Core psychology terms and theories tested on the CLEP Introductory Psychology exam. Front: the term or theory. Back: a plain-language definition.
40 cards · basic cards · AI-written, checked twice. Edit anything.
- Operant conditioning
- Learning in which behavior is strengthened or weakened by the consequences that follow it, such as rewards or punishments.
- Classical conditioning
- Learning that occurs when a neutral stimulus is paired repeatedly with an unconditioned stimulus, causing the neutral stimulus to elicit a conditioned response.
- Reinforcement
- A consequence that increases the likelihood that a behavior will be repeated in the future.
- Punishment
- A consequence that decreases the likelihood that a behavior will be repeated in the future.
- Extinction
- The weakening and eventual disappearance of a conditioned response when the reinforcement or pairing is no longer provided.
- Neurotransmitter
- A chemical messenger released by one neuron that crosses the synapse and affects the activity of another neuron.
- Synapse
- The tiny gap between the axon terminal of one neuron and the dendrite of another neuron, where neural communication occurs.
- Action potential
- A rapid change in the electrical potential across a neuron membrane, allowing the neuron to transmit signals over long distances.
- Hemispheric lateralization
- The specialization of different functions in the left and right cerebral hemispheres, such as language typically being left-dominant.
- Encoding
- The process of converting sensory information into a form that can be stored and retrieved from memory.
- Storage
- The process of maintaining information in memory over time after it has been encoded.
- Retrieval
- The process of accessing and recalling information that has been stored in memory.
- Working memory
- A limited-capacity memory system that temporarily holds and manipulates information currently being used, lasting seconds to minutes.
- Long-term memory
- A memory system with essentially unlimited capacity that can store information for years or even a lifetime.
- Semantic memory
- Memory for facts, concepts, and the meanings of words, independent of the context in which the information was learned.