Here is a list of the critical vocabulary for the entire course, by section. These terms include both definitions and concepts from each chapter that you should be familiar with for quizzes and exams.
In other words, sometimes just copying down a definition is all you need, but sometimes it will be your understanding of how a concept works which will be tested.
History and Systems of Psychology
Psyche, psychology, mental processes, behaviour, nativism/empiricism, Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Interactive Dualism, Hobbes, Locke, Tabula Rasa, Paul Broca, Localization, Phrenology, von Helmholtz, Wundt, Titchener, Structuralism, component parts, consciousness, introspection, James, functionalism, adaptation, natural selection, behaviorism, Pavlov, Watson, Skinner, Mary Clover Jones, Nature vs. Nurture, Freud (Charcot, Janet, Breuer), hysteria, unconscious, Psychoanalysis, Humanistic Therapy, Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow, Cognitive Psychology, Gestalt Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Evolutionary Psychology, Social Psychology
Experimental Methods and Ethics
Goals of Psychology, The Scientific Method, hypothesis, theory, variables, operational definitions, descriptive design, experimental design, survey, case studies, correlational studies, correlation coefficient, causation, 3rd variable problem (extraneous variables, etc.), dependent/independent variables, groups/conditions (placebo, experimental, control), random sampling/selection, observer bias, demand characteristics, placebo effects, blind studies, reliability, internal/external validity, power, regression toward the mean, normal distribution, mean, median, mode, frequency distribution, statistical significance, standard deviation, ethical principles
Neuroscience and Behavior
Neurons, cell body, dendrite, axon, cell membrane, intra/inter-cellular matrix, glial cells, synapses, motor/sensory neurons, action potentials, ions, ion channels, resting potential, stimulus threshold, refractory period, polarization, depolarization, neurotransmitters, axon terminal, receptor sites, pre-synaptic/post-synaptic neuron, reuptake, enzyme deactivation, autoreceptors, excitatory, inhibitory, agonist, antagonist, acetylcholine, dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, glutamate, GABA, endorphins, central/peripheral/somatic/autonomic nervous systems, spinal ganglia, hind-/mid-/fore-brain, plasticity, neurogenesis, medulla, pons, cerebellum, contralateral organization, reticular formation/ARAS, tectum, tegmentum, cerebrum, cerebral cortex, sub-cortical structures, limbic system (hippocampus, basal ganglia, amygdala, nucleus accumbens) pituitary, hypothalamus, thalamus, occipital/parietal/frontal/temporal lobes, somatosensory cortex, prefrontal cortex, primary motor cortex, genes/chromosomes, epigenetics, heritability, lateralization of function, H.M., Phineas Gage, Paul Broca, Split-Brain Syndrome
Sensation and Perception
Sensation, sensory receptors, perception, transduction, absolute threshold, difference threshold/just noticeable difference, signal detection theory, mere exposure effect, sensory adaptation/habituation, vision, visible light spectrum, wavelength, amplitude, retina, photoreceptors, accommodation, lens, rods, cones, fovea, blind spot, optic nerve, primary visual cortex, visual association areas, dorsal and ventral pathways, tri-chromatic and opponent-process theories of color vision, binding problem, perceptual constancy, figure-ground separation, monocular and binocular depth cues, audition, cilia, frequency/pitch, amplitude/volume, pinna, ear canal, ear drum, ossicles, cochlea, basilar membrane, place/frequency theory, primary auditor cortex, conduction/nerve deafness, olfaction and gustation, olfactory bulb, taste buds, pacinian corpuscles, thermoreceptors, somatosensory cortex, nocireceptors, a-delta and C fibers, substance P, gate-control theory, endorphins, vestibulation, proprioreception.
