AP PSYCHOLOGY
MIDTERM OUTLINE
SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATIONS UNIT (Chapter 1 and 2)
Chapter 1
 Psychology’s Roots
o Aristotle and Plato
o Wundt
o Darwin
o Freud
o Piaget
o James
o Empiricism
 Early Schools of Psychology
o Structuralism
o Functionalism
o Gestalt
o Psychoanalysis (Psychodynamic)
o Behaviorism
o Humanistic Psychology
 Psychology
 Nature-Nurture Issue
o Natural Selection
 Levels of Analysis
o Biopsychosocial Approach
 Psychology’s Perspectives
o Neuroscience
o Evolutionary
o Behavior Genetics
o Psychodynamics (Psychoanalytic)
o Behavioral
o Cognitive
o Social-Cultural
 Psychology’s Subfields
o Basic Research
o Experimental Psychology
o Biological Psychologists
o Developmental Psychologists
o Cognitive Psychologists
o Personality Psychologists
o Social Psychologists
o Applied Research
o Industrial/Organizational Psychologists
o Clinical Psychologists
o Psychiatrists
o Psychometrics
Chapter 2: Research Methods: Thinking Critically with Psychological Science
 The Need for Psychological Science
o Limits of Intuition and Common Sense
o Hindsight Bias
o Overconfidence
 Scientific Attitude
o Curiosity, Skepticism, Humility
o Critical Thinking
 Scientific Method
o Theory
 What do good theories do?
o Hypothesis
o Operational Definition
o Replication
 Description
o Case Study
o Survey
 Wording Effects
 Sampling
 False Consensus Effect
 Population
 Random Sample
o Naturalistic Observation
 Correlation
o Correlation Coefficient
o Scatterplots
o Positive/Negative Correlations
o Correlation vs. Causation
o Illusory Correlation
 Perceiving Order in Random Events
 Experimentation
o Experiment
o Blind
o Double Blind
o Placebo
o Control Condition
o Experimental Condition
o Random Assignment
o Independent Variable
o Dependent Variable
 Statistical Reasoning
o Describing Data
 Histograms
 Bar Graph
o Measures of Central Tendency
 Mode
 Mean
 Median
 Skewed Data
o Measures of Variation
 Range
 Standard Deviation
o Making Inferences
 When is a difference Reliable?
 When is a difference Significant?
 Statistical Significance

FAQs
o Can Lab Experiments illuminate everyday life?
o Does behavior depend on one’s culture?
 Culture
o Does Behavior vary with Gender?
o Why do psychologists study animals?
o Is it ethical to experiment on animals? On people?
o Is psychology free of value judgements?
o Is psychology potentially dangerous?
BIOLOGICAL BASES OF BEHAVIOR (Chapter 3AB and 5)
Chapter 3A: Neural Processing and the Endocrine System
 Phrenology
 Biological Psychology
 Neural Communication
o Neuron
o Efferent/Motor Neurons
o Afferent/Sensory Neurons
o Dendrite
o Axon
o Myelin Sheath
o Resting Potential
o Action Potential
o Depolarization
o Refractory Period
o Threshold
o Excitatory/Inhibitory Signals
 How Neurons Communicate
o Synapse
o Synaptic Gap/Cleft
o Neurotransmitters
o Reuptake
 How Neurotransmitters Influence Us
o Dopamine
o Serotonin
o Norepinephrine
o GABA
o Acetylcholine (ACh)
o Endorphins
o Agonists
o Antagonists
o Blood-Brain Barrier
 The Nervous System
o Central Nervous System
o Peripheral Nervous System
o Nerves
o Interneurons
o Glial Cells
 Peripheral Nervous System
o Somatic Nervous System
o Autonomic Nervous System
o Sympathetic Nervous System
o Parasympathetic Nervous System
 Central Nervous System
o Brain and Spinal Cord
o Reflexes
o Neural Networks
 Endocrine System
o Hormones
o Adrenal Glands
o Pituitary Gland
o Feedback System between Brain and Endocrine System
Chapter 3B: Neural Processing and the Endocrine System
 The Brain
o Tools of Discovery
 Lesion
 Case Studies
 EEG
 CT Scan
 PET Scan
 MRI
o Lower Level Brain Structures
 Brainstem
 Medulla
 Reticular Formation
 Thalamus
 Cerebellum
 Limbic System
 Amygdala
 Hypothalamus
 Pleasure Centers
 General Reward System
 Reward Deficiency Syndrome
 Cerebral Cortex
o Frontal Lobes
o Parietal Lobes
o Occipital Lobes
o Temporal Lobes
o Functions of the Cortex
 Motor Cortex
 Sensory Cortex
 Association Areas
 Language
 Aphasia
 Broca’s Area
 Wernicke’s Area
 Angular Gyrus
o Plasticity
 Divided Brains
o Hemispherectomy
o Corpus Callosum
o Split Brains
o Functions of the Left Brain
o Functions of the Right Brain
 Handedness
 Consciousness
 Cognitive Neuroscience
 Dual Processing
Chapter 5:




