AMU Entrance Exam Syllabus for M.A. in Psychology

Faculty of Social Sciences

M.A. (Psychology)

1. Psychology: Nature and definitions; Fields: Basic and Applied, Methods:
Experimental, Introspection and Observation. Variables: concept and types; Techniques
to control confounding variables: Randomizations, Elimination and Double blind
technique.

2. Psychophysics: Basic concept of psychophysics, sensitivity, stimulus and differential
threshold, point of subjective equality (PSE). Methods: method of limits, method of
constant stimuli, method of average error. Signal Detection Theory: Sensitivity Vs
Response criteria.

3. Biological basis of behavior: Receptor and Effector mechanisms; Neural
conduction mechanism; neurons, synapses, reflexes and the nerve impulse. Structure
and Functions of Autonomic nervous system and Central nervous system.

4. Sensory-perceptual Process: Concept of sensation and perception; Classification
and attributes of sensation; Principals of perceptual organizations: Law of Proximity or
Nearness, Law of Similarity, Law of Good Figure or Symmetry and Law of Continuity or
Common direction. Visual depth perception- monocular and binocular cues.

5. Attention: Nature of attention, Concept and definition of Selective Attention and
Sustained Attention; Factors influencing attention; Theories of attention: Filter Theory
and Attenuation theory.

6. Motivation: Concept of Motivation. Process and characteristics of motivation, Types
of Motivation: Biological and Social motives, Theories of Motivation: Maslow’s need
hierarchy theory and Two-Factor theory, Frustration and conflict of motives.

7. Emotion: Concept and Aspects of Emotion: Theories of Emotion: James-Lange
theory and Cannon Bard Theory.

8. Social Perception and Cognition: Perceiving ourself: self concept, self-esteem and
self presentation. Perceiving others: Forming impressions, Role of verbal and non-
verbal cues. Attribution: understanding the causes of others behavior; Attributional
biases.
9. Attitude and Prejudices: Nature and determinants of attitude. Measurement of
attitude: Likert and Thurstone Scales. Nature of prejudice and Discrimination: its origin
and control.

10. Group processes and Leadership: Nature and Function of Group; Task
performance: Social facilitation and Social loafing; Conformity; factors affecting
conformity, Group cohesiveness; Leadership: definition, nature and function of
Leadership, Types and qualities of Leadership. Theories of Leadership: Trait, situational
and Interactional approach.

11. Nature and Criteria of Abnormality: Nature and criteria of abnormal behavior,
Causes of Abnormal Behaviour: Biological, Psychological and Social. Approaches to
study of abnormal behavior: Frued-level of consciousness, structure of personality,
Psycho-sexual development. Defence mechanism. Jung-Personal and Collective
unconsciousness, personality types. Adler-Striving for security, style of life.

12. Anxiety Disorders: Obsessive compulsive disorder and Generalized anxiety
disorder; their symptoms and etiology; Somatoform Disorder: Hypochondriasis
symptoms and major characteristics, conversion disorder: symptoms-sensory, motor,
visceral; Mood disorders: general characteristics of depression and mania: chronic
mood disorders: etiology- psychological and biological; Schizophrenia: clinical
symptoms and etiology of Schizophrenia.

13. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities: Concept of mental
retardation, levels and organic factors in mental retardation; Developmental
disabilities: Autism: clinical picture and causal factor; Learning disabilities: Clinical
picture and causal factor, Child Abuse: Causal factor and prevention.

14. Descriptive and Inferential Statistics: Classification and tabulation of data:
frequency distribution; Measures of central tendency and variability: computation of
mean, median and mode. Meaning, uses and calculation of Standard deviation and
variance. Graphical presentation of data. Correlation: meaning, assumption and types.
Normal probability curve: nature, meaning, properties and uses, deviation from normal
probability curve. Population and sampling: nature and types.

15. Learning: Nature, Types and measurement of learning, Theories of Learning:
Classical conditioning, Basic processes-Extinction, Spontaneous recovery,
generalization and discrimination. Application of Classical conditioning: Phobias, drug
dependence and taste aversion. Instrumental Conditioning: Operant conditioning,
Avoidance conditioning and Escape conditioning. Transfer of Training: Methods-
Specific and non-specific Transfer.

16. Memory and Forgetting: Information processing model of memory: Sensory
memory, Short term memory and Long term memory. Forgetting: concept and Theories
of forgetting: Decay theory, Interference theory, Two factor theory of forgetting:
response competition and unlearning with experimental evidences, Motivation theory of
forgetting: repression with experimental studies. Techniques for improving memory:
Study habits, Mnemonic devices.
17. Measurement: Nature and significance of measurement, Distinction between
assessment and measurement. Levels of measurement: Nominal, Ordinal, Interval and
Ratio. Techniques of attitude measurement-Likert scale, Semantic differential scale,
Thurstone scale and Guttman scale.

18. Psychological Tests: Definition of Psychological test, Brief history of Psychological
testing: test administration. Types of test: Group Vs Individual, Typical Vs Maximum
performance tests, Objective Vs Projective tests, Speed Vs Power tests, limited
response Vs Free response tests; Characteristics of tests:

Reliability- concept of reliability and methods for determining reliability-Test-Retest-
Same test, Parallel forms; Internal consistency- Split-half, Cronbach alpha. Validity:

concept of validity and its types: Face validity, content validity, criterian-related validity
and construct validity. Factors influencing Reliability and Validity. Standardization and
Norms. Applications of testing: assessment in educational setup, occupational setup,
clinical setup and counseling.

19. Personality: Nature and definitions of personality: Western and Eastern
perspective. Personality as a set of traits and as types. Biological basis of Personality:
Role of genes and endocrine glands. Role of physical environment: Natural
environment, Constructed environment and behavioural setting. Role of social and
cultural environments: early social experiences and impact of parenting style. Nature-
Nurture controversy: Historical background, relative importance of nature and nurture in
personality development. Methods of personality assessment: Testing and observational
method. Major theoretical approaches to the study of personality: Psychoanalytic
approach (Freud’s view), Type approach (Jung’s view), New Fruedian approach,
(Horney’s views), Trait Approach (Allport’s view).

20. Self-Concept: Nature and development of self-concept. Theories of self
comparison: Central theory of self regulation: Self-Discrepancy theory, Measurement of
self-concept, changes in self-concept. Self-esteem: development and consequences of
self-esteem.
21. Fatigue: Determinants of Fatigue: Physiological, Psychological and Industrial
Fatigue. Causes of Fatigue; controlling fatigue effects.