UPSC Psychology Optional Syllabus (Paper 1 & Paper 2)

Unit 1

Introduction

• Definition of psychology; historical antecedents and trends in the 21st century.
• Psychology and scientific method; relation to other social and natural sciences.
• Application of psychology to societal problems.

Unit 2

Methods of Psychology

• Types of research: descriptive, evaluative, diagnostic, prognostic.
• Methods: survey, observation, case study, experiment; experimental, non-experimental and quasi-experimental designs.
• Focused group discussions, brainstorming, grounded theory approach.

Unit 3

Research Methods

• Major steps: problem, hypothesis, design, sampling, tools, analysis, report writing.
• Fundamental versus applied research; interview, questionnaire, observation, case study.
• Research designs (ex post facto and experimental); statistical techniques (t-test, ANOVA, correlation, regression and factor analysis); item response theory.

Unit 4

Development of Human Behaviour

• Growth and development; maturation and learning; genetic and environmental influences.
• Life-span stages and developmental tasks; role of culture in socialisation.
• Critical and sensitive periods of development.

Unit 5

Sensation, Attention and Perception

• Sensory thresholds and signal detection; sensory adaptation; vigilance.
• Attention: selective, sustained and divided; factors and theories.
• Perceptual organisation, space and depth perception, perceptual readiness and defence; plasticity; subliminal and extrasensory perception; culture and perception.

Unit 6

Learning

• Theories: behaviourist, Gestalt and information-processing models.
• Extinction, discrimination, generalisation; schedules of reinforcement; escape, avoidance and punishment.
• Programmed, probability and self-instructional learning; modelling and social learning.

Unit 7

Memory

• Encoding and remembering; sensory, short-term and long-term memory; the multistore model and levels of processing.
• Organisation and mnemonics; metamemory.
• Forgetting: decay, interference, retrieval failure; amnesia.

Unit 8

Thinking and Problem Solving

• Concept formation, information processing and reasoning.
• Problem-solving strategies; creative thinking and its fostering.
• Decision making and judgement; recent trends.

Unit 9

Motivation and Emotion

• Psychological and physiological basis; the motivational cycle.
• Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation; achievement motivation; factors governing motivation.
• Theories of emotion; emotional competence and its applications.

Unit 10

Intelligence and Aptitude

• Concepts of intelligence and aptitude; theories from Spearman to Sternberg and Gardner.
• Emotional and social intelligence; measurement of intelligence and aptitudes.
• Concept of IQ, deviation IQ; constancy of IQ.

Unit 11

Personality

• Definition and concept; trait, type, psychodynamic, humanistic, behavioural and cognitive theories.
• Assessment: projective and psychometric techniques.
• Personality development and change; Indian approaches.

Unit 12

Attitudes, Values and Interests

• Nature, components, formation and measurement of attitudes, values and interests.
• Attitude change: theories and strategies; persuasion.
• Prejudice and stereotypes; attitude-behaviour relationship.

Unit 13

Language and Communication

• Properties, structure and hierarchy of language.
• Acquisition: predisposition and the critical period hypothesis; Skinner and Chomsky.
• Process and types of communication; effective communication training.

Unit 14

Issues and Perspectives in Modern Contemporary Psychology

• Computer applications in the laboratory and testing; artificial intelligence; psychocybernetics.
• Study of consciousness: sleep-wake schedules, dreams, stimulus deprivation, meditation, hypnotic and drug-induced states.
• Extrasensory and intersensory perception; simulation studies.

Unit 1

Psychological Measurement of Individual Differences

• Nature of individual differences.
• Characteristics and construction of standardised psychological tests; types of tests.
• Uses, misuses and limitations; ethical issues in testing.

Unit 2

Psychological Well-Being and Mental Disorders

• Concepts of health, well-being and positive mental health.
• Causal factors in mental disorders; anxiety, mood and schizophrenic disorders; substance abuse.
• Factors influencing positive health: life style, stress and coping.

Unit 3

Therapeutic Approaches

• Psychodynamic, behavioural, cognitive and humanistic therapies; biological and indigenous therapies.
• Prevention and rehabilitation of the mentally ill.
• Fostering mental health in the community.

Unit 4

Work Psychology and Organisational Behaviour

• Personnel selection and training; psychological tests in industry.
• Motivation and morale; leadership (including transactional and transformational); participatory management.
• Advertising and marketing; stress and its management; ergonomics; consumer rights and awareness; managing time and workspace.

Unit 5

Application of Psychology to Educational Field

• Psychological principles in teaching and learning; learning styles.
• Gifted, retarded and learning-disabled children and their training.
• Training for effective teaching; guidance and counselling in schools; use of psychological tests.

Unit 6

Community Psychology

• Concept and role of community psychologists.
• Use of small groups in social action; arousing community consciousness.
• Grass-roots movements and self-help; social and community interventions.

Unit 7

Rehabilitation Psychology

• Primary, secondary and tertiary prevention programmes.
• Services for the physically, mentally and socially challenged; rehabilitation of substance abusers, criminals and victims of violence.
• Reintegration into mainstream society.

Unit 8

Application of Psychology to Disadvantaged Groups

• Concepts of disadvantage and deprivation; social, physical, cultural and economic consequences.
• Educating and motivating the disadvantaged towards development.
• Relative and prolonged deprivation and its remediation.

Unit 9

Psychological Problem of Social Integration

• Concept of social integration; problems of caste, class, religion and language conflicts and prejudice.
• Nature and manifestation of prejudice between ingroup and outgroup.
• Causal factors and psychological strategies for handling conflicts and achieving integration.

Unit 10

Psychology in Information Technology and Mass Media

• The present scenario of IT and mass media and the role of psychologists.
• Selection and training for the IT and media professions; distance learning through IT; entrepreneurship through e-commerce.
• Multilevel marketing; impact of TV and fostering value systems; psychological consequences of recent developments in IT.

Unit 11

Psychology and Economic Development

• Achievement motivation and economic development.
• Characteristics of entrepreneurial behaviour; motivating and training people for entrepreneurship; women entrepreneurs.
• Consumer rights, consumer awareness and poverty alleviation.

Unit 12

Application of Psychology to Environment and Related Fields

• Environmental psychology: effects of noise, pollution and crowding.
• Population psychology: motivating for small families; favourable attitudes.
• Impact of rapid scientific and technological growth on degradation of the environment.

Unit 13

Application of Psychology in Other Fields

• Military psychology: selection, training, morale and stress in defence personnel; human engineering.
• Sports psychology: improving performance of athletes and teams; cohesion.
• Media influence on pro-social and antisocial behaviour; psychology of terrorism.

Unit 14

Psychology of Gender

• Issues of discrimination; management of diversity.
• Glass ceiling effect; self-fulfilling prophecy.
• Women and Indian society; empowerment strategies.