Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPSC) Prelim - Psychology Syllabus

Updated on: Mar 22, 2013
Psychology syllabus of Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC) Prelim exam is given here.

1.Scope and methods :


  • Subject matter
  • Methods of study
  • Nature of psychological experiments

2. Development of behavior :

  • Genetic factors in human development
  • Structure and functions of brain, endocrine glands
  • Environmental factors in human development
  • Maturation

3.Motivation and emotion :
  • nature of motivation -
  • classification of motives; biogenic, socio-genic and unconscious motives;
  • hierarchy of motives
  • nature of emotions
  • physiological correlates of emotions

4. Learning :

  • basic theories of learning trial, and error insight imitation.
  • classical conditioning and operant conditioning
  • learning and motivation transfer of training

5. Remembering and forgetting :
  • nature & theories
  • measurement of retention
  • retroactive and proactive inhibitions
  • factors influencing forgetting
  • short term and long term memory.

6.Perception:
  • nature
  • perceptual organisation
  • perception of form, colour and depth
  • perceptual constancy and illusions
  • role of motivational and social factors in perception
  • perceptual defence.

7. Thinking

  •  concept formation
  • reasoning; inductive and deductive
  • problem solving

8.Intelligence :

  • Its nature and theories
  • factors influencing intellectual development
  • measurement of intelligence ; verbal and non-verbal tests
  • intelligence and creativity.

9. Personality :

  • Its nature
  • trait vs. type approach
  • biological .and socio-cultural determinants of personality
  • personality assessment techniques- objective and projective

10. Socialization :
  • meaning and nature of socialization
  • factors influencing socialization

11. Groups :
  • nature, type and structure of groups
  • group norms, goals and morale

12. Leadership
  • its nature
  • functions of a leader '
  • theories of leadership

13. Attitudes:
  • its nature and formation
  • factors influencing attitude change
  • measurement of attitudes, Thurstone's equal appearing interval scale, Likert's summated rating scale and Bogardus social distance scale.

14. Abnormal behaviour
  • criteria of abnormality
  • dynamics of abnormal behaviour
  • psychoneuroses- anxiety neurosis, hysteria and epilepsy, obsessive-compulsive, phobia.
  • psychoses-schizophrenia, paranoid reactions, manic depressive
  • treatment of mental disorders; psychoanalysis, behaviour therapy, electro-chemical therapy and group therapies.

15. Copying and Adaption :
  • types of defence mechanisms Reaction to frustration, conflict it's nature and types.
Subscribe to our newsletter