AP Psych Commonly Missed Terms Quiz 1

Visual cliff

A lab device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals

Myelin

A layer of fatty tissue that encases the neurons; enables greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next

Correlation

A measure of the extent to which 2 factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other

Experiment

A research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process

Random selection/sample

A sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion

Latent content

According to Freud, the underlying meaning of a dream

Teratogens

Agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm

Maturation

Biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience

Broca's area

Controls language expression-an area, usually in the left frontal lobe, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech

Soma

The cell body of a neuron

Imprinting

The process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period very early in life

Accommodation

The process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina OR adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information

Vestibular sense

The sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance

Kinesthesis

The system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts

Hindsight bias

The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it

Authoritative

a parenting style that is child-centered, in that parents closely interact with their children, while maintaining high expectations for behavior and performance, as well as a firm adherence to schedules and discipline

Phrenology

a psychological theory or analytical method based on the belief that certain mental faculties and character traits are indicated by the configurations of the skull.

Authoritarian

a restrictive style that emphasizes respect for work and effort. This style of parenting allows for little discussion or explanation of the firm controls placed on the child. Psychologists associate this style with social incompetence in the child.