CBSE Board Syllabus (2011) Psychology Class 11th & 12th

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Courses of Studies 2011

Class : 11th & 12th

24. PSYCHOLOGY (Code No. 037)

Psychology is introduced as an elective subject at the higher secondary stage of school education. As a discipline, psychology specializes in the study of experiences, behaviours and mental processes of human beings within a socio-cultural and socio- historical context. This course purports to introduce
the learners to the basic ideas, principles and methods in psychology so as to enable them to understand themselves and their social world better. The emphasis is put on creating interest and exposure needed by learners to develop their own knowledge base and understanding.
The course deals with psychological knowledge and practices which are contextually rooted. It emphasizes the complexity of behavioural processes and discourages simplistic cause-effect thinking.
This is pursued by encouraging critical reasoning, allowing students to appreciate the role of cultural factors in behaviour, and illustrating how biology and experience shape behaviour. The course while developing an appreciation of subjectivity, also focuses on multiplicity of worldviews.
It is suggested that the teaching - learning processes should involve students in evolving their own understanding. therefore, teaching of psychology should be based on the use of case studies, narratives, experiential exercises, analysis of common everyday experiences, etc.
The present effort at reforming and updating the syllabus is based on the feedback received from the teachers and students as well as some new educational and curricular concerns such as, the curriculum load, interdisciplinary approach, issues related to gender parity, concerns of special and marginalised groups, peace and environmental concerns, and inculcating citizenship values.

Objectives
1. To develop appreciation about human behaviour and human mind in the context of learners’ immediate society and environment.
2. To develop in learners an appreciation of multidisciplinary nature of psychological knowledge and its application in various aspects of life.
3. To enable learners to become perceptive, socially aware and self -reflective.
4. To facilitate students’ quest for personal growth and effectiveness, and to enable them to become responsive and responsible citizens.

Class XI (Theory)
One Theory Paper                   3 Hours                Marks : 70

Foundations of Psychology
I. Introduction to Psychology                                08 Marks
II. Methods of Psychology                                     09 Marks
III. The Bases of Human Behaviour                        08 Marks
IV. Human Development                                       07 Marks
V. Sensory and Perceptual Processes                   08 Marks
VI. Learning                                                          08 Marks
VII. Human Memory                                              08 Marks
VIII Language and thought                                   07 Marks
IX. Motivation and Emotion                                 07 Marks

Practicals (Projects, experiments, small studies)                        30 Marks

Unit I: Introduction to Psychology                           08 Marks (16 Periods)
The unit seeks to help understanding and appreciating psychology as a discipline, its applications and relationships with other sciences through appropriate and interesting examples and analysis of everyday experiences.
Nature of psychology; Basic concepts: Person, Consciousness, Behaviour and Experience: Similarities and variations in psychological attributes; Evolution of the discipline of psychology; Developments in psychology in India; Psychology and other disciplines; Linkages across psychological
processes.

Unit II: Methods of Psychology                                 09 Marks (20 Periods)
The objective of this unit is to familiarize with the methods of studying and understanding psychological questions and issues.
Goals of psychological enquiry; Some important methods: Observation, Naturalistic, Experimental; Correlational study; Interview, Case study; Psychological tools: Tests, Questionnaires and gadgets; Analysis of data: Concepts and computation of the Measures of Central Tendency: Graphical
Presentation of Data: Bar, Histogram, Polygon; Ethical issues in the study of psychological processes.

Unit III: The Bases of Human Behaviour                    08 Marks (20 Periods)
This unit focuses on the role of biological and socio-cultural factors in the shaping of human behaviour and experience.

Evolutionary perspective on human behaviour; Biological and cultural roots; Nervous system and endocrine system: Structure and relationship of with behaviour and experience; Brain and behaviour, Role of Neurotransmitters in behaviour. Sleep and weakfulness. Genetic bases of behaviour; Culture
and human behaviour: Socialization, Enculturation and Acculturation; Globalization; Diversity and pluralism in the Indian context.

Unit IV: Human Development                              07 Marks (16 Periods)
This unit deals with variations in development and the developmental tasks across the life span.
Meaning of development; Factors influencing development; Contexts of development; Overview of developmental stages: Prenatal development, Infancy, Childhood, Adolescence (particularly issues of identity, health, social participation), Adulthood and Old age.

Unit V: Sensory and Perceptual Processes           8 Marks (20 Periods)
This unit aims at understanding how various sensory stimuli are received, attended to and given meaning.
Knowing the world; Nature of stimuli; Nature and functioning of sense modalities; Sensory Adaptation; Attention : Nature and determinants; Selective and sustained attention; Principles of perceptual organization; Role of perceiver , characteristics in perception; Pattern recognition; Perceptual
phenomena : After images; Space Perception, Perceptual constancy, Illusions, Person perception; Socio-cultural influences on perception.