Variations of Consciousness
Consciousness, attention, focus, intention, circadian rhythms, suprachiasmatic nucleus, melatonin, pineal gland, hypnagogic hallucinations, stages of sleep, NREM, REM sleep, Freud, Manifest/Latent Content, activation/synthesis model, neurocognitive model, dyssomnias, parasomnias, insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, parasomnias, sleep terrors, somnambulism, REM sleep behavior disorder, hypnosis, meditation, neodissociation theory, suggestibility, hypnotic suggestion, withdrawal, dependence, tolerance, addiction, depressants, opiods, stimulants, psychadelics/hallucinogens, dissociatives/anaesthetics,
Learning and Conditioning
Conditioning, classical conditioning, association, neutral/unconditioned/conditioned stimulus, unconditioned/conditioned response, aquisition phase, second-order conditioning, extinction, spontaneous recovery, systematic desensitization, counter-conditioning, total immersion, stimulus generalization/discrimination, Pavlov, Watson, Little Albert, reliable signals, expectations, cerebellum, biological preparedness, taste aversion, operant conditioning, reinforcement, antecedent, behavior, consequence, law of effect, Skinner, positive/negative punishment, positive/negative reinforcement, schedules of reinforcement, variable ratio, shaping, aversive/avoidance conditioning, token economies, behavioral modification, observational learning, vicarious reinforcement, modellign, nucleus accumbens, medial forebrain bundle, mirror neurons
Memory and Forgetting
Information processing model, encoding, storage, retrieval, visual/semantic/auditory encoding, encoding specificity, sensory memory, short-term memory, sensory register, maintenance rehearsal, chunking, elaborative rehearsal, consolidation, reconsolidation, long-term memory, hippocampus, cues, state-dependent, retrieval, mood congruence, long-term potentiation, explicit/implicit memory, episodic/semantic memory, retrospective and prospective memory, muscle memory, forgetting, decay, forgetting curve, suppression, repression, interference, misattribution, source confusion, suggestibility, amnesia, fugue, dementia, imagination inflation
Language and Cognition
Language, phonemes, morphemes, phonological rules, phonological distinction, content/functional morphemes, semantics, grammar/syntax, fast-mapping, language acquisition device, passive mastery, behavioral theory, nativist theory, interactionist theory, Genie and Isabella, genetic dysphasia, Wernicke’s and Broca’s aphasias, linguistic relativity, concepts, natural/formal concepts, necessary/sufficient conditions, prototypes, exemplars, rational choice theory, frequency format hypothesis, availability/representative heuristics, conjunction and sunk-cost fallacies, prospect theory, pre-frontal cortex, algorithms, fixation, functional fixedness, belief and confirmation bias, gambler’s fallacy
Intelligence and Intelligence Testing
Intelligence, adaptation, aptitude, achievement, Simon/Binet, natural intelligence, mental age, chronological age, ratio IQ, Spearman, “g”, Thurstone, primary mental abilities, three-level hierarchy, fluid and crystalized intelligence, Sternberg, tri-archic theory, Gardner, Savantism, heritability, twin studies, phenotype, genotype, epigenetics, norm of reaction, stereotype threat
Motivation and Emotion
Emotions, physiological arousal, psychological activation, subjective experience, valence, social activation, negative reinforcement, avoidance conditioning, James-Lange, facial feedback hypothesis, Cannon-Bard, Schachter-Singer, fast/direct and slow/indirect pathway, basic emotions, display rules, cultural contexts, motivation, instincts, William James, adaptation, evolution, learned and un-learned behaviors, drives, homeostasis, tension reduction, tension, resolution, arousal, optimal level, incentives, intrinsic/extrinsic motivation, hierarchy of needs, self-actualization, autonomy, security, self-concept, self-determination, competence, relatedness, internalization, intrinsic motivation, achievement
Lifespan Development
Prenatal factors, genetics, chromosomes, genes, alleles, autosomes, sex chromosomes, genotype, phenotype, epigenetics, transgenerational epigenetics, norm of reaction, teratogens, Piaget,cognitive development, sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete operational, formal operational, assimilation/accommodation, schemas, object permanence, symbolic thought/semiotics, egocentrism, theory of mind conservation, reversibility, Lev Vygotsky, zone of proximal development, internal plan, social press, attachment, Harlow, Ainsworth, secure base, strange situation, secure/avoidant/ambivalent, internal working model, temperament, parent response style, Kohlberg, internalization/identification, pre-conventional, conventional, post-conventional, psychosocial development, Erik Erikson
