Welcome to the AP Psychology Self-Study Hub
This page helps students learn and review AP Psychology in a clear, structured, and accessible way. The materials are organized according to the official AP Psychology units and include video lessons, summary explanations, key terms, and practice questions to support your learning.
You can use this page to preview upcoming topics, reinforce classroom learning, or prepare independently for the AP Psychology exam. For best results, work through the units in order and actively engage with the review materials after watching each lesson.
Psychology explores how humans think, feel, and behave. Understanding these concepts not only helps with exam success but also provides valuable insight into everyday life.
The topics of the AP Psychology Exam are divided into the next five broad units. Each unit includes a number of more specific topics.
UNIT 1: Biological Bases of Behavior
UNIT 2: Cognition
UNIT 3: Development and Learning
UNIT 4: Social Psychology and Personality
UNIT 5: Mental and Physical Health
Besides these five units, a topic called “Science Practices” receives a lot of attention in the exam. This topic is referred to as Research Methods and Statistics in most college level Introduction to Psychology courses. The science practices form the basis of tasks on the AP Psychology Exam. They are emphasized especially in the Free Response Questions (FRQs).
๐ Science Practices and Research Methods
This background unit introduces the scientific methods psychologists use to investigate questions about human thought, emotion, and behavior. Understanding research methods helps students evaluate psychological claims, interpret research findings, and develop critical thinking skills that are essential for success on the AP Psychology exam.
Science Practices Video Lesson Part 1
In this video I explain the concepts of scientific research, research issue, theory and hypothesis.
Science Practices Video Lesson Part 2
In this video I explain the scientific principle of empirical verification.
Science Practices Video Lesson Part 3
In this section, I explain different types of variables, including numerical and categorical variables and how to show values of variables.
Science Practices Video Lesson Part 4
In this video I explain the concepts of Descriptive and Correlational Research. Descriptive research includes case studies, surveys and naturalistic observation. Correlational research focuses on linear correlation.
Science Practices Video Lesson Part 5
In this video I elaborate the concepts of correlation research, including scatterplots, correlation coefficients, correlation direction and strength, and why correlation is NOT equal to causation.
Science Practices Video Lesson Part 6
In this video I explain the concepts of experimental research, including independent and dependent variables, experimental and control groups, random sampling and assignment.
Science Practices Video Lesson Part 7
In this video I elaborate the principles of experimental research, especially the manipulation of the independent variable and control of potential confounding variables.
Science Practices Video Lesson Part 8
In this video I show an example of an experimental research, explaining how to design and experiment and how to analyze data collected from the experiment, such as calculating the means and standard deviations.
Complete the Multiple Choice Questions Quiz to test your mastery of the Sicence Practices materials.
Science Practices Video Lesson Part 9
In this video I explain the concepts of blinding in experimental design, descriptive statistic and statistical significance, which belongs to inferential statistics.
Multiple Choice Questions Quiz – Science Practices
๐ Unit 1: Biological Bases of Behavior
This unit explores how the nervous and endocrine systems influence thoughts, emotions, and behavior.
Biological Bases Video Lesson Part 1: Neural Structure and Function
In the following video lesson I explain the Central vs. peripheral nervous system, somatic and autonomic nervous systems (including the sympathetic & parasympathetic branches), neurons and neural communication, action potentials, neurotransmitters and their functions, the endocrine system and hormones.
Biological Bases Video Lesson Part 2:
In the following video lesson I explain how the neurons communicate with each other using electric and chemical messages, how neurons generate and transmit action potentials and neurotransmitters.
Biological Bases Video Lesson Part 3: The Brain
The following video lesson explains the brain structure and function, including brain imaging techniques, hemispheric specialization, plasticity and brain development.
Sleep and Biological Rhythms
This section covers sleep stages and cycles, circadian rhythm, sleep disorders and theories of dreaming.
Sensation
While most college courses combine the topic of sensation together with perception, AP Psychology places those topics in two different units. The section on sensation covers sensory receptors, transduction and adaptation, including vision, hearing, touch, taste, smell, vestibular and kinesthetic senses.
๐ Unit 2: Cognition
This unit focuses on how we process, store, retrieve, and use information.
Perception
The processes of perception work on the raw materials transduced from sensation. These processes include perceptual organization, depth perception using binocular and monocular cues, Gestalt principles, perceptual constancies, top-down vs. bottom-up processing.
Memory
The section on human memory includes encoding, storage, and retrieval, types of memory storage capacities (sensory, short-term, long-term), forgetting and memory errors, memory improvement strategies.
Thinking and Problem Solving
This section covers concepts and categories, heuristics and biases, decision making and creativity.
Language
This section covers the structure of language, language development and language acquisition theories.
Intelligence and Achievement
This section covers the concepts of IQ, crystalized versus fluid intelligence, validity and reliability of intelligence testing.
Multiple Choice Questions Quiz: Intelligence and Achievement
๐ Unit 3: Development and Learning
Developmental Psychology
This section examines how humans grow, change, and adapt across the lifespan. Prenatal development. Key topics include physical development and maturation, Piaget’s cognitive developmental stages, social and emotional development, moral development, parenting and attachment styles.
Learning
This video lesson covers classical conditioning, operant conditioning, reinforcement and punishment, and observational learning.
๐ Unit 4: Social Psychology and Personality
This unit explores how individuals think about themselves and interact with others.
Social Psychology Video Lesson
In the following lesson I explain the attribution theory, attitudes and persuasion, conformity and obedience, group behavior, prejudice and discrimination, prosocial behavior and aggression.
Personality Psychology
In the following video lesson I explain the following key topics of personality psychology, including the Psychodynamic, Humanistic, Trait, and Social-cognitive theories of personality. It also covers self-concept and identity, as well as personality assessment methods. The most important contents for the AP Exam are the Big-Five Personality Traits.
๐ Unit 5: Mental and Physical Health
This unit includes three broad topics, i.e., health psychology, psychological disorders, and treatment for psychological disorders. Health psychology covers stress responses, coping strategies, and mind-body interaction. Psychological Disorders is a major section. It covers defining and classifying disorders, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and personality disorders. Treatment of Disorders is also a major section. It covers the different approaches to therapy, including the psychotherapy approaches, biomedical treatments, cognitive-behavioral therapies.
AP Psychology Self-Study Hub 