UPSC Mains 2024 Psychology Optional Paper I questions

30 questions from the Civil Services (Main) Examination 2024. Official UPSC paper (PDF) · All Psychology Optional PYQs

1. What makes psychology a science? Discuss.

2. Citing relevant examples, explain independent, dependent and mediating variables.

3. Describe data collection methods in psychology with special reference to observation and survey methods.

4. Differentiate between growth and development. Explain the principles of life span development in the context of developmental ecology.

5. How do the principles of classical conditioning help in the formation of likes and preferences? Discuss.

6. Describe the diversity in the disciplinary thoughts with special reference to structuralism, functionalism and behaviourism.

7. Citing relevant studies, describe the emergence and development of cognitive psychology.

   15 marks

8. Explain the assumptions of two-way ANOVA. With the help of an example, illustrate main and interaction effects.

   15 marks

9. Discuss the signal detection theory (SDT) with reference to perceptual vigilance task performance.

   20 marks

10. Does punishment work in all situations? Discuss the pros and cons of punishment.

    15 marks

11. Is reconstructed memory accurate? Describe the process of reconstruction, - citing research evidence.

    15 marks

12. Differentiate between classical and operant conditioning. Discuss their applications with suitable examples.

    20 marks

13. How do various monocular and binocular cues help us with depth perception? Discuss with the help of examples.

    15 marks

14. Differentiate between the processes of memory and forgetting. Also, discuss multistore model and meta-memory as innovations in the study of memory.

    15 marks

15. Citing research evidence, explain the components of working memory.

16. What are the main differences between James-Lange and Cannon-Bard theories of emotion? Explain.

17. Differentiate between intelligence and aptitude. Also, discuss the main features of a good intelligence test.

18. Describe the biological and socio-cultural determinants of personality. Illustrate your answer with the help of Indian studies.

19. Is cognitive dissonance effective in changing attitude? Discuss in the light of research evidence.

20. How do heuristic and algorithm differ as problem-solving strategies? Illustrate the role of mental set in reasoning with the help of experimental evidence.

    20 marks

21. Explain the biological and cultural bases of emotion. Do people reveal their emotions through non-verbal cues? Discuss.

    15 marks

22. Explain the main components of emotional intelligence. What does the research evidence suggest about the role of training in its enhancement? Discuss.

    15 marks

23. Distinguish between psychoanalytic and humanistic approaches to personality. Discuss in detail the recent developments in the applications of these approaches.

    20 marks

24. Citing relevant examples, explain how intrinsic and extrinsic motivation differ. Referring to relevant studies, describe the factors influencing intrinsic motivation.

    15 marks

25. Discuss the functions of REM sleep and major theories of dreaming.

    15 marks

26. How do Skinner and Chomsky differ in their approach to language development? Also, discuss the processes and outcomes of bilingualism and multilingualism in Indian context.

    20 marks

27. Critically evaluate the positive and negative effects of modern computer technology and artificial intelligence on human behaviour.

    15 marks

28. What advice would you give to a civil servant to reduce prejudice and discrimination in Indian society? Discuss.

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