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Names to Know for the AP Psychology Test
The AP Psychology exam covers numerous psychologists and researchers whose work has significantly contributed to our understanding of the human mind and behavior. This guide focuses on the most commonly tested names organized by their major contributions to the field.
Foundations of Psychology
- Wilhelm Wundt Established the first psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany in 1879. Considered the father of psychology and founded structuralism, which focused on breaking down mental processes into their basic components through introspection.
- William James American psychologist who founded functionalism, which focused on how mental activities helped an organism adapt to its environment. Wrote "The Principles of Psychology" in 1890, a seminal work in the field.
- Sigmund Freud Austrian neurologist who founded psychoanalysis. Proposed the unconscious mind, psychosexual stages of development, id-ego-superego structure of personality, and defense mechanisms. His work forms the basis of psychodynamic psychology.
- John B. Watson Founded behaviorism, emphasizing observable behavior rather than mental processes. Famous for his "Little Albert" experiment demonstrating classical conditioning of fear.
- B.F. Skinner Developed operant conditioning theory, focusing on how consequences shape behavior. Created the Skinner box to study operant conditioning. Introduced concepts of reinforcement schedules, shaping, and behavior modification.
Research Methods in Psychology
- Stanley Milgram Conducted controversial experiments on obedience to authority, finding that ordinary people were willing to administer what they believed were painful electric shocks to others when instructed by an authority figure. His work raised important ethical questions about psychological research.
- Philip Zimbardo Directed the Stanford Prison Experiment, demonstrating how social roles and situational factors could dramatically influence behavior. The study simulated a prison environment and showed how quickly normal people could adopt abusive behaviors when placed in positions of power.
- Solomon Asch Studied conformity through experiments where individuals gave obviously incorrect answers to match a group consensus. Demonstrated the power of social pressure on individual judgment.
Biological Psychology
- Roger Sperry Conducted split-brain research, showing that the two hemispheres of the brain have specialized functions. His work earned him the Nobel Prize in 1981 and increased our understanding of brain lateralization.
- Paul Broca Identified Broca's area, a region in the frontal lobe associated with speech production. Patients with damage to this area could understand language but had difficulty producing speech.
- Carl Wernicke Identified Wernicke's area, a region in the temporal lobe important for language comprehension. Patients with damage to this area could produce fluent speech but had difficulty understanding language and producing meaningful content.
- Phineas Gage A railroad worker who had a metal rod driven through his frontal lobe in an accident became a famous case study. His survival with personality changes provided early evidence that specific brain areas are associated with personality and behavior.
- Hans Selye Developed the general adaptation syndrome (GAS) model describing the body's response to stress. Identified three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
Sensation and Perception
- Ernst Weber Formulated Weber's Law, stating that the difference threshold (just noticeable difference) is a constant proportion of the magnitude of the stimulus, not a fixed amount.
- Gustav Fechner Developed psychophysics, studying the relationship between physical stimuli and psychological sensations. Formulated Fechner's Law relating the magnitude of sensation to the logarithm of stimulus intensity.
- Max Wertheimer One of the founders of Gestalt psychology, emphasizing that the whole is different from the sum of its parts. Contributed to understanding perception and problem-solving.
- Wolfgang Khler Gestalt psychologist known for his work on insight learning through experiments with chimpanzees. Demonstrated that problem-solving could involve sudden understanding rather than trial-and-error.
Learning
- Ivan Pavlov Discovered classical conditioning while studying digestion in dogs. His work demonstrated that neutral stimuli could trigger conditioned responses through association with unconditioned stimuli.
- Edward Thorndike Developed the Law of Effect, stating that behaviors followed by satisfying consequences tend to be repeated, while those followed by unpleasant consequences tend not to be repeated. His work with puzzle boxes laid groundwork for behaviorism.
- B.F. Skinner Developed operant conditioning theory, focusing on how consequences shape behavior. Created the Skinner box to study operant conditioning. Introduced concepts of reinforcement schedules, shaping, and behavior modification.
- Albert Bandura Pioneered social learning theory/observational learning. Through the Bobo doll experiments, demonstrated that people can learn behaviors by watching others. Introduced concepts of self-efficacy and reciprocal determinism.
Memory
- Hermann Ebbinghaus Pioneered the experimental study of memory. Discovered the forgetting curve, showing that most forgetting occurs rapidly after learning. Developed nonsense syllables to study pure memory processes without prior associations.
