IAS Mains Previous Years Paper : Psychology (2007) PAPER - I
SECTION A
1. Answer any three of the following in not more than 200 words each:
(a) How do psychologists use case study and survey to describe behaviour? Indicate their advantages and disadvantages.
(b) What is the impact of multiculturalism and globalisation on psychological studies? Discuss the question with the help of salient contemporary trends in psychology.
(c) Discuss the role of repression and interference in forgetting.
(d) What are the theoretical and practical implications of research on signal detection and vigilance? Discuss in the light of experimental studies.
2. Define the scales used in psychological measurement and distinguish between parametric and nonparametric statistics. Illustrate the relative significance of these statistics by citing relevant research problems.
3. Critically evaluate the efficacy of multi store and multi componential models of memory in the light of relevant experimental evidence.
4. What do you mean by S-R and S-S conditioning? Discuss the question with the help of relevant experimental evidences.
SECTION B
5. Answer any three of the following in not more than 200 words each :
(a) How do concepts help problem solving? Discuss the factors which influence concept formation.
(b) Distinguish between aptitude and interest and describe methods of their measurement.
(c) What are the key assumptions of projective tests? Indicate the problems encountered in determining their reliability and validity.
(d) In view of increasing computer-human interface discuss its impact on human behaviour.
6. Do attitudes influence behaviour? If yes, when and how? Give your answer in the light of relevant research studies.
7. What is effective communication? Discuss the role of message and communicator variables in ensuring effective persuasive communication.
8. "The scientific theories of traits have an intuitive appeal because their basic unit of analysis, personality traits, are very similarto simple nonscientific Yolk 'understandings of personality." Critically evaluate this statement in the light of theoretical developments in the trait approach of personality.