AP Psychology Important Vocab Terms & Those Often Confused
• Unit 1 – Scientific Foundations
o Cognitive vs biological approaches
o Psychoanalytical and psychodynamic
o Human factors
o Operational definition
o Dependent and independent variables
o Random sample and random assignment
o Statistical significance
• Unit 2 – Biological Bases of Behavior
o Myelin sheath
o Agonist and antagonist
o Sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous
systems
o EEG, CT, PET, MRI, and fMRI
o Thalamus and hypothalamus
o Split brain
o Heritability
o Epigenetics
o Circadian rhythm
o REM and non-REM sleep
• Unit 3 – Sensation and Perception
o Bottom-up and top-down processing
o Absolute and difference thresholds; and
Weber’s law
o Rods and cones
o Trichromatic and opponent-process
theories
o Monocular cues (multiple types)
o Hue/intensity and frequency/pitch
o Cochlea and basilar membrane
o Place and frequency theories
o Kinesthesia and vestibular sense
• Unit 4 - Learning
o Classical and operant conditioning
o Generalization and discrimination
o Positive and negative reinforcement and
punishment
o Fixed/variable ratio/interval schedules of
reinforcement
o Cognitive map and latent learning
o Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation
o External and internal locus of control
o Mirror neurons
• Unit 5 – Cognitive Psychology
o Parallel processing
o Effortful processing and semantic encoding
o Long term potentiation
o Anterograde and retrograde amnesia
o Proactive and retroactive amnesia
o Concept and prototype
o Algorithm, heuristic, and insight
o Mental set and priming
o Representiveness and availability heuristics
o Belief perseverance and confirmation bias
o Phonemes and morphemes
o General intelligence (g)
o Achievement and aptitude tests
o Reliability and validity
o Crystallized and fluid intelligence
• Unit 6 – Developmental Psychology
o Schema, assimilation, and accommodation
o Sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete
operational, and formation operational
stages
o Egocentrism
o Social learning theory
• Unit 7 – Motivation, Emotion, and Personality
o Homeostasis
o Yerkes-Dodson law of arousal
o James-Lang, Cannon-Bard, and Schacter-
Singer theories of emotion
o General adaptation syndrome
o Id, ego, and superego
o Defense mechanisms
o Self-esteem and self-efficacy