AP Psychology Curriculum Review

Unit 1: Understanding the Brain

• Parts of the Brain

  • Cerebral Cortex: Responsible for higher-order functions.
  • Lobes: Frontal, Parietal, Temporal, Occipital - each processes different information.
  • Limbic System: Processes emotions, memories, motivation.
  • Brain Stem: Connects the brain with the spinal cord.
  • Basal Ganglia: Involved in motor control, learning, decision making.
  • Thalamus: Relay station for sensory and motor information.
  • Hypothalamus: Regulates body functions, homeostasis.

• Neurons

  • Specialized cells for electrical signaling.
  • Components: Dendrites, Soma, Axon (insulated by myelin).
  • Neurotransmitters: Released at synapse, bind with receptors.
  • Action Potential: Electrical impulse travels down neuron.
  • Key neurotransmitters: Dopamine, Serotonin, Norepinephrine, GABA.

• Nervous System

  • Central vs Peripheral: Brain and spinal cord vs nerves outside.
  • Somatic vs Autonomic: Voluntary vs involuntary movements.
  • Sympathetic vs Parasympathetic: Fight/flight vs maintaining balance.

• Hormones

  • Chemical messengers from the endocrine system.
  • Key hormones: Cortisol, Testosterone, Estrogen, Melatonin.

Unit 2: Mental Processes - Cognition

• Information Processing

  • Encoding, storing, retrieving information.
  • Influences: Attention, prior knowledge, meaningfulness.

• Working Memory Model

  • Central Executive, Phonological Loop, Visuospatial Sketchpad, Episodic Buffer.

• Key Researchers

  • Piaget: Cognitive development in children.
  • Vygotsky: Social interaction, culture, scaffolding, zone of proximal development.
  • Chomsky: Innate language acquisition device.
  • Gardner: Multiple intelligences.

• Language

  • Communication using symbols, rules.
  • Theories: Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, Chomsky's Universal Grammar.

• Intelligence

  • Allows humans to learn, apply knowledge.
  • Theories: Spearman's general factor, Gardner's multiple intelligences, Sternberg's triarchic theory.
  • Types of Thinking: Divergent vs Convergent.

Unit 3: Stages of Development

• Developmental Stages

  • Prenatal, Infancy to Toddlerhood, Early Childhood, Middle Childhood, Adolescence, Adulthood.

• Cognitive Development

  • Piaget's Stages: Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete Operational, Formal Operational.
  • Vygotsky: Scaffolding, social interaction.

• Social and Emotional Development

  • Bandura: Observational learning (Bobo doll experiment).
  • Attachment Theory: Focus on trust, comfort, exploratory behavior.
  • Erikson's Stages: Eight psychosocial crises.
  • Kohlberg's Moral Development: Preconventional, Conventional, Postconventional morality.

• Language Development

  • Phonology, Morphology, Syntax, Semantics, Pragmatics.
  • Chomsky's Language Acquisition Device.
  • Bilingualism.

• Learning Theories

  • Classical Conditioning: Pavlov's experiments.
  • Operant Conditioning: Skinner's experiments.

Unit 4: Social Psychology and Behavior

• Social Psychology

  • Focus on thoughts, feelings, behaviors influenced by others.
  • Key Concepts: Social Cognition, Social Influence, Social Behavior.
  • Social Identity Theory: In-group/out-group dynamics.
  • Attribution Theory: Explaining causes of behavior.
  • Cognitive Dissonance Theory: Handling conflicting thoughts, beliefs.
  • Fundamental Attribution Error: Overestimating dispositional factors.

• Group Dynamics

  • Social Facilitation, Social Loafing, Groupthink, Conformity, Obedience.

• Personality

  • Big Five Traits: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism.
  • Freudian Theories: Role of the unconscious.
  • Humanistic Theories: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

• Mental Health

  • General Adaptation Syndrome: Alarm, Resistance, Exhaustion.
  • Approaches: Mindfulness, Yoga.
  • Mental Health Disorders: Schizophrenia, Depression, Bipolar Disorders.
  • Psychotherapy Approaches: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy.

Good luck on your AP Psych exam!