- Elizabeth Loftus Studied reconstructive memory and eyewitness testimony. Demonstrated that memories can be altered through suggestive questioning, exposing the malleability of human memory.
- George Miller Proposed that short-term memory can hold approximately 7 (plus or minus 2) items. Introduced the concept of chunking to increase short-term memory capacity.
- Endel Tulving Distinguished between episodic and semantic memory and later procedural memory. His work improved our understanding of different memory systems and how they function.
Cognition and Intelligence
- Jean Piaget Developed stage theory of cognitive development, proposing that children progress through four stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. Introduced concepts of schemas, assimilation, and accommodation.
- Lev Vygotsky Proposed sociocultural theory of cognitive development, emphasizing the role of social interaction and cultural tools in mental development. Introduced the concept of the zone of proximal development.
- Noam Chomsky Proposed that humans have an innate language acquisition device (LAD) and universal grammar. Criticized behaviorist accounts of language development, arguing that children rapidly master complex linguistic rules.
- Lawrence Kohlberg Developed a stage theory of moral development with three levels (preconventional, conventional, postconventional) each containing two stages. His research built on Piaget's work on moral reasoning.
- Howard Gardner Proposed the theory of multiple intelligences, suggesting there are at least eight distinct types of intelligence rather than a single general intelligence. This challenged traditional IQ testing approaches.
- Robert Sternberg Developed the triarchic theory of intelligence, proposing three components: analytical, creative, and practical intelligence. Also proposed the triangular theory of love.
Developmental Psychology
- Erik Erikson Developed a psychosocial theory of development covering the entire lifespan, proposing eight stages characterized by different psychological crises that must be successfully resolved.
- Harry Harlow Conducted attachment studies with rhesus monkeys, showing that contact comfort was more important than food in attachment formation. His work challenged behaviorist theories of attachment.
- Konrad Lorenz Studied imprinting in animals, particularly ducks and geese. Demonstrated that there are critical periods in development when certain attachments must be formed.
- Mary Ainsworth Developed the Strange Situation procedure to assess attachment quality in infants. Identified three main attachment styles: secure, anxious-ambivalent, and avoidant.
Personality
- Carl Jung Developed analytical psychology, introducing concepts such as collective unconscious, archetypes, introversion/extraversion, and individuation. Initially a follower of Freud but later developed his own theories.
- Alfred Adler Founded individual psychology, emphasizing the importance of feelings of inferiority (inferiority complex) and the drive for superiority. Introduced concepts of birth order effects and lifestyle.
- Karen Horney Critiqued Freud's theories from a female perspective, rejecting the concept of penis envy. Emphasized the role of basic anxiety in personality development.
- Carl Rogers Developed client-centered therapy and person-centered approach. Emphasized unconditional positive regard, empathy, and genuineness in therapy. Introduced the concept of the fully functioning person.
- Abraham Maslow Developed humanistic psychology and created the hierarchy of needs theory, proposing that basic physiological needs must be met before higher-level psychological needs can be addressed. Introduced the concept of self-actualization.
- Walter Mischel Challenged the trait theory of personality by demonstrating that behavior varies across situations more than stable personality traits would predict. Proposed cognitive-affective personality system theory.
Psychological Disorders and Treatment
- Aaron Beck Developed cognitive therapy, creating the cognitive triad model of depression and identifying cognitive distortions. His work forms the basis of cognitive-behavioral therapy.
- Albert Ellis Developed rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT), emphasizing how irrational beliefs lead to emotional disturbances. Proposed the ABC model (Activating event, Beliefs, Consequences).
- Martin Seligman Developed learned helplessness theory through experiments with dogs. Later became the father of positive psychology, focusing on human strengths and flourishing rather than just pathology.
- David Rosenhan Conducted the famous "Being Sane in Insane Places" study, showing how diagnostic labels can affect how people are perceived and treated in mental health settings. Raised questions about psychiatric diagnosis reliability.
Study Tips for Remembering These Names
- Create flashcards with the psychologist's name on one side and their contributions on the other.
- Group psychologists by their theoretical perspective or research area.
- Create visual timelines showing when different psychologists worked relative to each other.
- Associate names with key concepts through mnemonic devices.
- Practice identifying psychologists from brief descriptions of their theories, as this is how questions often appear on the exam.
- When reading about experiments, note both the researcher's name AND what they found both are important for the AP exam.
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