empiricism

Encoding

Endocrine System

Endorphins

Environment

Equity

Estrogens

Evidence Based Practice

Evolutionary Psychology

Exhibitory

Experimental Group

Experimenter Bias

Experimental Psychology

Explicit Memory

Exposure Therapies

External Locus of Control

Extinction

Extrasensory Perception

Extrinsic Motivation

F

Facial Feedback

Factor Analysis

Family Therapy

Feature Detectors

Feel-Good, Do-Good Phenomenon

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Fetus

Figure Ground

Fixation

Fixed-Interval Schedule

Fixed-Ratio Schedule

Flashbulb Memory

Fluid Intelligence

FMRI

Foot in the Door Technique

Form Perception

Formal Operational Stage

Fovea

Framing

Fraternal Twins

Free Association

Frequency

Frequency Theory

Frontal Lobes

Frustration-Aggression Principle

Functional Fixedness

Functionalism

Fundamental Attribution Error

G

Gate-Control Theory

Gender Identity

Gender Role

Gender Typing

General Adaption Syndrome

General Intelligence

Generalization

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Group matching

Genes

Genome

Gestalt

Glial Cell

Glucose

Grammar

Grit

Group Polarization

Grouping

H

Habituation

Hallucinations

Hallucinogens

Health Psychology

Heritablity

Heuristic

Hierarchy of Neds

Higher-Order Conditioning

Hindsight Bias

Hippocampus

Homeostasis

Hormones

Hue

Human Factors Psychology

Humanistic Psychology

Hypnagogic Sensations

Hypnosis

Hypocretin

Hypochonriasis

Hypothalamus

Hypothesis/ Hypothesis Testing

Humanistic perspective

I

Iconic Memory

Information-Processing

Id

Identical Twins

Identification

Identity

Illusory Correlation

Imagery

Implicit Memory

Imprinting

Inattentional Blindness

Incentive

Independent Variable

Indicisualism

Industrial organization psychology

Informative Social Influence

Informed Consent

Ingroup

Ingroup Bias

Inner Ear

Insight

Insight Therapies

Insomnia

Instinct

Intellectual Disability

Intelligence

Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

Intelligence Test

Intensity

Interaction

Internal Locus of Control

Interneurons

Interpretation

Intimacy

Intrinsic Motivation

Intuition

Iris

J

Introspection.

James-Lange Theory

Just world phenomenon

K

Kinesthesis

L

Language

Latent Content

Latent Learning

Law of Effect

Learned Helplessness

Learning

Lens

Lesion

Levels of Analysis

Limbic System

Linguistic Determinism

Lobotomy

Long-Term Memory

Long-Term Potentiation

Longitudinal Study

LSD

Lymphocytes

M

Main goals of psychology

Major Depressive Disorder

Mania

Manifest Content

Maturation

Mean

Median

Medical Model

Medulla

Memory

Menarche

Menemonics

Menopause

Mental Age

Mental Set

Mere-Exposure Effect

Meta-Analysis

Methamphetamine

Middle Ear

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory

Mirror Neurons

Mirror-Image Perceptions

Misinformation Effect

Mode

Modeling

Molecular Genetics

Monocular Cues

Monism

Mood Disorders

Mood-Congruent Memory

Morpheme

Motion Perception

Motivation

Motor Cortex

Motor Neurons

MRI (Magnetic reasonance imaging)

Mutations

Myelin Sheath

N

Narcolepsy

Natural Selection

Naturalistic Observation

Nature-Nurture Issue

Near-Death Experience

Negative Reinforcement

Nerves

Nervous System

Neurogenesis

Neuron

Neurotransmitters

Night Terrors

Norm

Normal Curve

Normative Social Influence

NREM Sleep

O

Object Permanence

Observational Learning

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Occipital Lobes

Oedipus Complex

One-Word Stage

Operant Behavior

Operant Chamber

Operant Conditioning

Operational Definition

Opiates

Opponent-Process Theory

Optic Nerve

Other Race Effect

Outgroup

Overconfidence

P

Panic Disorder

Parallel Processing

Parapsychology

Parasympathetic

Parietal Lobes

Partial (Intermittent) Reinforcement

Passionate Love

Perception

Perceptual Adaptation

Perceptual Consistency

Perceptual Set

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

Peripheral Route of Persuasion

Personal Control

Personal Space

Personality

Personality Disorders

Personality Inventory

Personality Psychology

PET (Positron Emission Tomography)

