ELITE COMPREHENSIVE
ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) PSYCHOLOGY
COMPREHENSIVE EXAM REVIEW GUIDE —
FINAL PREPARATION SHEET
FULL CURRICULUM MASTER REVIEW (2026
EDITION)
SPRING EXAMINATION MAY 2026
Psychology
• The science of behavior and mental processes
Positive Psychology
• A field of research that focuses on people's positive experiences and
characteristics, such as happiness, optimism, and resilience.
Biological Psychologists
• Psychologists who analyze the biological factors influencing behavior and
mental processes.
1|Page
,Developmental Psychologists
• Psychologists who seek to understand, describe, and explore how behavior
and mental processes change over a lifetime.
Cognitive Psychologists
• Psychologists who study the mental processes underlying judgment,
decision making, problem solving, imagining, and other aspects of human
thought or cognition. Also called experimental psychologists.
Clinical And Counseling Psychologists
• Psychologists who seek to assess, understand, and change abnormal
behavior.
Educational Psychologists
• Psychologists who study methods by which instructors teach and students
learn and who apply their results to improving those methods
School Psychologists
• Psychologists who test IQ's, diagnose students' academic problems, and set
up programs to improve students' achievement
2|Page
, Forensic Psychologists
• Psychologists who assist in jury selection, evaluate defendants mental
competence to stand trial, and deal with other issues involving psychology
and the law.
Psychodynamic Approach
• A view developed by Freud that emphasizes the interplay of unconscious
mental processes in determining human thought, feelings, and behavior.
Behavioral Approach
• An approach to psychology emphasizing that human behavior is determined
mainly by what a person has learned, especially from rewards and
punishments.
Critical Thinking
• The process of assessing claims and making judgments on the basis of well-
supported evidence.
Hypothesis
• In scientific research, a prediction stated as a specific, testable proposition
about a phenomenon.
3|Page
ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) PSYCHOLOGY
COMPREHENSIVE EXAM REVIEW GUIDE —
FINAL PREPARATION SHEET
FULL CURRICULUM MASTER REVIEW (2026
EDITION)
SPRING EXAMINATION MAY 2026
Psychology
• The science of behavior and mental processes
Positive Psychology
• A field of research that focuses on people's positive experiences and
characteristics, such as happiness, optimism, and resilience.
Biological Psychologists
• Psychologists who analyze the biological factors influencing behavior and
mental processes.
1|Page
,Developmental Psychologists
• Psychologists who seek to understand, describe, and explore how behavior
and mental processes change over a lifetime.
Cognitive Psychologists
• Psychologists who study the mental processes underlying judgment,
decision making, problem solving, imagining, and other aspects of human
thought or cognition. Also called experimental psychologists.
Clinical And Counseling Psychologists
• Psychologists who seek to assess, understand, and change abnormal
behavior.
Educational Psychologists
• Psychologists who study methods by which instructors teach and students
learn and who apply their results to improving those methods
School Psychologists
• Psychologists who test IQ's, diagnose students' academic problems, and set
up programs to improve students' achievement
2|Page
, Forensic Psychologists
• Psychologists who assist in jury selection, evaluate defendants mental
competence to stand trial, and deal with other issues involving psychology
and the law.
Psychodynamic Approach
• A view developed by Freud that emphasizes the interplay of unconscious
mental processes in determining human thought, feelings, and behavior.
Behavioral Approach
• An approach to psychology emphasizing that human behavior is determined
mainly by what a person has learned, especially from rewards and
punishments.
Critical Thinking
• The process of assessing claims and making judgments on the basis of well-
supported evidence.
Hypothesis
• In scientific research, a prediction stated as a specific, testable proposition
about a phenomenon.
3|Page
