UPESSC Assistant Professor Psychology syllabus

1Foundations of Psychology

• Historical roots of psychology: Schools of psychology-Structuralism, Functionalism, Psychoanalytic, Behaviouristic, Gestalt.
• Approaches to Psychology: Behaviouristic, Psychodynamic, Gestalt, Cognitive, & Humanistic.
• Western and Indian Paradigms and Perspectives: Positivism, Post positivism and Social Constructionism; Concept of Self and Personality in the UpaniSads, Sāṁkhya-Yoga, Bhagavad Gītā, Āyurveda and Buddhism.
• Development of Modern Psychology in India: Pre independence and Post independence.

2Research Methodology and Statistics

• Research: Meaning, and Purpose; Quantitative, Qualitative, Mixed methods Research methodology
• Methods of Research: Experimental, Correlational, Observation, Quasi-experimental
• Research Problems, Variables, Hypothesis
• Sampling: Concept and Types
• Statistics in Psychology: Measures of Central Tendency and Dispersion, Normal Probability Curve, Parametric [t-test] and Non-parametric tests [Sign Test, Wilcoxon Signed rank test, Mann-Whitney test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Friedman]
• Correlation and Regression: Correlation [Product Moment, Rank Order], Partial correlation, Multiple Correlation. Special Correlation Methods: Biserial, Point biserial, Tetrachoric, Phi coefficient; Simple Linear Regression,
• Multivariate Statistics: Multiple Regression: Assumptions, and interpretation of results. Factor analysis: Assumptions, Methods, Steps, Rotation, and Interpretation.
• Experimental Designs: Randomized Group Design: ANOVA [One-way, Factorial], Randomized Block Designs, Repeated Measures Design, Single-subject designs.
• Qualitative Research Methods: Theoretical foundations; Grounded theory, Narrative analysis, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Discursive method, Discourse analysis
• Ethics in conducting and reporting research

3Psychometrics & Psychological testing

• Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory
• Approaches of test construction: rationale, empirical and factor analytic.
• Test construction: Item writing, Item analysis
• Test standardization: Reliability, Validity and Norms
• Types of psychological tests
• Areas of testing: Intelligence, Aptitude, Creativity, Personality, Interest, Attitude.
• Neuropsychological tests and batteries (Luria-Nebraska, AIIMS neuropsychological battery)
• Projective techniques: nature and types
• Applications of psychological testing in various settings: Clinical, Organizational, Education, Counselling, Military, Career guidance.

4Biological bases of Behaviour, Attention, Perception

• Sensory systems: General and specific sensations, receptors and processes;
• Neurons: Structure, functions, types, neural impulse, synaptic transmission. Neurotransmitters.
• The Central and Peripheral Nervous System: Structure and functions.
• Neurophysiological methods: EEG, PET, MRI, & fMRI.
• Endocrine system and human behaviour.
• Attention: Concept, types of attention (selective, divided, and sustained). Attentional Automaticity, Theories of selective and sustained attention
• Approaches to the Study of Perception: Gestalt approach (Figure and Ground, Law of perceptual Organization); Information processing approach to perception (Pattern recognition and its models)
• Perception of Form, Depth and Movement
• Role of motivation and learning in Perception
• Subliminal Perception
• Culture and Perception

5Learning, Memory, Forgetting

• Fundamental theories of learning: Thorndike, Guthrie, Hull, Tolman
• Classical Conditioning: Procedure, phenomen, and related issues
• Instrumental learning: Procedure, phenomena, and theoretical issues; Reinforcement and reinforcement schedules.
• Cognitive approaches in learning: Latent learning, Observational learning.
• Verbal learning and Discrimination learning
• Memory processes: Encoding, Storage, Retrieval
• Types of Memory: Sensory Memory, Short-term Memory (Working memory), Long-term Memory (Declarative – Episodic and Semantic; Procedural).
• Models of Memory
• Theories of Forgetting: Interference, Retrieval Failure, Decay, Motivated forgetting
• Biological bases of Learning and Memory

6Thinking, Intelligence, Creativity

• Problem solving: Types of problem, Problem solving strategies (Heuristics and Algorithms), Barriers in problem solving
• Language and thought: Language comprehension; Fundamentals aspects and Speech Perception; Semantics and Syntax, Phrase structures; Universal Grammar (Contribution of Chomsky)
• Decision-making: Types and models; Heuristics of Decision Making
• Intelligence: Concept; Theories: Spearman, Thurstone, Guilford, Jensen, Cattell. Gardner, Stenberg, Das, Kar & Parrila
• Emotional Intelligence: Concept and Models
• Creativity: Concept; Theories: Torrance, Getzels & Jackson, Guilford, Wallach & Kogan
• Relationship between Intelligence and Creativity