Unit VI : Learning                                                8 Marks (20 Periods)
This unit focuses on how human beings acquire new behaviour and how changes in behaviour take place.
Nature of learning and learning curve: Paradigms of learnings: Classical and Operant Conditioning, Observational Learning, Cognitive learning, Verbal learning, Concept learning, skill-learning; Factors facilitating learning; Transfer of learning: Types and Applications, Learning styles: Learning disabilities;
Some Applications of learning principles.

Unit VII : Human Memory                                    8 Marks (20 Periods)
This unit deals with how information is received, stored, retrieved and lost. It will also discuss how memory can be improved.
Nature of memory; Information Processing Approach; Levels of processing; Memory systems - Sensory memory, Short-term memory, Long -term memory; Knowledge representation and organisation in memory; Memory as a constructive process; Nature and causes of forgetting; Enhancing memory; Pathologies related to memory.

Unit VIII : Language and Thought                     07 Marks (20Periods)
This unit deals with thinking and related processes like reasoning, problem-solving, decision making and creative thinking and relationship between thought and language. Thought and language: Nature and interrrelationship; Stages of cognitive development:
Introduction to the ideas of Piaget, Vygotsky, and Information Processing Approach; Development of language and language use; Reasoning: Problem-solving; Decision making; Creative thinking: Nature, process and development.

Unit VIII : Language and Thought 07 Marks (20Periods)
This unit deals with thinking and related processes like reasoning, problem-solving, decision making and creative thinking and relationship between thought and language.
Thought and language: Nature and interrrelationship; Stages of cognitive development:
Introduction to the ideas of Piaget, Vygotsky, and Information Processing Approach; Development of language and language use; Reasoning: Problem-solving; Decision making; Creative thinking: Nature, process and development.

Unit IX: Motivation and Emotion 07 Marks (18 Periods)
This unit focuses on why human beings behave as they do. It also deals with how people experience positive and negative events and respond to them.
Human existence and nature of motivation; Biological needs; Social and psychological motives:
Achievement, Affiliation and Power, Maslow's hierarchy of needs; Emerging concepts: Competence, Self efficacy and Intrinsic Motivation: Nature of emotions; Physiological, cognitive and cultural bases of emotions; Expression of emotions; Positive emotions; Happiness, Optimism, Empathy and Gratitude; Development of positive emotions; Managing negative emotions such as anger and fear.
Practicals (Projects, experiments, small studies, etc.)                        30 Marks(60 Periods)
The students shall be required to undertake one project and conduct one experiments. The project would involve the use of different methods of enquiry and related skills. Practicals would involve conducting experiments and undertaking small studies, exercises, related to the topics covered
in the course (e.g. Human development, Learning, Memory, Motivation, Perception, Attention and Thinking).
(i) Practical (Experments) file                                                                05 Marks
(ii) Project File                                                                                      05 Marks
(iii) Viva Voce (Project and experiments)                                             05 Marks
(iv) One experiment : (05 for conduct and 10 for reporting)                 15 Marks

Recommended text books:
1. Psychology, Published by NCERT

Class XII (Theory)
One Theory Paper                           Marks 70

This unit focuses on why human beings behave as they do. It also deals with how people experience positive and negative events and respond to them.
Human existence and nature of motivation; Biological needs; Social and psychological motives:
Achievement, Affiliation and Power, Maslow's hierarchy of needs; Emerging concepts: Competence, Self efficacy and Intrinsic Motivation: Nature of emotions; Physiological, cognitive and cultural bases of emotions; Expression of emotions; Positive emotions; Happiness, Optimism, Empathy and Gratitude;
Development of positive emotions; Managing negative emotions such as anger and fear.

Practicals (Projects, experiments, small studies, etc.)                   30 Marks(60 Periods)
The students shall be required to undertake one project and conduct one experiments. The project would involve the use of different methods of enquiry and related skills. Practicals would involve conducting experiments and undertaking small studies, exercises, related to the topics covered
in the course (e.g. Human development, Learning, Memory, Motivation, Perception, Attention and Thinking).
(i) Practical (Experments) file                                                    05 Marks
(ii) Project File                                                                           05 Marks
(iii) Viva Voce (Project and experiments)                                  05 Marks
(iv) One experiment : (05 for conduct and 10 for reporting)      15 Marks

Recommended text books:
1. Psychology, Published by NCERT

Class XII (Theory)
One Theory Paper                                    Marks 70

Psychology, Self and Society
I. Intelligence and Aptitude                                                     09 Marks

II. Self and Personality                                                             10 Marks
III. Human Strengths and meeting the Life Challenges             07 Marks
IV. Psychological Disorders                                                      10 Marks
V. Therapeutic Approaches and counselling.                           07 Marks
VI. Attitude and Social Cognition                                            08 Marks
VII. Social Influence and Group Processes                               07 Marks
VIII. Environmental and Social concerns                                 06 Marks
IX. Applied Psychology                                                           06 Marks

Practicals (Psychological testing, Case Profile etc.)               30 Marks

Psychology, Self and Society
Unit I : Intelligence and Aptitude                            09 Marks (20 Periods)
The unit aims at studying how people differ with respect to intelligence and aptitude. Individual differences in intelligence: Theories of Intelligence; Culture and Intelligence; Emotional intelligence; Aptitude: Nature and types: Assessment of psychological attributes.

