UGC NET Psychology

UGC NET Psychology

Paper II

Unit 1: Perceptual Processes Approaches to the Study of Perception: Gestalt and physiological approaches. Perceptual Organization: Gestalt, Figure and Ground, Laws of Organization. Perceptual Constancy: Size, Shape and Brightness, Illusion; Perception of Depth and Movements. Role of motivation and learning in perception.

Unit 2: Learning Process Classical conditioning: Procedure, Phenomena and related issues. Instrumental learning: Phenomena, Paradigms and theoretical issues. Reinforcement: Basic variables and schedules. Verbal learning: Methods and materials, organizational processes.

Unit 3: Memory and forgetting Memory Processes: Encoding, Storage, Retrieval. Stages of Memory: Sensory memory, Short-term Memory (STM) and Long-term Memory (LTM). Episodic and Semantic memory. Theories of Forgetting: Interference, decay, retrieval.

Unit 4: Thinking and Problem Solving Theories of thought processes: Associationism, Gestalt, Information processing. Concept formation: Rules and strategies. Reasoning: Deductive and inductive. Problem-Solving: Type and strategies. Role of concepts in thinking.

Unit 5: Motivation and Emotion Basic Motivational Concepts: Instincts, needs, drives, incentives, motivational cycle. Approaches to the Study of Motivation: Psychoanalytical, ethological, S-R Cognitive, humanistic. Biological Motives: Hunger, thirst, sleep and sex. Social Motives: Achievement, affiliation, approval Exploratory behaviour and curiosity Physiological correlates of emotions. Theories of emotions: James-Lange, Canon-Bard, Schachter and Singer. Conflicts: Sources and types.

Unit 6: Human Abilities Intelligence: Biological, Social, Eco-cultural determinants. Theories of intelligence: Spearman, Thurston, Guilford. Individual and group differences: Extent and causes. Measurement of human abilities.

Unit 7: Personality Determinants of personality: Biological and socio-cultural. Approaches to the study of personality: Psychoanalytic, neo-freudian, social learning, trait and type, cognitive. Personality Assessment: Psychometric and projective tests. Self-Concept: Origin and development.

Unit 8: Research Methodology Research problems, hypothesis, variables and their Operationalization Types of psychological research. Methods of Psychological Research: Experimental, Quasi-experimental, case studies, field studies and cross-cultural studies. Methods of data collection: Observation, interview, questionnaire, tests and scales. Non-parametric tests

Unit 9: Measurement and Testing Test Construction: Item writing, item analysis. Test Standardization: Reliability, validity and norms. Types of Tests: Intelligence, aptitude, personality-characteristics and important examples. Attitude scales and interest inventories. Educational measurement and evaluation.

Unit 10: Biological Basis of Behaviour Receptors, effectors and adjustment mechanisms. Neural impulse: Origin, conduction and measurement. Sensory system: Vision and Audition. Human nervous system: Structure and functions.

UGC NET Psychology

Paper III-A Core

Unit 1 Signal detection theory, subliminal perception and related factors, information processing approach to perception, culture and perception, perceptual styles. Ecological perspective on perception.

Unit 2 Learning theories: Hull, Tolman, Skinner. Cognitive approaches in learning: Latent learning, observational learning. Experimental analysis of behaviour: Behaviour modification, shaping Discrimination learning. Neurophysiology of learning.

Unit 3 Models of memory: Atkinson and Shiffrin, Craik and Lockhart, Tulving. Semantic memory: Episodic, trace model and network model. Long-term memory: Retrieval cues, flashbulb memory, constructive processes in memory, eyewitness testimony, autobiographical memory. Biological basis of memory: The search for the engram, PET scan, and biochemical factors in memory. Improving memory: Strategies.

Unit 4 Cognitive Strategies: Algorhythms and heuristics. Convergent and divergent thinking. Decision-making; impediments to problem-solving. Creative thinking and problem-solving. Language and thought.

Unit 5 Historical antecedents of motivation from Mechanism to Cognition. Cognitive bases of motivation: Intrinsic motivation, Attribution, Competence. Measurement of motives: Issues and techniques. Cross-cultural perspectives of motivation: Achievement, Aggression. Components of Emotion: Physiological, expressive and cognitive. Neural mechanism of emotion: Central and peripheral. Measurement of Emotions: Physiological, expressive and cognitive measures. Current theories of emotions and facial feedback hypothesis. Stress and coping: Reactions to stress, outcomes of stress.

Unit 6 Theories of intelligence: Cattell, Jensen, Sternberg Goleman. Creativity: Views of Torrance, Getzels, Guilford. Intelligence and creativity: Relationship. Abilities and achievement: Concept and role of emotional intelligence.

Unit 7 Clinical and growth approaches to personality. Existential and humanistic theories of personality: Frankl, Rollo May, Maslow, Rogers. Personality assessment: Projective, psychometric and behavioural measures. Psychology of self: Western and Eastern perspectives, measurement of self.

Unit 8 Research designs: Correlational, factorial, randomized block, matched group, quasi-experimental, time series design. ANOVA: Randomized and repeated. Correlational analysis: Partial, multiple and regression analysis. Factor analysis: Assumptions, methods, rotation and interpretation.

Unit 9 Psychological scaling: Purpose and methods. Sources of bias in psychological testing. Ethical issues in psychological testing. Application of factor analysis in standardization of tests-with Important illustrations.

Unit 10 Methods of Physiological psychology: Lesion and Brain Stimulation. Sleep and waking: Stages of sleep, Disorders of sleep and Physiological mechanisms of sleep and waking. Ingestive Behaviour: Drinking and its neural mechanism; hunger and its neural mechanism. Endocrine System: Chemical and glandular. UGC NET Psychology

Paper III-B

Elective-I Current trends in Social Psychology. Social cognition. Social influence. Prosocial behaviour. Applied social psychology: Health, Environment and Law.

Elective-II Development processes: Nature, Principles and related. concepts-maturity, experience factors in development: Biogenic, Psychogenic and Sociogenic. Stages of Development: Theories of Development: Psychoanalytic, Behaviouristic and cognitive. Various aspects of development: Sensory-motor, cognitive, language, emotional, social and moral.

Elective-III Human development and individual differences. Motivation and learning. Factors in educational achievement. Social psychology of education. Teacher effectiveness. Guidance in schools: Needs, organizational set up and techniques. Counselling: Process and areas.

Elective-IV Development of industrial and organizational psychology. Selection processes in organization. Organizational training. Performance appraisal. Motivation and work. Leadership. Work environment. Organizational behaviour: Theories, socialization, effectiveness.

Elective-V Psychopathology: Concepts, classification and causes: Clinical diagnostics. Common clinical disorders. Mental Retardation. Mental Health: Intervention models and psychotherapies.