Phantom Limb Sensation

Phi Phenomenon

Phobia

Phoneme

Phrenology

Physical Dependence

Pitch

Pituitary Gland

Place Theory

Placebo Effect

Plasticity

Polygraph

Population

Positive Psychology

Positive Reinforcement

Post-Traumatic Growth

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Posthypnotic Suggestion

Precognition

Predictive Validity

Prejudice

Preoperational Stage

Primary Reinforcer

Primary Sex Characteristics

Priming

Proactive Interference

Projection

Projective Test

Prosocial Behavior

Prototype

Psychiatry

Psychoactive Drug

Psychoanalysis

Psychoanalytic theory

Psychodynamic Psychology

Psychodynamic Therapy

Psychological Dependence

Psychological Disorder

Psychology

Psychometric

Psychoneuroimmunology

Psychopharmacology

Psychophysics

Psychophysiological Illness

Psychosurgery

Psychotherapy

Puberty

Punishment

Pupil

Q

Quantitative Data

Qualitative data.

Questionnaire

R

Random Assignment

Random Sample

Range

Rationalization

Reaction Formation

Recall

Reciprocal Determinism

Reciprocity Norm

Recognition

Reflex

Refractory Period

Regression

Regression Toward the Mean

Rehearsal

Reinforcer

Relative Deprivation

Relearning

Reliability

REM Rebound

REM Sleep

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Replication

Representativeness Heuristic

Repression

Resilience

Resistance

Respondent Behavior

Reticular Formation

Retina

Retinal Disparity

Retrieval

Retroactive Interference

Reuptake

Rods

Role

Rorschach inkblot test

S

Savant Syndrome

Scapegoat Theory

Scatterplot

Schema

Schizophrenia

Secondary Sex Characteristics

Selective Attention

Self

Self- Actualization

Self- Concept

Self- disclosure

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Self-Esteem

Self-Serving Bias

Semantic Encoding

Semantics

Sensation

Sensorieneural Hearing Loss

Sensorimotor Stage

Sensory Adaptation

Sensory Cortex

Sensory Interaction

Sensory Memory

Sensory Neurons

Serial Position Effect

Set Point

Sexual Orientation

Sexual Response Cycle

Shaping

Short-Term Memory

Signal Detection Theory

Sleep

Sleep Apnea

Sleep Walking and Talking

Social Clock

Social Exchange Theory

Social Facilitation

Social Identity

Social Learning Theory

Social Loafing

Social Psychology

Social Trap

Social-Cognitive Perspective

Social-Cultural Psychology

Social-Responsibility Norm

Somatic

Somatic Nervous System

Somatoform Disorder

Source Amnesia

Spacing Effect

Split Brain

Spontaneous Recovery

Spotlight Effect

SQ3R

Standard Deviation

Standardization

Stanford- Binet

Statistical Significance

Stereotype

Stereotype Threat

Stimulants

Storage

Stranger Anxiety

Stress

Structuralism

Sublimation

Subliminal

Superego

Superordinate Goals

Survey

Sympathetic Nervous System

Synapse

Syntax

Systematic Desensitization

T

Tardive Dyskinesia

Telegraphic Speech

Telepathy

Temperament

Temporal Lobes

Teratogens

Terror-Management Theory

Testosterone

Thalamus

THC

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

Theory

Theory of Mind

Threshold

Token Economy

Tolerance

Top-Down Processing

Trait

Transduction

Transference

Two-Factor Theory

Two-Word Stage

Type A

Type B

U

Unconditional Positive Regard

Unconditioned Response

Unconditioned Stimulus

Unconscious

V

Validity

Variable-Interval Schedule

Variable-Ratio Schedule

Vestibular Sense

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy

Visual Cliff

Visual Encoding

W

Wavelength

Weber’s Law

Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale

Well- Being

Wernicke’s Area

Wilhelm Wundt

Withdrawal

Working Memory

X

X Chromosome

Y

Y Chromosome

Young-Helmhotz trichromatic

Z

Zygote

Preface

Since I had to stay home due to the COVID pandemic, I'll admit that part of me selfishly cherished the opportunity. I finished my homework early since the online class time was only a couple of hours each day. Between time spent playing with my little sister and listening to Harry Styles, I watched my fair share of adorable babies laughing on YouTube for hours on end.

