Topics covered: Introduction: What is Psychology? • Definition (Study of mental processes, experience & behaviour) • Psychology as a Discipline • Psychology as a Natural Science • Psychology as a Social Science • Understanding Mind and Behaviour • Popular Notions about Psychology • Evolution of Psychology • Branches of Psychology • Psychology and Other Disciplines • Psychology in Everyday Life

Topics covered: Goals of Psychological Enquiry • Steps in Conducting Scientific Research • Alternative Paradigms of Research • Nature of Psychological Data • Observation Method • Experimental Method (Variable meaning and types IV, DV) • Correlational method (Positive, Negative and Neutral) • Survey Method • Psychological Testing • Types of tests • Case Study • Analysis of Data • Limitations of Psychological Enquiry • Ethical Issues

Topics covered: Meaning of Development (Definition) • Interplay of Biological, Cognitive & Socio-emotional Processes • LifeSpan Perspective on Human Development (7 assumptions) • Important Terms (Growth, Development, Maturation & Evolution) • Factors Influencing Development • Context of Development (Urie Bronfenbrenner & Durganand Sinha's model) • Developmental Stages intro (developmental tasks) • Prenatal Stage (Conception to Birth) • Infancy (all aspects, motor development, sensory, cognitive, etc) • Jean Piaget's theory (important base) • Socio Emotional Development in Infancy • Childhood (Motor, Cognitive, Moral development, etc) • Challenges of Adolescence (Physical, Cognitive development, major concerns etc) • Adulthood and Old Age

Topics covered: Sensation Meaning & Definition (sense modality) • Functional Limitation of Sense organs (Absolute Threshold and Difference Threshold with practical example) • Attention Meaning & Types (Selective and Sustained Meaning & Definition of both) • Divided Attention (meaning and definition) • Factors affecting Selective attention (External, Internal, Cognitive) • Factors affecting Sustained attention (Sensory Modality, Clarity of Stimuli, Temporal Uncertainty, Spatial Uncertainty) • Theories of Selective Attention (Filter, Filter Attenuation, Multimode theory of attention) • Perception Meaning & Definition (Bottom up and Top down approach) • Factors affecting Perception / The Perceiver (Motivation, expectations, Cognitive styles, Culture & experience) • Principles of perceptual organization (Gestalt 7 psychology principles) • Perception of Space, Depth and Distance (All Monocular & Binocular cues & Perceptual Constancies — Shape, Size, Brightness) • Illusions (Personal, Geometrical & Apparent movement illusion) • Socio-Cultural Influences on Perception

Topics covered: Learning Meaning, Introduction & Definition with practical examples • Features of Learning • Classical Conditioning (Dog Experiment by Ivan Pavlov) • Determinants of Classical Conditioning • Operant Conditioning (Rat Experiment by BF Skinner) • Determinants of Operant Conditioning • Key Learning Processes • Difference Between Classical and Operant Conditioning • Observational Learning (Bobo Doll Experiment by Albert Bandura) • Cognitive Learning (Kohler's Insight Learning (chimpanzee) & Tolman's Latent Learning (Rats)) • Verbal Learning (Paired-Associate Learning, Serial Learning, Free Recall & Determinants) • Skill Learning (Fitts' 3 stages) • Factors Facilitating Learning • Learning Disability & all symptoms

Topics covered: Memory, meaning and definition (encoding, storage, retrieval) • The Stage Model of Memory by Atkinson and Shiffrin (Sensory, Short Term and Long Term) • Control Processes (all four) • Levels of Processing model of memory by Craik and Lockhart • Types of Long Term Memory (Declarative, Procedural, Episodic & Semantic) • Forgetting (Nature, Meaning, Hermann Ebbinghaus curve of forgetting) • Causes of Forgetting (Encoding Failure, Trace Decay, Interference, Retrieval Failure) • Enhancing Memory (Mnemonics used to improve memory)

Topics covered: Nature of Thinking (Definition and characteristics) • Building blocks of thought (Mental Images, Concepts) • Problem Solving (Nature, Obstacles — Mental set, Functional fixedness, Lack of motivation) • Reasoning (Deductive and Inductive) • Decision Making • Nature and Process of Creative Thinking • Divergent vs. Convergent Thinking • Aspects of Creative Thinking (Fluency, Flexibility, Originality, Elaboration) • Stages of Creative Thinking (Preparation, Incubation, Illumination, Verification) • Barriers to Creative Thinking (Habitual/Mental set, Perceptual, Emotional, Cultural/Social) • Strategies for Creative Thinking (Brainstorming, Developing problem-solving orientation, Encouraging diverse perspectives) • Thought and Language (Language as a vehicle of thought, Determinism vs. Relativism — Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis) • Development of Language (Stages — Babbling, One-word, Two-word, Telegraphic speech; Theories — Behaviorist vs. Nativist/Chomsky view)

Topics covered: Definition of motivation and emotion • Interdependence of motivational and emotional states • The Motivational Cycle (Need → Drive → Arousal → Goal-Directed Behavior → Goal Attainment → Reduction of Arousal) • Biological Motives (Hunger, Thirst, Sex) • Psychosocial Motives (Affiliation, Need for Achievement (n-Ach), Power motive, Curiosity and Exploration) • Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (Physiological, Safety, Belongingness and Love, Esteem, Self-Actualization) • Nature and Expression of Emotions (Physiological, cognitive, and behavioral components) • Cultural Influence (Universal vs. display rules in emotional expression and labeling) • Emotional Regulation (Techniques for managing negative emotions and cultivating positive states)