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AP Psychology Study Guide

Welcome to Elevate AP Exams! In this study guide, we will go into depth about the key topics and concepts in AP Psychology, ensuring you are fully prepared for the Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs) and Free-Response Questions (FRQs) sections of the exam.

The AP Psychology exam consists of two sections:

  • Section I: Multiple-Choice Questions (66.7% of Exam Score)
    This section contains 100 questions covering all the key topics in the curriculum.
  • Section II: Free-Response Questions (33.3% of Exam Score)
    This section contains 2 questions where you will need to apply your knowledge of psychological concepts to real-world scenarios, demonstrate critical thinking, and show a deep understanding of the subject.

Key Topics and Concepts in AP Psychology

1. History and Approaches in Psychology

  • Early Influences: Understand the major historical figures in psychology, including Wilhelm Wundt (father of psychology), William James (founder of functionalism), and Sigmund Freud (founder of psychoanalysis). Understand how their theories laid the groundwork for modern psychology.
  • Major Schools of Thought:
    • Structuralism (Wundt): Focused on breaking down mental processes into their most basic components.
    • Functionalism (James): Concerned with how mental and behavioral processes function to help individuals adapt to their environments.
    • Psychoanalysis (Freud): Focused on the unconscious mind and its influence on behavior.
    • Behaviorism (Watson, Skinner): Emphasized observable behavior and the role of the environment in shaping it.
    • Humanism (Maslow, Rogers): Stressed the importance of personal growth, self-actualization, and the holistic view of the individual.
    • Cognitive Psychology: Focused on internal mental processes like perception, memory, and problem-solving.
    • Biological Psychology: Explored how biology (e.g., the brain, neurotransmitters) affects behavior.
  • Contemporary Perspectives: Understand the modern approaches like biopsychology, cognitive neuroscience, behavior genetics, and the integration of the biological and psychological approaches.

2. Research Methods

  • Scientific Method: Understand the steps of the scientific method and how it is used in psychological research to formulate hypotheses, conduct experiments, and analyze results.
  • Types of Research:
    • Descriptive Research: Includes case studies, naturalistic observation, and surveys. Understand the strengths and limitations of each.
    • Correlational Research: Learn about correlation coefficients (positive, negative, and zero correlation) and the concept that correlation does not imply causation.
    • Experimental Research: Understand the steps in conducting an experiment, including operational definitions, independent and dependent variables, control groups, and random assignment.
  • Ethical Guidelines: Learn the importance of ethics in research, including informed consent, confidentiality, and debriefing.

3. Biological Bases of Behavior

  • Neurobiology: Understand the structure and function of the neurons, including the axon, dendrites, myelin sheath, and synapses. Learn how action potentials work, and how neurotransmitters (e.g., dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine) affect behavior.
  • Brain Structures and Functions:
    • Cerebral Cortex: Includes lobes such as the frontal lobe (reasoning, planning), temporal lobe (auditory perception), parietal lobe (sensory processing), and occipital lobe (vision).
    • Limbic System: Key structures like the amygdala (emotion processing) and hippocampus (memory).
    • Brainstem: Structures like the medulla (vital functions), pons (sleep), and reticular formation (alertness).
  • Endocrine System: Understand how hormones secreted by glands (e.g., pituitary, adrenal) affect behavior and emotions.
  • Neuroplasticity and Brain Adaptation: Learn how the brain can adapt and reorganize itself after injury, a concept called neuroplasticity.

4. Sensation and Perception

  • Sensation: The process of detecting physical stimuli from the environment (e.g., light, sound, pressure) through sensory receptors (e.g., eyes, ears, skin).
  • Perception: The process by which the brain organizes and interprets sensory information to create meaningful experiences.
  • Theories of Perception:
    • Gestalt Psychology: Understanding how people perceive objects as whole, organized patterns (e.g., proximity, similarity, closure).
    • Bottom-up vs. Top-down Processing: Bottom-up processing begins with sensory input, while top-down processing uses prior knowledge and expectations.
  • Thresholds:
    • Absolute Threshold: The smallest amount of a stimulus that can be detected.
    • Difference Threshold (Just Noticeable Difference): The smallest difference between two stimuli that can be detected.
  • Visual and Auditory Perception: Learn how we process stimuli like light waves and sound waves, and how the visual system (e.g., retina, fovea) and auditory system (e.g., cochlea) work.

5. States of Consciousness

  • Sleep: Understand the stages of sleep, including NREM sleep (stages 1-3) and REM sleep. Learn about the sleep cycle, circadian rhythms, and sleep disorders (e.g., insomnia, narcolepsy, sleep apnea).
  • Dreams: Theories about why we dream, including Freud’s psychoanalytic theory and activation-synthesis theory.
  • Hypnosis and Meditation: Learn how hypnosis works, and its uses in therapy. Understand the psychological benefits of meditation and mindfulness.
  • Drugs and Consciousness: Study the effects of psychoactive drugs (e.g., stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens) and how they alter mood, perception, and behavior.

6. Learning

  • Classical Conditioning (Pavlov): Understand the process of learning through associations. Be able to explain key terms such as unconditioned stimulus (UCS), conditioned stimulus (CS), unconditioned response (UCR), and conditioned response (CR).
  • Operant Conditioning (Skinner): Learn how behavior is shaped through reinforcement and punishment. Understand terms like reinforcers (positive, negative), punishers (positive, negative), and shaping.
  • Observational Learning (Bandura): Study how individuals learn by observing others, and the role of models in behavior. Learn about Bandura’s Bobo doll experiment.

7. Cognition

  • Memory: Understand the process of encoding, storing, and retrieving information. Study different types of memory: sensory memory, short-term memory (working memory), and long-term memory. Learn about chunking, mneumonics, and forgetting (e.g., decay, interference).
  • Thinking and Problem Solving: Study different types of thinking such as convergent thinking and divergent thinking, and the role of heuristics and algorithms in problem-solving.
  • Language: Learn about language acquisition and stages (e.g., babbling, telegraphic speech), and the role of Noam Chomsky’s theory of an innate language acquisition device.

8. Developmental Psychology

  • Prenatal Development and Infancy: Understand stages of prenatal development (e.g., zygote, embryo, fetus) and the effects of teratogens on development.
  • Cognitive and Social Development: Study Piaget’s stages of cognitive development (sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational) and Erikson’s psychosocial stages of development (e.g., trust vs. mistrust, identity vs. role confusion).
  • Adolescence, Adulthood, and Aging: Study key milestones and challenges in these stages of life, such as identity formation in adolescence and generativity vs. stagnation in middle adulthood.

9. Motivation and Emotion

  • Motivation Theories: Learn about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, drive-reduction theory, incentive theory, and the role of intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation.
  • Emotion: Study the James-Lange theory, Cannon-Bard theory, and Schachter-Singer theory of emotion. Understand the physiological and psychological components of emotion.

10. Personality

  • Theories of Personality: Study Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, humanistic theory (e.g., Maslow, Rogers), trait theory, and social-cognitive theory.
  • Personality Assessments: Learn about projective tests (e.g., Rorschach inkblot test) and self-report inventories (e.g., MMPI, Big Five personality traits).

11. Psychological Disorders and Therapy

  • Psychological Disorders: Study the diagnostic criteria and symptoms for disorders like anxiety disorders, mood disorders, schizophrenia, and personality disorders.
  • Therapy: Learn about psychotherapy approaches like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), humanistic therapy, and psychoanalysis. Understand the role of medication in treating psychological disorders.

This in-depth breakdown will guide you through every crucial aspect of AP Psychology. As you study, engage with these topics critically to help you prepare for both the MCQs and FRQs on the exam.