Unit II : Self and Personality                                   10 Marks (24 Periods)
This unit focuses on the study of self and personality in the context of different approaches in an effort to appraise the person. The assessment of personality will also be discussed.
Aspects of self: self concept: Self-esteem and Self-regulation; Culture and self; Personality: Concept; Approaches to Personality: Type and Trait, Psychodynamic, Humanistic, Behavioural and Cultural; Assessment of Personality: Self-report Measures, Behavioural Analysis, and Projective
Measures.

Unit III : Human Strengths and Meeting Life Challenges               07 Marks(14 Periods)
This unit deals with the nature of stress and how responses to stress depend on an individual’s appraisal of stressors. Strategies to cope with stress will also be dealt with.
Life challenge and adjustment; Concept of adaptation; Human strengths and virtues: Nature, types and effects on psychological functioning; Coping with stress; Concepts of health and well-being; Life style, health and well-being.

Unit IV: Psychological Disorders                                                  10 Marks (24 Periods)
This unit discusses the concepts of normality and abnormality and the major psychological disorders.
Concepts of abnormality and psychological disorder, Causal factors associated with abnormal behaviour, Classification of disorder, Major psychological disorders: Anxiety, Somato-form Dissociative, Mood, Schizophrenic, Developmental and Behavioural Substance Related.

Unit V : Therapeutic Approaches and counselling                     07 Marks (20 Periods)
This unit discusses the goals, techniques and effectiveness of different approaches to treat psychological disorders.
Nature and process of therapy; Nature of therapeutic relationship; Types of therapies: Psychodynamic, Humanistic, Cognitive, Behaviour; Alternative therapies: Yoga, Meditation; Zen; Rehabilitation of mentally ill people. Counselling.

Unit VI : Attitude and Social Cognition                                   08 Marks (20 Periods)
This unit focuses on the formation and change of attitudes, cultural influences on attributional tendencies and conditions influencing pro-social behaviour.
Explaining behaviour through attributions; Social cognition; Schemas and stereotypes; Impression formation; Nature and components of attitudes; Attitude formation and change; Behaviour in the presence of others: Pro-social Behaviour; Prejudice and discrimination; Strategies for handling prejudice.

Unit VII : Social Influence and Group Processes                        07 Marks (22 Periods)
The unit deals with the concept of group, its functions and the dynamics of social influence process like conformity, obedience and compliance. Different conflict resolution strategies will also be discussed.
Influence Processess: Nature of Conformity, Obedience, and Compliance: Cooperation and Competition; Groups: Nature, formation and types; Influence of group on individual behaviour; Social identity; Inter-Group Conflict; Conflict Resolution Strategies.

Unit VIII: Environmental and Social Concerns                           06 Marks (18 Periods)
This unit focuses on the application of psychological understanding to some important social issues.
Human- environment relationship; Environmental effects on human behaviour. Noise, pollution, crowding, natural disasters, social issue: Aggression and Violence; Social Inequality and Poverty; Media and human values; Promoting pro-environmental behaviour, Human rights and citizenship; Peace.

Unit IX: Applied Psyhology.                                                      06 Marks (18 Periods)
This unit introduces some of the important areas of application of psychology.
Application of psychology to following areas :
1. Sports
2. Education

3. Communication
4. Organisation

Psychological testing Practicals                                                30 Marks (60 Periods)
The students shall be required to prepare one case profile and conduct 2 practicals related to the topics covered in the course. The case profile will include developmental history of the subject, using both qualitative (observation, interview) and quantitative (Psychological testing) approaches. Practicals would involve using standardised psychological assessment devices in different domains (e.g. intelligence, personality, aptitude, adjustment, attitude, self-concept, and anxiety).

Distribution of Marks:
(i) Practical File                                                                                     05 Marks
(ii) Case Profile                                                                                     05 Marks
(iii) Viva Voice (Case profile and practical)                                           05 Marks
(iii) Two practicals (5 for accurate conduct and 10 for reporting).      15 Marks

Recommended text books:
1. Psychology, Published by NCERT

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