AP Psychology study guide
AP Psychology · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
AP Psychology is an Advanced Placement course and exam administered by the College Board. It is designed to be equivalent to a one-semester, introductory college psychology course, and the College Board lists no recommended prerequisites. The course asks students to connect psychological concepts and theories to real-life scenarios, understand and interpret data, and analyze research studies. Content is organized into five units: Biological Bases of Behavior, Cognition, Development and Learning, Social Psychology and Personality, and Mental and Physical Health; each unit accounts for 15%–25% of the exam score. Topics on this exam: Biological Bases of Behavior, Cognition, Development and Learning, Social Psychology and Personality, and Mental and Physical Health. The AP Psychology study guide has 5 sections and about 1,433 words.
01Biological Bases of Behavior
This domain links nervous system structure to behavior. Be able to describe neurons (dendrites receive, axons transmit, myelin speeds conduction, terminal buttons release neurotransmitters across the synapse ). inhibitory signals and that a neuron fires when threshold is reached (all-or-none). Distinguish agonists (mimic or enhance a neurotransmitter) from antagonists (block it).
304 words, about 2 min02Cognition
Cognition covers attention, memory, language, problem solving, and decision making. For memory , know the three-stage model : sensory memory (brief, iconic/echoic), short-term/working memory (limited capacity, ~7±2 chunks, ~20 seconds without rehearsal), and long-term memory (effectively unlimited). Distinguish explicit (declarative; episodic and semantic) from implicit (procedural, priming) memory. Know encoding, storage, retrieval and phenomena like the serial position effect (primacy and recency), spacing effect , context-dependent and state-dependent memory, and interference (proactive: old disrupts new; retroactive: new disrupts old).
273 words, about 1 min03Development and Learning
Development spans physical, cognitive, and social change. Know Piaget's stages : sensorimotor (object permanence), preoperational (egocentrism, lack of conservation), concrete operational (conservation, logical thought about concrete things), formal operational (abstract reasoning). Distinguish assimilation (fit new info into existing schema) from accommodation (change schema). Know attachment styles (secure, insecure-avoidant, insecure-anxious/ambivalent) and parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, neglectful); authoritative is generally linked to the best outcomes.
291 words, about 1 min04Social Psychology and Personality
Social psychology studies how situations shape behavior. Know attribution (internal vs. external) and the fundamental attribution error (overweighting disposition, underweighting situation when judging others). Understand cognitive dissonance (tension from conflicting cognitions, reduced by changing beliefs or behavior) and self-serving bias .
270 words, about 1 min05Mental and Physical Health
This domain covers psychological disorders, treatment, stress, and health. Use the DSM framework: disorders are defined by patterns of symptoms causing distress or impairment, not by a single symptom. Know major categories: anxiety disorders (generalized anxiety, panic disorder, phobias, OCD), mood disorders (major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder), schizophrenia (positive symptoms like hallucinations/delusions; negative symptoms like flat affect), and personality disorders (e.g., antisocial, borderline). Distinguish hallucinations (perception without stimulus) from delusions (false beliefs).
295 words, about 1 min