Personality
Personality, psychoanalytic/psychodynamic, Freud, unconscious, childhood experiences, id, ego, superego,parapraxis, free association, catharsis, libido/thanatos/eros, pleasure principle, reality principle, morality principle, defense mechanisms, psychosexual stages, erogenous zones, fixations, neo-freudians, Carl Jung, collective unconscious, archetypes, move to wholeness, introverts and extraverts, Horney, basic anxiety, moving toward/away from/against, Adler, inferiority/superiority, complexes/overcompensation, Humanistic Personality, self-concept, self-esteem, self-actualizing, conditional/unconditional regard, incongruence, socio-cognitive theory, self-regulation, reciprocal determinism, Bandura, self-efficacy, locus of control, explanatory styles, traits, surface and source traits, Allport, Cattell, Eysenck, 5-Factor Theory, Conscientiousness, openness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism, psychoticism, MBTI
Stress and Coping
Stress, cognitive appraisal model, stressors, daily hassles, burnout, fight-or-flight response, catecholamines, corticosteroids, general adaptation syndrome, telomeres, Martin Seligman, optimistic/pessimistic explanatory styles, Hans Selye, Type A behavior, social support, problem-focused/emotion-focused coping
Social Psychology
Solomon Asch, social psychology, sense of self, social cognition and social influence, person perception, social norms, explicit/implicit cognition, Milgram, implicit personality theory, attribution, fundamental attribution error, blaming the victim, hindsight bias, just-world hypothesis, self-serving bias, Kitty Genovese, attitude, cognitive dissonance, Zimbardo, prejudice, stereotype, in-group and out-group, homogeneity, in-group bias, ethnocentrism, implicit attitudes, conformity, normative and informational social influence, obedience, altruism, bystander effect, diffusion of responsibility
Gender and Sexuality
Sex, gender, sexual orientation, karyotype, orthogonal, SRY gene, androgens, sex differentiation, puberty, primary sex characteristics, secondary sex characteristics, secular growth trend, menarche, intersex, congenital adrenal hypoplasia, Kleinfelter syndrome, male pseudo-hermaphroditism, gender identity, gender roles, David Reimer, Social Learning Theory, Gender Schema Theory, gender typing, modelling, identification, transgender, Gender Identity Disorder and Gender Dysphoria (how are these different?), ego-dystonic homosexuality and sexual orientation disturbance (old DSM diagnostic categories), sexual response cycle, orgasm, oxytocin, tension reduction, sexual dysfunction, paraphilias
Abnormal Psychology
Normal vs. abnormal behavior, definitions of abnormality, norm, DSM, neurodevelopmental disorders, autism, PDD, childhood disintegrative disorder, somatic symptoms/illness anxiety disorder, tourette’s disorder, pyro/kleptomania, OCD, conduct disorder, antisocial personality disorder, anxiety disorders, generalized anxiety, panic attacks, triple vulnerabilities model, phobias, negative reinforcement, PTSD, major depressive episode, mania, hypomania, dysthymia, Bipolar disorder, cyclothymia, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, ego-dystonic/ego-syntonic disorders, dissociative disorders (amnesia/fugue, identity disorder), schizoid/schizotypal/dependent/narcissistic/borderline/paranoid personality disorder, schizophrenia, positive symptoms, negative symptoms, delusions, hallucinations, flat affect, catatonia
Therapeutic Methods
Psychotherapies, psychoanalysis, free association, catharsis, transference, resistance, short-term psychodynamic therapies, client-centered therapy, unconditional positive regard, empathic understanding, behavioral modification, counterconditioning, systematic desensitization, progressive relaxation, anxiety hierarchy, aversive conditioning, avoidance conditioning, total immersion, reinforcement, cognitive therapies, rational-emotive therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, biomedical therapies, antipsychotic medications, benzodiazepenes, barbituates, lithium, antidepressants
General Psychology 