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Introduction to
Psychology

UNIT – I: Introduction
■ Nature of Psychology: Indian and
Western
■ Scope of Psychology
■ Perspectives in Psychology
■ Subfields in Psychology
● Psychology Today

UNIT – II: Learning and Memory

● Learning
● Nature of Learning
● Principles and applications of Classical Conditioning
● Operant Learning
● Observational Learning
● Cognitive learning
● Memory
● Models of memory
● Forgetting
● Improving memory
 UNIT – III: Motivation and Emotion
● Motivation
● Nature
● Perspectives
● Types: biogenic; sociogenic; intrinsic and extrinsic
● Relationship between motivation and emotion
● Emotions
● Nature
● Functions
● Theories
● Culture and emotion
● Violence and Trauma
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Cognitive Psychology

UNIT – I: Introduction
● Brief History
● Nature
● Research methods
● Paradigms- information
processing; connectionist; evolutionary;
and ecological
UNIT – II: Sensing and Perceiving
● Sensation to representation
● Approaches to perception
● Perception of object and forms
● Perception of constancies
● Deficits in perception
● Attention
● Nature
● Theories
● When attention fails us
● Automatic and Controlled processes in attention

UNIT – III: Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making

● Components of thought
● Imagery
● Cognitive maps
● Strategies of effective problem solving
● Barriers of effective problem solving
● Judging and making decisions
● Biases
● Methods

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Biopsychology

UNIT – I: Introduction to
Biopsychology and Nerve
Impulse
● Nature
● Scope [application]

UNIT – II: Neuron

● Structure of neurons
● Function of neurons
● Action potential/ nerve impulse
● Synaptic transmission

UNIT – III: Brain and

Behaviour
● Methods [EEG, CT, fMRI]
● CNS and behavior [spinal cord and brain functions]
UNIT – IV: Endocrine System
● Endocrine basis of behavior
● Structure
● Function
● Abnormalities
{pituitary gland; adrenal gland, thyroid gland, gonads}
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Psychology of Individual
Differences

UNIT – I: Personality
● Nature of personality
● Approaches: Psychodynamic,
Phenomenological-humanistic, Trait,
Social-cognitive
● Biological foundations of personality
● Culture, gender and personality

UNIT – II: Intelligence

● Psychometric and Cognitive process
approaches
● Broader conceptions of intelligence
● Heredity, environment and
intelligence
● Extremes of intelligence

UNIT – III: Psychological Testing

● Defining features of a psychological test
● Historical foundations of psychological testing
● Reliability, Validity, Norms
● Types of psychological tests (Special emphasis on personality and intelligence
testing)
● Applications and Issues
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Social Psychology

UNIT – I: Introduction to
Social Psychology
● Nature
● Scope
● History
● Social Psychology in India
● Current Trends.

UNIT – II: Self and Identity

in the Social World
● Historical Context
● Self-awareness
● Self Knowledge
● Many Selves
● Social Identity Theory
● Self-motives
● Self-esteem
● Self presentation and Impression Management
● Self, and Identity in the Cultural Context

UNIT – III: Social Cognition and Attitudes

● Social Schemas
● Heuristics
● Attribution
 ● Attitudes
● Attitude Change

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Development of Psychological
Thought

UNIT – I: Polycentric History of

Psychology {Psychology of
Consciousness}
Eastern
● Yoga
● Vedant
● Applications of Yoga & Vedant
(largely in terms of applications of Indian
Psychology)

Western views
● Wundt
● James
● Phenomenology

UNIT – II: Psychology of Behaviour and Mind

● Rise of Behaviourism (Watson)
● Shift from Behaviourism to neo-behaviourism (Tolman, Skinner)
● Transition from Behaviourism to Cognitive Psychology (Paradigms and Themes)
● Applications of Behaviourism and Cognitive psychology
 UNIT – III: Psychology of the Unconscious
● Classical Psychoanalysis (Freud)
● Sociological Shift in Psychoanalysis (Horney, Erikson)
● Object Relations Perspective (Key Concepts)
● Existentialist & Humanist Perspective (Tenets and Concepts)

UNIT – IV: Psychology of Subjective Experience:

● Humanistic Psychology (Tenets)
● Rogerian Self Psychology
● Existential Psychology (Tenets),
● Transpersonal Psychology (Themes & Contributions)
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Paradigmatic Foundations of
Psychological Research

UNIT – I: Paradigms and Traditions

of Psychological Research
● Introduction to psychological research
and its goals
● Paradigms:
● Positivist
● Post-positivist,
● Critical
● Constructivist
 ● Participatory
● Traditions Quantitative and Qualitative research (overview and differences)
● Standards of good research in quantitative and qualitative traditions
● Reflexivity in research

