AP Psychology
Study Guide: Unit 07 & 11
Unit 07 Terms/Concepts
iconic memory: short-term visual memories
echoic memory: stored for longer than iconic,
short-term auditory memories
flashbulb memory: vivid, enduring memories
relevant to significant personal events
storage: maintaining information over time
retrieval: the ability to access information when
you need it
sensory memory: a short-term memory type that
allows you to process and recall the sensations you
take in
short-term memory: the information you are
currently aware of or thinking about
long-term memory: the storage of information
over an extended period
working memory: the small amount of information
that can be held in mind and used in the execution
of cognitive tasks
visual encoding: the process of encoding images
and visual sensory information
acoustic encoding: the use of auditory stimuli or
hearing to implant memories
semantic encoding: the use of sensory input that
has a specific meaning or can be applied to a
context
mnemonics: any device or technique used to assist
memory, usually by forging a link or association
between the new information to be remembered and
information previously encoded
chunking: the process of taking individual pieces
of information and grouping them into larger units
amnesia: a form of memory loss
implicit memory: a form of long-term memory that
doesn't require conscious retrieval
explicit memory: a form of long-term memory that
involves the conscious recall of previously learned
information
recall: the act of retrieving information or events
from the past when lacking a specific cue to help in
retrieving the information
recognition: a form of remembering characterized
by a feeling of familiarity when something
previously experienced is again encountered
relearning: a way of measuring retention by
measuring how much faster one relearns material
that has been previously learned and then forgotten
priming: a technique in which the introduction of
one stimulus influences how people respond to a
subsequent stimulus
proactive interference: this occurs when old
learning interferes with new learning
retroactive interference: this occurs when new
learning interferes with old learning
repression: the exclusion of distressing memories,
thoughts, or feelings from the conscious mind
misinformation effect
cognition: the mental processes involved in gaining
knowledge and comprehension
algorithm: a defined set of step-by-step procedures
that provides the correct answer to a particular
problem
representativeness heuristic: a cognitive bias in
which an individual categorizes a situation based on
a pattern of previous experiences or beliefs about
the scenario
availability heuristic: a cognitive bias in which an
individual categorizes a situation based on how
easily an example, instance, or case comes to mind
insight: the sudden discovery of the correct solution
following incorrect attempts based on trial and error
confirmation bias: the tendency to process
information by looking for, or interpreting,
information that is consistent with one's existing
beliefs
fixation: the id's persistent focus of its
pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier stage of
psychosexual development
mental set: a frame of mind involving a model that
represents a problem, a problem context, or a
procedure for problem solving
intuition: immediate insight or perception
language semantics: the meanings of words, signs,
symbols, and the phrases that represent them
language syntax: the study of sentences and
phrases, or how people put words into the right
order so that they can communicate meaningfully
Unit 11 Terms/Concepts
intelligence: the ability to think, to learn from
experience, to solve problems, and to adapt to new
situations
factor analysis: a statistical procedure for
describing the interrelationships among a number of
observed variables
Savant syndrome: a rare condition where a person
of less than normal intelligence or severely limited
emotional range has prodigious intellectual gifts in
a specific area
emotional intelligence: the ability to perceive,
control, and evaluate emotions
mental age: a measure that expresses an
individual's mental level in terms of the number of
years it takes an average child to reach the same
level
Stanford-Binet: a cognitive ability and intelligence
test that is used to diagnose developmental or
intellectual deficiencies in young children
intelligence quotient: a standard measure of an
individual's intelligence level based on
psychological tests
achievement test: a standardized test that is
designed to measure an individual's level of
knowledge in a particular area
aptitude test: an standardized test that is designed
to measure a person's ability to acquire some
specific set of skills
standardization: consistency and objectivity of
how tests are administered and scored
normal curve: a frequency curve where most
occurrences take place in the middle of the
distribution and taper off on either side
content validity: the extent to which a test
measures a representative sample of the subject
matter or behavior under investigation
predictive validity: the extent to which a score on a
scale or test predicts scores on some criterion
measure