ap psych test notes

the extent to which two measures of the same trait or ability agree

conditioned response
in classical conditioning, the response elicited by the conditioned stimulus

conditioning
generally, learning in which certain experiences make certain behaviors more or
less likely; there are two forms of this

conduction
one type of hearing impairment caused by mechanical problems in the ear structures

cones
neurons in the retina that are responsible for color vision

confirmation bias
a tendency to search for information that supports one's preconceptions

conformity
adjusting behavior to meet a group's standard

confounding variable
extraneous factor that interferes with the action of the independent variable on
the dependent variable

consciousness
one's awareness of one's environment and oneself.

consummate love
includes passion, intimacy and commitment

control group
subjects in an experiment who do not receive application of the independent
variable but are measured nonetheless for the dependent variable

convergent thinking
a type of critical thinking in which one evaluates existing possible solutions to a
problem to choose the best one

cornea
the transparent outer covering of the eye

corpus callosum
the fibers that connect the right and left hemispheres, enabling them to
communicate

correlation
the degree of relationship between two variables

correlation coefficient
a positive one near 1.0 indicates two variable are positively related; a negative
number indicates a negative relationship; zero indicates no relationship

cross-sectional
type of study that measures a variable across several age groups at the same time

debriefing
giving participants in a research study a complete explanation of the study after
the study is completed

defense mechanisms
Freud's processes by which individuals express uncomfortable emotions in disguised
ways

deindividuation
when an individual seems to lose himself or herself in the group's identity

deinstitutionalization
moving people with psychological or developmental disabilities from highly
structured institutions to home- or community-based settings

delta waves
largest brain waves, associated with deep, dreamless sleep

delusion
irrational, highly improbable belief

dendrite
a branch off the cell body of a neuron that receives new information from other
neurons

denial
a defense mechanism in which unpleasant thought or desires are ignored or excluded
from consciousness

dependent variable
the variable that the experimenter measures at the end of the experiment

depressant
any agent that reduces the activity of the CNS

depth perception
an ability that we exercise by using both monocular and binocular cues

difference threshold
also called the jnd; smallest distinction between two stimuli that can consistently
be detected