📚

AP Psychology Exam Review and Theories

May 16, 2025

Get Psyched AP Psychology Ultimate Exam Cramathon Extravaganza

Introduction

  • Host: Tim Steedman
  • Purpose: Review for AP Psychology exam, not a comprehensive course overview.
  • Recommended for: Students who have been keeping up in class.
  • Focus: Refresher to fill gaps and solidify knowledge.

Doug's Theory on Music and Study

  • Theory Name: Sweet Beats for Cognitive Feats
  • Psychological Perspectives:
    • Behavioral: Conditioned to study with music.
    • Cognitive: Music aids information processing.
    • Psychodynamic: Music linked to childhood safety.
    • Humanistic: Music for well-being.
    • Biological: Effects of music on dopamine/brain.
    • Evolutionary: Human response to rhythm.
    • Sociocultural: Influence of societal norms.
  • Cognitive Biases:
    • Confirmation Bias
    • Hindsight Bias
    • Overconfidence Bias

Science Practice 1: Use Psychological Concepts

  • Explaining real-world behavior using concepts and theories.
  • Doug's study methods: Naturalistic observation, case study, meta-analysis.

Science Practice 2: Research Design

  • Doug's Correlational Study: Survey on music and GPA.
  • Issues: Self-report bias, social desirability bias.
  • Experiment Setup: Independent/Dependent Variables, Sampling Bias, Confounding Variables.
  • Experimental Controls: Lack of random assignment, placebo group.
  • Ethics: Lacked informed consent, debriefing, confidentiality.

Science Practice 3: Data Interpretation

  • Measures of Central Tendency: Mean, median, mode.
  • Variation: Range, standard deviation.
  • Graphing Results: Normal curve, skewness, bimodal distribution.
  • Statistical Interpretation: Correlation coefficient, effect size, statistical significance.

Science Practice 4: Argumentation

  • Making a clear claim supported by psychological evidence.
  • Avoid anecdotal reasoning; use data and research.

Biological Basis of Behavior

  • Nature vs. Nurture:
    • Nature: Genetic predispositions.
    • Nurture: Environmental influences.
    • Research Methods: Twin, family, adoption studies.
  • Nervous System:
    • CNS: Brain, spinal cord.
    • PNS: Somatic, autonomic (sympathetic vs. parasympathetic).
  • Neurons and Communication:
    • Types of Neurons: Sensory, motor, interneurons.
    • Neuron Firing: Resting potential, action potential, refractory period.
    • Neurotransmitters: Types and functions.
  • Endocrine System: Hormones and their functions.

Psychoactive Drugs

  • Types: Stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, opioids.
  • Concepts: Addiction, tolerance, withdrawal.

Brain Structure and Function

  • Brain Stem: Survival functions.
  • Limbic System: Emotion and memory.
  • Cerebral Cortex: Higher-level processing.

States of Consciousness

  • Sleep:
    • Stages: NREM and REM.
    • Theories: Restorative, consolidation, activation-synthesis.
  • Sleep Disorders: Insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy.

Sensation and Perception

  • Sensation: Transduction, absolute threshold, sensory adaptation.
  • Vision: Eye structure, color vision theories.
  • Hearing: Cochlea, pitch theories.
  • Taste and Smell: Chemoreception, flavor perception.
  • Touch: Pain, temperature, pressure.
  • Body Senses: Kinesthetic and vestibular senses.

Cognition and Memory

  • Thinking: Concepts and schemas.
  • Problem Solving: Algorithms and heuristics.
  • Memory:
    • Models: Multi-store, working memory.
    • Types: Explicit (episodic, semantic) vs. Implicit.
    • Encoding: Techniques like mnemonics.
    • Retrieval: Context and state-dependent memory.
    • Forgetting: Theories and interference.

Intelligence

  • Theories: Spearman's g, Sternberg's triarchic theory.
  • Testing: Validity, reliability, stereotype effects.

Developmental Psychology

  • Cognitive Development: Piaget's stages.
  • Language Development: Phonemes, morphemes, grammar.
  • Social Development: Attachment, parenting styles.
  • Adolescence: Identity formation, Erikson’s stages.

Learning

  • Classical Conditioning: Key terms and processes.
  • Operant Conditioning: Reinforcement and punishment.
  • Social Learning: Modeling and observational learning.

Social Psychology

  • Attribution and Bias: Fundamental attribution error, actor-observer bias.
  • Social Influence: Conformity, obedience, persuasion.
  • Group Behavior: Polarization, groupthink, social facilitation.

Personality

  • Theories: Psychodynamic, humanistic, trait.
  • Assessment: Projective tests, inventories.

Motivation and Emotion

  • Motivation: Drive theories, intrinsic vs. extrinsic.
  • Emotion Theories: Facial feedback, broaden and build theory.

Health Psychology

  • Stress: Types, effects, and coping strategies.
  • Positive Psychology: Resilience, gratitude, post-traumatic growth.

Psychological Disorders

  • Diagnosis: Criteria, DSM and ICD.
  • Disorders: Categories include neurodevelopmental, mood, anxiety, personality.

Treatment

  • Therapies: Types, effectiveness, therapeutic alliance.
  • Medications: Classes and side effects.

This extensive review aims to consolidate knowledge of psychological concepts for AP exam readiness. Remember, this is a summary and further detail should be sought in textbooks or full lesson content. Good luck with your studies!

Full transcript