I started searching for ways to be happy like these adorable babies on YouTube since something was still bothering me. I had no idea that most of my searches led me to indulge in motivational speeches, cringe-worthy movies, and a few articles on psychology that grabbed my attention. More specifically, some of these articles were written by high school students like me, and I was impressed with their knowledge of the subject. I found out that as a high school student you could enroll in college, and since homeschooling was becoming normal, many colleges offered these classes online. I did not waste any time!

I enrolled as a full-time dual credit student and began taking dual enrollment programs online with the encouragement of my parents. I had a great time in all of my psychology classes, and I made all of my own index cards, which accumulated all over my room. I decided to type them and organize them by keywords and chapters. When I decided to study for the AP exam, I sourced all the available online vocabulary lists and used my detailed notes to study efficiently. I had already taken college classes in Introduction to Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and Research Methods by this point.

I decided to put my newly found college psychology lessons to good use and create a study guide for those who were in my shoes. The guide includes information on all of the topics covered in the test, as well as precise notes to help you succeed in your AP Psychology test. I am so grateful that you found this guide , and I believe it will supplement your textbook and classroom instruction to be successful on your exam.

Please forgive me for any errors and omissions, as this is my first published work. I appreciate your feedback, and with your support, I would like to create a sample question bank for the AP Psychology exam in the future. After all, who would have thought the power of laughing babies on YouTube would inspire someone to write a book while in high school? I am beyond grateful.

Respectfully,

Anisha Mitelan

A

Anton Mesmer

Mesmerism is a psychological phenomenon that was first studied by Anton Mesmer. He believed that it was related to an invisible substance, which he called fluidum. Mesmerism is now considered to be a form of hypnosis.

Applied Research

Applied research is a type of psychological research that is conducted in order to solve a specific problem or to test a specific hypothesis. Applied research is often used to evaluate psychological interventions or therapies, and to determine whether they are effective in treating various psychological disorders. Applied research can also be used to evaluate the efficacy of different educational programs, or to assess the effectiveness of different workplace policies.

Hugo Münsterberg was one of the first applied psychologists.

He believed that psychological research should be used to solve practical problems. Münsterberg developed many techniques for psychological evaluation, which are still used today. He also studied the effects of different stimuli on behavior.

Absolute Threshold

In psychology, the absolute threshold is the minimum stimu- lus intensity that is detectable 50% of the time. This threshold is determined by a person’s sensory receptors and nervous system. The absolute threshold was first studied by Gustav Fechner in the 1860s. He found that the perceived intensity of a stimulus is not always proportional to its actual intensity.

Accommodation

How do we accommodate new information and experiences in our lives? Jean Piaget, a Swiss developmental psychologist, believed that humans are constantly accommodating to new information and experiences. This process is what allows us to learn and grow. In order for accommodation to happen, there must be a balance between assimilation (incorporating new information into existing schemas) and differentiation (creating new schemas). If there is too much assimilation, then the individual will not be able to take in new information. If there is too much differentiation, then the individual will be unable to use old information. When these two processes are balanced, accommodation occurs and learning takes place.

There is an another word Acommodation (Note there is only one c in this word), which is the actual act or state of adjustment or adaptation according Myers’ AP vocabulary list.

Achievement tests

When it comes to achievement tests, there is a lot of psychol- ogy involved. How much a person knows and how well they can do on an achievement test are usually determined by a variety of factors. One major factor is how motivated the person is to do well on the test. Another factor is how well the person understands the questions and what is being asked of them. The level of difficulty of the test can also play a role in how well someone does.

Acoustic Encoding

Acoustic encoding is the process of taking information that is heard and turning it into something that can be remembered. This process happens in the brain, and it is thought to be one of the ways that we remember things that we have heard. One of the key factors in acoustic encoding is repetition. The more times we hear something, the better chance we have of remembering it. This is because when something is repeated, it becomes stronger in our brains and we are more likely to remember it.

When you hear a song on the radio, or someone speaks to you, your brain is constantly encoding and decoding acoustic information. This process of encoding and decoding is what allows us to remember something we heard. The psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus conducted some of the earliest research on how we remember things that we hear. He studied how people learn and remember new information, and he is best known for his work on the forgetting curve. Ebbinghaus discovered that we forget information at a predictable rate, and he developed techniques for improving memory retention. His work has been influential in the field of psychology, and it continues to be studied today.

