UGC NET Psycology Human Development and Interventions Syllabus

Human Development and Interventions syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Human Development and Interventions in UGC NET Psycology, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Developmental processes

   5 topics

   • Nature
   • Principles
   • Factors in development
   • Stages of Development
   • Successful aging
2. 2

   Theories of development

   3 topics

   • Psychoanalytical
   • Behavioristic
   • Cognitive
3. 3

   Various aspects of development

   6 topics

   • Sensory-motor
   • Cognitive
   • Language
   • Emotional
   • Social
   • Moral
4. 4

   Psychopathology

   4 topics

   • Concept
   • Mental Status Examination
   • Classification
   • Causes
5. 5

   Psychotherapies

   16 topics

   • Psychoanalysis
   • Person-centered
   • Gestalt
   • Existential
   • Acceptance Commitment Therapy
   • Behavior therapy
   • REBT
   • CBT
   • MBCT
   • Play therapy
   • Positive psychotherapy
   • Transactional Analysis
   • Dialectic behavior therapy
   • Art therapy
   • Performing Art Therapy
   • Family therapy
6. 6

   Applications of theories of motivation and learning in School

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within Human Development and Interventions — no further topic split in the official outline.

7. 7

   Factors in educational achievement

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within Human Development and Interventions — no further topic split in the official outline.

8. 8

   Teacher effectiveness

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within Human Development and Interventions — no further topic split in the official outline.

9. 9

   Guidance in schools

   2 topics

   • Needs
   • Organizational set up and techniques
10. 10

    Counselling

    3 topics

    • Process
    • Skills
    • Techniques

Human Development and Interventions flashcards for UGC NET Psycology

19 of 51 cards from the Human Development and Interventions deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is the definition of 'development' in psychology?

   Development is the systematic, progressive and continuous pattern of change in an individual from conception to death, involving both growth (quantitative) and maturation (qualitative) across physical, cognitive, emotional and social domains.

2. What is the difference between 'growth' and 'development'?

   Growth refers to quantitative, measurable physical increases (size, height, weight) and stops at maturity; development is a broader qualitative and quantitative process of progressive change that continues throughout the lifespan.

3. State the principle of 'cephalocaudal' and 'proximodistal' development.

   Cephalocaudal: development proceeds from head to toe (head control before legs). Proximodistal: development proceeds from the center/midline of the body outward to the extremities (trunk/arm control before fingers).

4. List four general principles of human development.

   (1) Development follows an orderly, predictable sequence; (2) it proceeds from general to specific responses; (3) it is continuous yet occurs at varying rates; (4) it results from interaction of maturation and learning (nature and nurture).

5. What are the major categories of factors influencing development?

   Biological/hereditary factors (genes, maturation), environmental factors (nutrition, family, culture, socio-economic status, education), and the interaction between heredity and environment.

6. Name the eight stages of Erikson's psychosocial theory of development with their core crises.

   1. Trust vs. Mistrust (infancy); 2. Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt; 3. Initiative vs. Guilt; 4. Industry vs. Inferiority; 5. Identity vs. Role Confusion (adolescence); 6. Intimacy vs. Isolation; 7. Generativity vs. Stagnation; 8. Ego Integrity vs. Despair (old age).

7. What are the chronological stages of the human lifespan in developmental psychology?

   Prenatal, infancy (0-2), early childhood (2-6), middle/late childhood (6-11), adolescence (11-18), early adulthood, middle adulthood, and late adulthood (old age).

8. What is 'successful aging' and name a major model describing it.

   Successful aging is maintaining physical, cognitive and social functioning with active engagement in late life. Rowe and Kahn's model defines it by three components: low probability of disease/disability, high cognitive and physical functioning, and active engagement with life.

9. Contrast Activity Theory and Disengagement Theory of aging.

   Activity theory holds that well-being in old age comes from staying socially and physically active and replacing lost roles. Disengagement theory holds that mutual withdrawal between the aging individual and society is natural and adaptive.

10. What is the core idea of Freud's psychoanalytic theory of development?

    Personality develops through five psychosexual stages driven by libido focused on different erogenous zones; unresolved conflicts/fixations at any stage shape adult personality. The psyche comprises id, ego and superego.

11. Name Freud's five psychosexual stages in order.

    Oral (0-1 yr), Anal (1-3 yr), Phallic (3-6 yr), Latency (6-puberty), and Genital (puberty onward).

12. What is the core principle of the behavioristic approach to development?

    Development results from learning through environmental conditioning: classical conditioning (Pavlov), operant conditioning (Skinner, reinforcement/punishment shaping behavior), with emphasis on observable behavior rather than internal mental states.

13. What did Skinner's operant conditioning contribute to development?

    It proposed that behavior is shaped by consequences: positive/negative reinforcement increases behavior, while punishment decreases it; schedules of reinforcement govern how behaviors are acquired and maintained.

14. What is the focus of the cognitive approach to development associated with Piaget?

    It emphasizes how children actively construct knowledge through schemas, using assimilation and accommodation to reach equilibrium, advancing through invariant qualitative stages of thinking.

15. Name Piaget's four stages of cognitive development with approximate ages.

    Sensorimotor (0-2), Preoperational (2-7), Concrete Operational (7-11), and Formal Operational (11+ years).

16. What are the key features of Piaget's sensorimotor stage?

    Birth to ~2 years: infants learn through senses and motor actions, progress through six substages, and the major achievement is object permanence (knowing objects exist when out of sight).

17. Define 'assimilation' and 'accommodation' in Piaget's theory.

    Assimilation: incorporating new information into existing schemas. Accommodation: modifying existing schemas or creating new ones to fit new information. Both work to restore cognitive equilibrium.

18. What are the main milestones in language development during childhood?

    Cooing (2-3 mo), babbling (6 mo), first words/holophrases (~12 mo), two-word/telegraphic speech (~18-24 mo), rapid vocabulary growth, and complex grammar by school age.

19. What is Chomsky's contribution to the theory of language development?

    Chomsky proposed an innate Language Acquisition Device (LAD) and Universal Grammar, arguing humans are biologically prewired to acquire language, explaining its rapid, rule-governed acquisition.

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