Psychology Final Study Guide
Standard Area IA: Introduction and Research Methods
1. What is the definition of psychology? What makes up each part of psychology (be sure
to define each part)? What is the main focus of psychology
2. What is the nature vs. nurture debate? Explain the debate
3. Which perspective of psychology discusses the interaction between body and brain in
regards to behavior?
4. What are basic research, applied research, clinical research, and psychiatry?
5. Which perspective of psychology emphasizes the learning of observable responses?
6. Briefly explain the behavior, social-cultural, cognitive, evolutionary, neuroscience
perspective of psychology.
Standard Area IIIA: Lifespan Development
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What are the 4 stages of Piaget? What are some important checkpoints in each stage?
Which theorist believed that attached children develop basic trust?
What are the 8 stages of Erikson and the challenges that come with each stage?
What is adolescence? When does it usually begin?
What is the correct stage for prenatal development?
What is a teratogen? How can it affect a fetus? How does a child become harmed by a
teratogen their mother ingested?
Standard Area IIA: Biological Bases of Behavior
13. What are the different parts of a neuron and how do each part work?
14. What are the different parts of the nervous system? What is each part responsible for?
15. What is the limbic system? What parts makes up the limbic system and what do they
do?
16. From top to bottom, categorize the path of neurotransmission of a neuron.
17. What is the endocrine system? What are some organs that make up the system? What
are the chemicals released by this system called?
18. Where is the visual cortex? The sensorimotor cortex?
19. What is the purpose of the cerebellum? The Medulla? The Thalamus? The
Hypothalamus?
20. Name all 4 lobes and explain what each lobe is responsible for. Be sure you can identify
where each lobe is.
Standard Area IIB: Sensation and Perception
21. What is frequency? How is pitch related? What is wavelength? How is it related to hue?
What is amplitude? How is it related to loudness? What is intensity? How is it related to
brightness?
22. What are the different parts of the eye specifically the lens, retina, cornea, and iris? Be
sure to catalog how an images comes into the eyes.
23. What are the different distinct skins senses? Which one has definable receptors?
24. Where are the receptors for taste located?
25. What is perceptual constancy? Why do we not view change of objects when they move?
26. What is the Gestalt principle?
27. What is a monocular depth cue? Give examples.
Standard Area IIC: Motivation and Emotion
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What is motivation? Explain the 4 different theories behind motivation.
Compare and contrast need and drive.
What is homeostasis? What is the goal and how do we as humans get back to this state?
What is Maslow’s hierarchy of need? What are the stages of need according to Maslow
from bottom to the top?
What is sexual orientation? Explain how hunger and sexual motivation are alike.
What are the three theories of emotion? Explain them.
Explain the emotions of happiness, anger, and fear.
What is nonverbal communication and what can it tell us?
When you are in an emergency situation, what happens to your emotional arousal?
What is emotion and what are the parts which make up emotion?
Standard Area IID: Stress, Coping, and Health.
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What is stress? If you are under stressed, how may it affect one’s body?
How does social support affect our ability to cope with stress?
How does exercise benefit health?
Who has a stronger immune system, men or women. Be sure to give examples.
What is the significant source of stress in a person’s life?
What part of the nervous system is the stress hormone linked to?
Standard Area IVA: Learning
44. What is learning? What are the two types of learning?
45. What is classical conditioning? What are the parts which make up classical conditioning
46. What are the 5 conditioning processes which both classical and operant conditioning
have?
47. Why is punishment controversial?
48. How are classical conditioning and operant conditioning different?
49. What are mirror neurons and what part of learning are they associated with?
50. What is shaping and what is the purpose of shaping?
51. What is operant conditioning and the different types of reinforcement and punishment?
52. What is a cognitive map?
Standard Area IVB: Memory
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What are the three parts of memory?
What is chunking? How does it help our memory?
What is amnesia? What does it tell us about memory?
What is a mnemonic device? How can we use this to improve our memory?
What is iconic and echoic memory? How are they same, how are they different?
What is a hierarchy when referring to memory?
What is the serial position effect?