Ap Psych- Unit 5 Vocab Quiz Cumulative Review

a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items (called factors) on a test; used to identify different dimensions of performance that underlie a person's total score.

in a language, a system of rules that enables us to communicate with and understand others

beginning at about 4 months, the stage of speech development in which the infant spontaneously utters various sounds at first unrelated to the household language

the stage in speech development, from about age 1 to 2, during which a child speaks mostly in single words

beginning about age 2, the stage in speech development during which a child speaks mostly two-word statements

early speech stage in which a child speaks like a telegram - go car"- using mostly nouns and verbs

a language disorder caused by damage in a specific area of the brain that controls language expression and comprehension. Aphasia leaves a person unable to communicate effectively with others.

Whorf's hypothesis that language determines the way we think

the idea that language affects thought

the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations

according to Spearman and others, underlies specific mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on an intelligence test

estimating term-the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory; if instances come readily to mind (perhaps because of their vividness), we presume such events are common

judging the likelihood of things in terms of how well they seem to represent, or math, particular prototypes; may lead us to ignore other relevant information

our spoken, written, or signed words and the ways we combine them to communicate meaning

in language, the smallest distinctive sound unit

in a language, the smallest unit that carries meaning; may be a word or a part of a word (such as a prefix)

a condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional specific skill, such as in computation or drawing

passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals

the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions

a method for assessing an individual's mental aptitudes and comparing them with those of others, using numerical scores

a test designed to assess what a person has learned

a test designed to predict a person's future performance; aptitude is the capacity to learn

a measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet; the chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level of performance

the widely used American revision (by Terman at Stanford University) of Binet's original intelligence test.

defined originally as the ratio of mental age (ma) to chronological age (ca) multiplied by 100 [thus, IQ = (ma/ca) x 100]. On contemporary intelligence tests, the average performance for a given age is assigned a score of 100.

the WAIS is the most widely used intelligence test; contains verbal and performance (nonverbal) subtests

defining uniform testing procedures and meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a pretested group

A symmetrical, bell-shape that describes the distribution of many types of data; most scores fall near the mean (68 percent fall within one standard deviation of it) and fewer and fewer near the extremes.

the extent to which a test yields consistent results, as assessed by the consistency of scores on two halves of the test, on alternate forms of the test, or on retesting

the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to

the extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest

The success with which a test predicts the behavior it is designed to predict; it is assessed by computing the correlation between test scores and the criterion behavior.

a group of people sharing a common characteristic

our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age

our ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood

research that compares people of different ages at the same point in time

research that follows and retests the same people over time

a condition of limited mental ability, indicated by an intelligence score of 70 or below and difficulty in adapting to the demands of life; varies from mild to profound

a condition of mild to severe intellectual disability and associated physical disorders caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21

the genetic transfer of characteristics from parents to offspring

a self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype

The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied

In an experiment, the outcome that is measured; the variable that may change when the IV is manipulated

A clear and detailed statement about how exactly data collected from the variables will be measured; allows for accurate replication

A measure of the extent to which two factors are related to each other, and thus how well either factor predicts the other; often shown by naturalistic observation or surveys

Assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between groups (equalizes groups)

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

In an experiment, the group exposed to the treatment (to one version of the independent variable)

In an experiment, the group not exposed to the treatment; contrasts with the experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment

Neural structure lying below the thalamus in the limbic system; it plays a direct role in drives (eating, drinking, body temperature, sex drive), helps govern the endocrine system through the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion, pleasure, and reward

Located at the top of the brainstem, it is the brain's sensory control center ("sensory switchboard"); it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla

A neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

Division of the ANS that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy ("fight or flight")

Division of the ANS that calms the body, conserving its energy ("rest and digest")

A molecule (drug or other chemical) that increases a neurotransmitter's action; may increase the production of a neurotransmitter or block reuptake

A molecule (drug or other chemical) that inhibits or blocks a neurotransmitter's action; may block the receptor site on the dendrite

Retention of learned skills or classically conditioned associations independent of conscious recollection (also called nondeclarative memory)

Retention of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare" (also called declarative memory)

The forward-acting disruptive effect of older learning on the recall of new information (old interferes with new)

The backward-acting disruptive effect of newer learning on the recall of old information (new interferes with old)

A momentary sensory memory of visual stimuli; a picture-image memory lasting no more than a few tenths of a second

A momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli; if attention is elsewhere, sounds and words can still be recalled within 3 or 4 seconds

Our tendency, when we are an observer analyzing other's behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition

The loss of self- awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity

The mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives

The tendency for group views to become more extreme than the individuals in the group following discussion within the group

Helps control language expression - an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech

A brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe

The theory that we explain someone's behavior by crediting either either the situation or the person's disposition