7Personality, Motivation, Emotion

• Personality: Concept; Approaches: Trait and Type; Determinants: Biological and Socio-cultural
• Theories of Personality: Psychoanalytical, Neo-Freudian, Social learning, Cognitive, Humanistic, Existential.
• Basic motivational concepts: Instincts, Needs, Drives, Arousal, Incentives, Motivational Cycle.
• Approaches to the study of motivation: Psychoanalytical, Ethological, S-R, Cognitive, Humanistic
• Social motives: Achievement, Affiliation and Power
• Motivational Competence and Self-regulation
• Biological bases of motivation
• Emotions: Concept and components; Physiological correlates
• Theories of Emotions: James-Lange, Canon-Bard, Schachter and Singer, Lazarus, Lindsley, Facial-feedback hypothesis of emotion; Emotion regulation
• Biological bases of emotions.
• Social nature of Emotion

8Social Psychology

• Theoretical perspectives: Field theory, Cognitive, Sociobiological, Psychodynamic, Evolutionary, Social neuroscience
• Social cognition: Schema and Schematic processing
• Person perception: Impression formation and its theories
• Attribution and its theories.
• Attitude: Nature and determinants; Theories of attitude formation and change; Implicit attitude
• Group dynamics and Group Influence Processes (Social Facilitation; Social loafing; Group Think; Deindividuation)
• Social Influence Processes: Conformity, Compliance, Obedience
• Aggression: Concept and Theories
• Intergroup relations: Minimal Group Experiment, Social Identity Theory, Relative Deprivation Theory, Realistic Conflict Theory, Balance Theories, Equity Theory, Social Exchange Theory
• Helping Behaviour: Concept, Determinants and theories
• Interpersonal Attraction: Determinants and theories

9Life-span Human Development, Abnormal Psychology

• Developmental processes: Nature, Principles, Factors in development, Life span and life course perspective, Ecological theory
• Stages of Development: Pre-natal, Infancy and early childhood, Adolescence and Young Adulthood, Late adulthood, Old age
• Theories of development: Psychoanalytical, Behaviouristic, and Cognitive
• Various aspects of development: Sensory-motor, cognitive, language, emotional, social and moral.
• Specific theories of development: Freud, Erikson, Piaget, Vygosky, Kohlberg, Bandura
• Historical and contemporary views of abnormal behaviour
• Risk factors and causes of abnormal behaviour
• Classification system: DSM-5
• Panic, Anxiety, Obsessions and their disorders
• Mood disorders and Suicide
• Dissociative Disorders
• Schizophrenia: Types and Symptoms

10Applications of Psychology

• Health Psychology: Bio-psycho-social models of health; Theories of Health Behavior; Stress: Concept and Appraisal; Coping with Stress; Psychological Moderators of Stress; Health promoting and health compromising behaviours, Chronic diseases [Diabetes, Hypertension, Coronary Heart Disease], Psychoneuroimmunology [Cancer, HIV/AIDS]
• Positive Psychology: Assumptions and Goals; Eastern and Western Perspectives on Positive Psychology; Concept of Mindfulness in Buddhism; Happiness: Eudemonics and Hedonistic View; Authentic Happiness; Psychological and Subjective Wellbeing: Concept, and Components; Character Strength
• Clinical Psychology: Psychotherapies- Psychoanalytic; Person-cantered; Gestalt; Existential; Behaviour therapy; Cognitive therapy: REBT, CBT, MBCT; Play therapy; Transactional Analysis, Group and Family therapy.
• Guidance and Counselling: Needs, organizational set up, and techniques of guidance and counselling; Counselling process and skills.
• Organizational Behavior (OB): Historical developments; structural characteristics of organizations; organizational designs; Organizational Attitude: Job Satisfaction, Organizational Citizenship Behavior, Organizational Commitment; Organizational culture; Organizational Change; Meaning and process of organizational communication and communication barriers.

General Knowledge — common to every subject

1Current Affairs

• A. Major events & Current Affairs : National/International
• B. Personalities in News
• C. Sports News
• D. Current Research in the field of Science.

2Teaching and Research Aptitude

• A. Teaching : Nature, Objectives, Need, Methods Evaluation and Factor Affecting Teaching
• B. Research : Meaning and Methods
• C. Data : Source, Collection and Analysis
• D. Role of UGC in Qualitative Development in Higher Education.

3Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

• A. ICT : Meaning, Advantages and Disadvantages
• B. Basics of Internet & E-mailing
• C. General Abbreviation and Terminology.

4People and Environment

• A. People & Environment Interaction
• B. Environmental Depredation : cause & Solution
• C. National and International affairs for better Environment
• D. Environmental Control.

5Indian History and Geography

• A. Salient Features of Indian Culture
• B. Indian National Movement (1857-1950)
• C. Origin of Universe and Solar System
• D. Indian Geography (General).

6Indian Constitution and Economy

• A. Preamble, Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles
• B. Indian political system : Legislative Executive and Judiciary
• C. Election Commission and Public Service Commission
• D. Population, Poverty, Unemployment; Planning and Development; Income Tax
• E. Agriculture, Industry, Trade; Money, Currency, Banking and Capital Market.

UPESSC Assistant Professor syllabus, Psychology (Subject Code-37), Syllabus/upessc_2026/Psychology_en.pdf — transcribed from the scanned pages, wording as printed.