1. Introduction:

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

2. Methods of Psychology:

• Types of research: Descriptive, evaluative, diagnostic and prognostic.
• Methods of Research: Survey, observation, case-study and experiments;
• Characteristics of experimental design and non-experimental design, Quasi-experimental designs; Focussed group discussions, brain storming, grounded theory approach.

3. Research Methods:

• • Major steps in Psychological research (problem statement, hypothesis formulation, research designs, sampling, tools of data collection, analysis and interpretation and report writing)
  • Fundamental versus applied research;
  • Methods of data collection (interview, observation, questionnaire);
  • Research designs (ex-post facto and experimental);
  • Application of statistical technique (t – test, two way ANOVA correlation, regression and factor analysis);
  • Item response theory.

• 4. Development of Human Behaviour:

  • Growth and development; Principles of development,
  • Role of genetic and environmental factors in determining human behaviour;
  • Influence of cultural factors in socialization;
  • Life span development – Characteristics, development tasks, promoting psychological well-being across major stages of the life span.

  5. Sensation, Attention and Perception:

  • Sensation: concepts of threshold, absolute and difference thresholds, signal-detection and vigilance;
  • Factors influencing attention including set and characteristics of stimulus;
  • Definition and concept of perception, biological factors in perception;
  • Perceptual organization-influence of past experiences, perceptual defence-factors influencing space and depth perception, size estimation and perceptual readiness;
  • The plasticity of perception;
  • Extrasensory perception;
  • Culture and perception,
  • Subliminal perception.

  6. Learning:

  • Concept and theories of learning (Behaviourists, Gestaltalist and Information processing models);
  • The Processes of extinction, discrimination and generalization;
  • Programmed learning, probability learning, self-instructional learning, concepts;
  • Types and the schedules of reinforcement, escape, avoidance and punishment, modeling and social learning.

  7. Memory:

  • Encoding and remembering;
  • Short term memory, Long term memory, Sensory memory, Iconic memory, Echoic memory:
  • The Multistore model, levels of processing; Organization and Mnemonic techniques to improve memory;
  • Theories of forgetting: decay, interference and retrieval failure: Metamemory;
  • Amnesia: Anterograde and retrograde.

  8. Thinking and Problem Solving:

  • Piaget’s theory of cognitive development;
  • Concept formation processes; Information processing, Reasoning and problem solving, Facilitating and hindering factors in problem solving,
  • Methods of problem solving: Creative thinking and fostering creativity; Factors influencing decision making and judgment;
  • Recent trends.

  9. Motivation and Emotion:

  • Psychological and physiological basis of motivation and emotion;
  • Measurement of motivation and emotion;
  • Effects of motivation and emotion on behaviour; Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation;
  • Factors influencing intrinsic motivation;
  • Emotional competence and the related issues.

  10. Intelligence and Aptitude:

  • Concept of intelligence and aptitude,
  • Nature and theories of intelligence – Spearman, Thurstone, Gullford Vernon, Sternberg and J.P; Das;
  • Emotional Intelligence, Social intelligence, measurement of intelligence and aptitudes,
  • concept of IQ, deviation IQ, constancy of IQ; Measurement of multiple intelligence;
  • Fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence.

  11. Personality:

  • Definition and concept of personality;
  • Theories of personality (psychoanalytical, sociocultural, interpersonal, developmental, humanistic, behaviouristic, trait and type approaches);
  • Measurement of personality (projective tests, pencil-paper test);
  • The Indian approach to personality;
  • Training for personality development;
  • Latest approaches like big 5 factor theory;
  • The notion of self in different traditions.

  12. Attitudes, Values and Interests:

  • Definition of attitudes, values and interests;
  • Components of attitudes; Formation and maintenance of attitudes;
  • Measurement of attitudes, values and interests;
  • Theories of attitude change; Strategies for fostering values;
  • Formation of stereotypes and prejudices; Changing others behaviour;
  • Theories of attribution;
  • Recent trends.

  13. Language and Communication:

  • Human language – Properties, structure and linguistic hierarchy, Language acquisition- predisposition, critical period hypothesis;
  • Theories of language development – Skinner and Chomsky; Process and types of communication – effective communication training.

  14. Issues and Perspectives in Modern Contemporary Psychology:

  • Computer application in the psychological laboratory and psychological testing;
  • Artificial intelligence; Psychocybernetics;
  • Study of consciousness-sleep-wake schedules; dreams, stimulus deprivation, meditation, hypnotic/drug induced states;
  • Extrasensory perception; Intersensory perception Simulation studies.