TOP 100 AP PSYCHOLOGY TERMS
EXAM QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Absolute Threshold - Correct Answers -the lowest level of stimulation that a person can
detect
Action Potential - Correct Answers -the local voltage change across the cell wall as a
nerve impulse is transmitted
Aggression - Correct Answers -any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or
destroy
Anxiety - Correct Answers -a vague unpleasant emotion that is experienced in
anticipation of some (usually ill-defined) misfortune
Anxiety Disorder - Correct Answers -Psychological disorders characterized by
distressing , persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety
Artificial intelligence - Correct Answers -The science of designing and programming
computer systems to do intelligent things and to stimulate human thought processes,
such as intuitive reasoning, learning, and understanding language
Associationism (history) - Correct Answers -the theory that our understanding of the
world occurs through ideas associated with similar sensory experiences and
perceptions
Socialization - Correct Answers -the adoption of the behavior patterns of the
surrounding culture
Socioeconomic status - Correct Answers -A person's position in society as determined
by income, wealth, occupation, education, place of residence, and other factors
Traits - Correct Answers -a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and
act, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports
Attachment - Correct Answers -an emotional tie with another person: shown in young
children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation
, Attitude change - Correct Answers -Attitude is a person's general evaluation of an object
- Attitude Change involves changing the way a person thinks about something -
Behavior change is changed through an attitude change
Attitudes and behavior - Correct Answers -A belief and a feeling that predisposes one to
respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events;manner of acting or
conducting yourself
Attribution Theory - Correct Answers -the theory that we tend to five a casual
explanation for someone's behavior, often by crediting either the situation of the
person's disposition
Avoidance learning - Correct Answers -An organism acquires a response that prevents
some aversive stimulation from occurring
Binocular depth cues - Correct Answers -depth cues, such as retinal disparity and
convergence, that depend on the use of two eyes
Central Nervous System - Correct Answers -The brain and spinal cord
Cerebellum - Correct Answers -the "little brain" attached to the rear of the brainstem; it
helps coordinate voluntary movement and balance
Cerebral cortex - Correct Answers -the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that
covers the cerebral hemispheres; the body;s ultimate control and information-
processing center
Cerebral hemispheres - Correct Answers -the nearly symmetrical right and left halves of
the cerebrum, separated by a longitudinal fissure running from the front to the back of
the brain
Childhood - Correct Answers -the state of a child between infancy and adolescence
Classical conditioning - Correct Answers -a type of learning in which an organism
comes to associate stimuli. A neutral stimulus that signals an unconditioned stimulus
(UCS) begins to produce a response that anticipates and prepares for the
unconditioned stimulus. Also called "Pavlovian conditioning"
Cognitive development - Correct Answers -development of processes of knowing,
including imagining, perceiving, reasoning, and problem solving
Cognitive Dissonance theory - Correct Answers -The theory that we act to reduce the
discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent.
For example, when our awareness of our attitudes and of our actions clash, we can
reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitudes
EXAM QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Absolute Threshold - Correct Answers -the lowest level of stimulation that a person can
detect
Action Potential - Correct Answers -the local voltage change across the cell wall as a
nerve impulse is transmitted
Aggression - Correct Answers -any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or
destroy
Anxiety - Correct Answers -a vague unpleasant emotion that is experienced in
anticipation of some (usually ill-defined) misfortune
Anxiety Disorder - Correct Answers -Psychological disorders characterized by
distressing , persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety
Artificial intelligence - Correct Answers -The science of designing and programming
computer systems to do intelligent things and to stimulate human thought processes,
such as intuitive reasoning, learning, and understanding language
Associationism (history) - Correct Answers -the theory that our understanding of the
world occurs through ideas associated with similar sensory experiences and
perceptions
Socialization - Correct Answers -the adoption of the behavior patterns of the
surrounding culture
Socioeconomic status - Correct Answers -A person's position in society as determined
by income, wealth, occupation, education, place of residence, and other factors
Traits - Correct Answers -a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and
act, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports
Attachment - Correct Answers -an emotional tie with another person: shown in young
children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation
, Attitude change - Correct Answers -Attitude is a person's general evaluation of an object
- Attitude Change involves changing the way a person thinks about something -
Behavior change is changed through an attitude change
Attitudes and behavior - Correct Answers -A belief and a feeling that predisposes one to
respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events;manner of acting or
conducting yourself
Attribution Theory - Correct Answers -the theory that we tend to five a casual
explanation for someone's behavior, often by crediting either the situation of the
person's disposition
Avoidance learning - Correct Answers -An organism acquires a response that prevents
some aversive stimulation from occurring
Binocular depth cues - Correct Answers -depth cues, such as retinal disparity and
convergence, that depend on the use of two eyes
Central Nervous System - Correct Answers -The brain and spinal cord
Cerebellum - Correct Answers -the "little brain" attached to the rear of the brainstem; it
helps coordinate voluntary movement and balance
Cerebral cortex - Correct Answers -the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that
covers the cerebral hemispheres; the body;s ultimate control and information-
processing center
Cerebral hemispheres - Correct Answers -the nearly symmetrical right and left halves of
the cerebrum, separated by a longitudinal fissure running from the front to the back of
the brain
Childhood - Correct Answers -the state of a child between infancy and adolescence
Classical conditioning - Correct Answers -a type of learning in which an organism
comes to associate stimuli. A neutral stimulus that signals an unconditioned stimulus
(UCS) begins to produce a response that anticipates and prepares for the
unconditioned stimulus. Also called "Pavlovian conditioning"
Cognitive development - Correct Answers -development of processes of knowing,
including imagining, perceiving, reasoning, and problem solving
Cognitive Dissonance theory - Correct Answers -The theory that we act to reduce the
discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent.
For example, when our awareness of our attitudes and of our actions clash, we can
reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitudes
