Okay, let’s talk about getting through the vocab for AP Psychology Unit 2, the Biological Bases of Behavior one. It’s a beast, gotta say.
My First Look
So I opened up the textbook chapter for Unit 2, saw that list of bolded terms, and my first thought was, “Okay, this is gonna take some time.” There were a lot of words that sounded kinda similar, especially all the brain parts and neuron stuff. Looked pretty intimidating, not gonna lie.
Initial Plan: Just Read and Highlight
My first move, like always, was just to read the chapter. I grabbed my highlighter and marked every definition and key term I saw. Figured if I saw it enough times, it would sink in. Read through everything, felt kinda productive, you know? Highlighted stuff like:
- Neuron
- Dendrite
- Axon
- Synapse
- Neurotransmitters (so many of these!)
- All the brain lobes
- Endocrine system bits
Yeah, the list goes on. I spent a good evening just doing that.
Reality Check
The next day, I tried quizzing myself. Pulled out a blank sheet of paper and tried to remember definitions. Total blank on maybe half of them? I could vaguely remember highlighting them, but the actual meaning? Gone. The highlighting wasn’t enough. Especially terms like agonist versus antagonist, or remembering which neurotransmitter did what – it all got jumbled.
Switching Tactics: Flashcards to the Rescue
Alright, plan B. Had to get more active with it. Decided to go old school: flashcards. It’s tedious making them, but it helps. I got a stack of index cards and started writing.
Term on one side, definition on the other. But here’s the key part for me: I tried to put the definition in my own words as much as possible. Not just copying the textbook. Sometimes I’d add a tiny drawing or a weird example to help it stick. Like for ‘myelin sheath,’ I drew a little insulated wire thingy. Took a while to make cards for everything, probably a couple of hours across two days.
The Grind: Drilling and Sorting
Once the cards were made, the real work started. I carried that stack around. Waiting in line? Flashcards. Quick break? Flashcards. Before sleeping? Flashcards.
I started making two piles: the ‘Got It’ pile and the ‘Uh Oh’ pile. The ‘Uh Oh’ pile got reviewed way more often. Slowly, terms started moving from ‘Uh Oh’ to ‘Got It’. It felt good seeing that ‘Uh Oh’ pile shrink.
Some tricky ones needed extra work. Distinguishing between similar concepts like afferent and efferent neurons, or remembering the specific functions of the hypothalamus versus the thalamus. For those, I’d sometimes say the difference out loud or try to link them to a really concrete example I could picture.
Making Connections
Another thing that helped was trying to group related terms. Instead of just random cards, I’d pull out all the neuron parts and review them together. Then all the neurotransmitters. Then the brain lobes. Seeing how they connected made more sense than just memorizing isolated facts.
Final Push
Before the unit test, I did one big review session with the cards. Then I tried explaining some key processes, like how neurotransmission works or the fight-or-flight response, to myself without looking at my notes. If I could explain it simply, I figured I understood it.
It was definitely a process. Not something I crammed in one night. Just consistent work with those flashcards and actively trying to recall the info. But hey, it worked. Felt much more confident walking into that test knowing I’d actually wrestled with the terms instead of just glancing at them.