Waking Consciousness
o Consciousness
o Serial Processing
o Daydreams
o Fantasy-Prone Personalities
Sleep and Dreams
o Biological Rhythms
o Circadian Rhythm
o REM Sleep
o Alpha Waves
o Sleep
o Stage 1 Sleep
o Hallucinations
o Stage 2 Sleep
o Sleep Spindles
o Slow Wave Sleep
o Delta Waves
o Paradoxical Sleep
o Why do we sleep?
o Sleep Debt/Deprivation
o Sleep Disorders
 Insomnia
 Narcolepsy
 Sleep Apnea
 Night Terrors
o Dreams
 Lucid Dreams
o Freud’s Wish Fulfillment Theory
 Manifest Content
 Latent Content
o Information Processing Theory
o Physiological Function
o Activation Synthesis
o REM Rebound
Drugs and Consciousness
o Psychoactive Drugs
o Tolerance
o Withdrawal
 Physical Dependence
 Psychological Dependence
o Addiction
o Depressants
 Alcohol
 Barbiturates
 Opiates
o Stimulants
 Amphetamines
 Caffeine/Tobacco
 Cocaine
o Hallucinogens
 LSD
 Marijuana (THC)
o Influences on Drug Use
 Biological Influences
 Cultural Influences
 Psychological Influences
Near Death Experiences
o Dualists
o Monists











SENSATION AND PERCEPTION UNIT (Chapter 4)
Sensation
Perception
Bottom-Up Processing
Top-Down Processing
Basic Principles
o Psychophysics
o Absolute threshold
o Signal Detection Theory
o Subliminal
o Difference Threshold (Just Noticeable Difference)
o Weber’s Law
o Sensory Adaptation
Vision
o Transduction
o Electromagnetic Spectrum
o Wavelength
o Hue
o Intensity
o Amplitude
The Eye
o Pupil
o Iris
o Lens
o Accommodation
o Retina
o Acuity
o Nearsightedness/Farsightedness
o Rods/Cones
o Optic Nerve
o Blind Spot
o Fovea
Visual Information Processing
o Neural Path from the Eye to the Visual Cortex
o Feature Detectors
o Parallel Processing
o Abstraction
Color Vision
o Young-Helmholtz Trichromatic Theory
o Subtractive Color Mixing
o Additive Color Mixing
o Color Deficiency
o Opponent-Process Theory
o Color Constancy
Hearing (Audition)
o Sound Waves
o Frequency
o Pity
o Decibels
The Ear
o Eardrum
o Middle Ear
o Hammer, Anvil, Stirrup
o Inner Ear
o Cochlea
o Basilar Membrane
o Place Theory
o Frequency Theory
o Volley Principle
o Sound Location






Hearing Loss
o Conduction Hearing Loss
o Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Other Senses
o Touch
 4 Skin Senses
 What is Pain?
 Gate Control Theory
 Pain Control
o Taste (Gustation)
 How do we taste?
 Sensory Interaction
o Smell (Olfaction)
 How do we smell?
 Smell and Memory
o Body Position and Movement
 Kinesthesis
 Vestibular Sense
Sensory Restriction
o Sensory Deprivation
o REST
Selective Attention
Perceptual Illusions
o Muller-Lyer Illusion
o Visual Capture
Perceptual Organization
o Gestalt
o Form Perception
 Figure Ground
 Grouping
 Proximity
 Similarity
 Continuity
 Connectedness
 Closure
o Depth Perception
 Visual Cliff
 Binocular Cues
 Retinal Disparity
 Stereograms
 Convergence
 Monocular Cues
 Interposition
 Relative Size
 Relative Clarity
 Texture Gradient
 Relative Height
 Relative Motion
 Linear Perspective
 Light and Shadow
 Motion Perception
 Phi Phenomenon
 Perceptual Constancy
 Shape Constancy
 Size Constancy
 Size-Distance Relationship
 Ponzo Illusion
 Moon Illusion
 Distorted Room
 Lightness Constancy


Perceptual Interpretation
o Sensory Deprivation
o Restored Vision
o Critical Period
o Perceptual Adaptation
o Perceptual Set
o Schemas
o Context Effects
ESP
o Parapsychology
o Telepathy
o Clairvoyance
o Precognition
o Psychokinesis
o Is it legitimate or not?






LEARNING UNIT (Chapter 6)
Learning
Associative Learning
Behaviorism
Classical Conditioning
o Pavlov and his Dogs
o Unconditioned Stimulus
o Unconditioned Response
o Neutral/Conditioned Stimulus
o Conditioned Response
o Acquisition
o Extinction
o Spontaneous Recovery
o Generalization
o Discrimination
o Cognitive Processes
o Biological Predispositions
o Applications of Classical Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
o BF Skinner
o Respondent Behavior
o Operant Behavior
o Thorndike’s Law of Effect
o Operant Chamber (Skinner Box)
o Shaping
o Positive Reinforcement
o Negative Reinforcement
o Primary Reinforcers
o Conditioned Reinforcers
o Immediate and Delayed Reinforcers
o Schedules of Reinforcement
 Continuous Reinforcement
 Partial (intermittent) Reinforcement
 Fixed Ration Schedule
 Variable Ratio Schedule
 Fixed Interval Schedule
 Variable Interval Schedule
o Punishment
 Positive Punishment
 Negative Punishment
 Why Doesn’t Punishment Work?
o Cognitive influences on Operant Conditioning
 Latent Learning
 Cognitive Map
 Overjustification Effect
o Biological Predispositions for Operant Conditioning
o Applications for Operant Conditioning
Observational Learning
o Mirror Neurons
o Modeling
o Bandura
o Bobo Doll Study
o Applications of Observational Learning
o Prosocial Behavior
o Role Models