Acquisition

In psychology, the acquisition of a new skill is the first stage of learning. It is during this stage that the response is established. The acquisition stage can be divided into four sub-stages:

· Pre-acquisition: In this phase, the individual is aware of the need or desire to learn the new skill.

· Learning: In this phase, the individual acquires and practices the new skill.

· Automatic use: In this phase, the skill becomes automatic and requires little conscious effort.

· Mastery: In this phase, the individual perfects their skills and becomes an expert in their area of expertise.

Action Potential

Neurons are cells in the nervous system that transmit an electrical charge down their axon. This charge is called an action potential. When a neuron is stimulated, it sends a message to other neurons by releasing neurotransmitters.

Active Listening

Active listening is a technique employed in psychology to keep one engaged and attentive while listening. Carl Rogers and Richard Farson are credited with developing the active listening technique. It involves paraphrasing, reflecting, and clarifying what the speaker has said. This helps to ensure that the listener understands the speaker’s point of view and also allows the speaker to clarify any misunderstandings. Active listening can be used in both personal and professional relationships to improve communication.

Adaptation-Level Phenomenon

The adaptation-level phenomenon is a psychological theory that suggests people quickly adapt to a new situation, and as a result, they tend to perceive the new situation as being normal. The theory was developed by Harry Helson, and it has been supported by research studies. According to the theory, people adapt to their environment by forming an impression of the world around them. This impression is based on their past experiences, and it helps them to understand and predict what will happen in the future. When people are exposed to a new situation, they compare it to their existing impression of the world. If the new situation is similar to their existing impression, they will adapt quickly and view it as being normal. However, if the new situation is different from their existing impression, they will take longer to adapt and view it as being abnormal.

Addiction

Addiction is a psychological condition in which a person be- comes dependent on a behavior or substance. The individual may crave the behavior or substance and feel unable to control their urge to engage in it, even if it causes harm to themselves or others. Addiction can be caused by environmental factors, such as exposure to addictive substances at an early age, or by genetics.

Addictive behaviors can cause tolerance and dependence. Tol- erance occurs when the individual needs more of the behavior or substance to achieve the desired effect. Dependence occurs when the individual feels they cannot function without the behavior or substance.

Sigmund Freud believed that addiction was a form of self- medication. He hypothesized that people use addictive be- haviors as a way to cope with difficult emotions or situations.

Adolescence

In 1908, psychologist Stanley Hall published a book on adolescence that is still considered a classic on the topic. In it, he described adolescence as a time of dramatic change, both physically and emotionally. He identified four distinct stages of adolescent development: early adolescence, middle adolescence, late adolescence, and emerging adulthood.

Hall’s description of adolescence as a time of turmoil has been challenged in recent years by researchers who argue that it is more variable than Hall suggested. Some adolescents experi- ence little turmoil and transition smoothly into adulthood, while others undergo more dramatic changes. However, there is broad consensus among researchers that adolescence is a time of transition, from childhood to adulthood.

Adrenal Glands

The adrenal glands are small, triangular-shaped glands that sit on top of the kidneys. The adrenal glands are responsible for producing a variety of hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline is responsible for the fight or flight response, while cortisol helps to regulate blood sugar levels and energy production.

The adrenal glands were first described in detail by Bar- tolomeo Eustachi in the 1500s. However, it was not until the early 1900s that scientists began to understand the role of the adrenal glands in human physiology.

Aggression

Aggression is a range of behaviors that can cause psycholog- ical harm to yourself, others, or objects. It can be physical or verbal and is often accompanied by feelings of anger or hostility. Although aggression can be harmful, it’s also a natural human behavior that has evolved over time to help us survive and protect our families.

Algorithm

An algorithm a set of step-by-step procedures for solving a problem or accomplishing a task. The word comes from the name of 9th century mathematician al-Khwarizmi, who wrote one of the earliest books on algorithms.

An algorithm can be implemented in a computer program, or it can be carried out by hand. Algorithms are used in mathematics, science, engineering, and business. They are also used in the field of psychology to study human behavior.

One common type of psychological algorithm is named the 5 steps of decision making which are as follows: identify the