UNIT – II: Considerations of Design in Psychological

Research
Sampling:
● Defining Population and Sample
● Sampling bias (Sampling error and Non-sampling error)
● Types of Probability and Non-probability sampling
● Theoretical v/s Statistical Sampling
● Rule of thumb in the selection of samples sizes in Qualitative and Quantitative
Research

Literature Review
● Reason
● Process
● Critical Analysis

Ethics in Quantitative and Qualitative research traditions

UNIT – III: Quantitative Research Techniques

● Typical structure of quantitative research
● 5 stages (theory, hypothesis, data collection, data analysis, results)
● theory to hypothesis
● concepts to variables
● types of variables in psychological research

Experimental Method:
● Causality versus correlation,
● Laboratory experiments and field experiments, Single-Group
 ● True experimental and quasi-experimental design
● Matching and Random assignment of subjects
● Within-subject design
● Between subject design,
● Pre and Post designs
● Factorial designs
● Social Psychology of Experiments

Survey Research:
● The logic of survey,
● Types of survey
● Designing a survey questionnaire.

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Applied Social Psychology

UNIT – I: Introduction
○ Nature of Applied Social Psychology
○ Overview of Participatory Research
Methods
○ Process of Intervention
○ Applying Social Psychological Principles in the
Indian Context - Case Studies

UNIT – II: Social Diversity and its

Challenges
● Diversity
 ● Economic
● Religious,
● Gender
● Linguistic
● Caste
● Challenges
● Discrimination
● Stereotypes
● Prejudice

UNIT – III: Applying Social Psychology to the

Environment
● Resource dilemmas,
● Natural Disasters
● Culture and Environment
● Pro-environmental Behavior
● Dealing with Natural Disasters

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Understanding
Mental Disorders
UNIT ONE: INTRODUCTION
● Criteria Of Abnormality
● Causal Factors
● Classification
● Clinical Assessment
UNIT TWO: ANXIETY DISORDERS AND OBSESSIVE
COMPULSIVE DISORDERS [Clinical picture and dynamics]
● Generalized Anxiety Disorder
● Social Anxiety Disorder
● Specific Phobias Agoraphobia
● Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

UNIT THREE: DEPRESSIVE DISORDER AND BIPOLAR

DISORDER [ clinical picture and dynamics]
● Major depressive disorder
● Persistent depressive disorder
● Bipolar I
● Bipolar II
● Cyclothymia

PRACTICAL

Assessment of mental disorders using psychometric tests [ anxiety disorder]

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Positive Psychology

UNIT ONE: INTRODUCTION

● Positive Psychology- An Introduction
● Perspectives On Positive Psychology
○ Judeo Christian
○ Athenian
○ Buddhism
○ Jainism
○ Islam
 ● Character Strengths And Virtue: Values In Action Classification System

UNIT TWO: POSITIVE STATES AND PROCESSES I

● Happiness And Well Being
● Indian Concepts Of Happiness And Well Being
○ Sukh
○ Ananda
○ Panchkosha
● Resilience

UNIT THREE: POSITIVE STATES AND PROCESSES II

● Optimism
● Wisdom
● Flow
● Spirituality

UNIT FOUR: POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS

● Positive thinking
● Meditation
● Gratitude
● Kindness

PRACTICAL

Analysis of data from secondary sources [ movies, books, news articles, editorials
and other media sources]

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Inferential Statistics in
Psychology
UNIT ONE
● Introduction To Inferential
Statistics
● Parametric And Non Parametric
Statistics
● Testing Hypothesis About Single
Means [Z And T]
● Random Sampling Distribution
Of Means
● Null And Alternate Hypothesis
● One-Tailed And Two-Tailed
Hypothesis
● Characteristics Of Student’s Distribution Of T
● Degrees Of Freedom
● Assumption Of T- Test
● Levels Of Significance Versus P- Values

UNIT TWO
● Interpreting Results Of Hypothesis Testing
● Type I And Type Ii Error
● Power Of A Test
● Difference Between Two Means (t-test): Independent and Dependent Groups
● Confidence Intervals

UNIT THREE
● Hypothesis Testing More Than Two Groups [One Way Anova]
● Assumptions In Calculation Of One Way
● Comparison Of T And F
● Post Hoc Comparisons [ Conceptual Understanding]
● Chi Square:
 ○ As A Measure Of Discrepancy Between Expected And Observed Frequencies
○ Assumptions
○ Calculations

PRACTICAL:

● Use Of Chi Square

● Comparison of Two Groups
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