Study materials›AP Psychology›Unit 2: Cognition
🧩AP PSYCHOLOGY STUDY GUIDE

Unit 2: Cognition

Study perception, memory, thinking, intelligence, and language for AP Psychology Unit 2.

8 key ideas8 flashcards5 practice questions
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EXAM SCOPE15% to 25% of the multiple-choice section

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Checked against College Board AP Psychology framework ↗
MEMORY TEST

Retrieval beats another passive reading.

read once

build an initial memory trace

close the source

answer without looking

check and return

correct errors, then try later

SMART NOTES

Key ideas to know

Start with the relationships between ideas. Then close the notes and explain each one from memory.

  1. 01

    Selective attention directs limited processing toward some input while other input receives less processing.

  2. 02

    Gestalt principles describe how people group sensory information into organized patterns.

  3. 03

    Encoding, storage, and retrieval are distinct memory processes.

  4. 04

    Working memory holds and manipulates a limited amount of information.

  5. 05

    Retrieval practice and spaced sessions produce stronger retention than repeated rereading.

  6. 06

    Heuristics reduce decision time but can produce predictable errors.

  7. 07

    Intelligence tests require consistent scoring and evidence that scores measure the stated construct.

  8. 08

    Language uses sounds, rules, and meaning to communicate thought.

PART OF THE AP PSYCHOLOGY GUIDE

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COMMON MIX-UPS

Two ideas worth correcting now

NOT QUITE

Memory stores an exact copy of an event

→
USE THIS INSTEAD

Recall reconstructs an event from stored details, expectations, and later information.

NOT QUITE

Multitasking gives full attention to two hard tasks

→
USE THIS INSTEAD

People often switch attention rapidly, which adds time and raises error rates.

ACTIVE RECALL

Flashcards

Answer before opening each card. The effort to retrieve is part of the learning.

1What is selective attention?Show answer ＋

Focusing conscious awareness on a limited part of available input.

2What is the spacing effect?Show answer ＋

Stronger retention when practice is distributed across time.

3What is proactive interference?Show answer ＋

Older learning disrupts recall of newer information.

4What is the availability heuristic?Show answer ＋

Estimating likelihood from how easily examples come to mind.

5What does standardization do in testing?Show answer ＋

It establishes consistent administration and comparison procedures.

6What is a schema?Show answer ＋

A mental framework used to organize and interpret information.

7What is confirmation bias?Show answer ＋

Favoring information that fits an existing belief.

8What is a morpheme?Show answer ＋

The smallest language unit that carries meaning.

PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Explain it in your own words

Use the answer as a check after you have written or spoken your response.

01Why can eyewitness memory differ from a recording?

Memory is reconstructed, so later wording, expectations, and new information can alter recall.

02How can a student use retrieval practice?

Close the source, answer from memory, check the answer, and return later to missed material.

03Why can an algorithm be slower than a heuristic?

An algorithm tests a defined procedure or many options, while a heuristic uses a faster rule of thumb.

04How can context affect perception?

Prior expectations and surrounding cues influence how sensory input is interpreted.

05Why must an intelligence test be both reliable and valid?

Scores must be consistent, and the test must measure the intended ability.

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