Psychology Class 11 Syllabus 2024

Theory paper is of 3 hours duration and 70 marks. There are eight units in the syllabus.

Exam Structure

Unit Topic  Marks
I What is Psychology? 11
II Methods of Enquiry in Psychology 13
IV Human Development 11
V Sensory, Attentional and Perceptual Processes 8
VI Learning 9
VII Human Memory 8
VIII Thinking 5
IX Motivation and Emotion 5
  Total 70 

Unit I: What is Psychology?

  1. Introduction
  2. What is Psychology?
    • Psychology as a Discipline
    • Psychology as a Natural Science
    • Psychology as a Social Science
  3. Understanding Mind and Behaviour
  4. Popular Notions about the Discipline of Psychology
  5. Evolution of Psychology
  6. Development of Psychology in India
  7. Branches of Psychology
  8. Psychology and Other Disciplines
  9. Psychology in Everyday Life

Unit II: Methods of Enquiry in Psychology

  1. Introduction
  2. Goals of Psychological Enquiry
    • Steps in Conducting Scientific Research
    • Alternative Paradigms of Research
  3. Nature of Psychological Data
  4. Some Important Methods in Psychology
    • Observational Method
    • Experimental Method
    • Correlational Research
    • Survey Research
    • Psychological Testing
    • Case Study
  5. Analysis of Data
    • Quantitative Method
    • Qualitative Method
  6. Limitations of Psychological Enquiry
  7. Ethical Issues

Unit IV: Human Development

  1. Introduction
  2. Meaning of Development
    • Life-Span Perspective on Development
  3. Factors Influencing Development
  4. Context of Development
  5. Overview of Developmental Stages
    • Prenatal Stage
    • Infancy
    • Childhood
    • Challenges of Adolescence
    • Adulthood and Old Age

Unit V: Sensory, Attentional, and Perceptual Processes

  1. Introduction
  2. Knowing the world
  3. Nature and varieties of Stimulus
  4. Sense Modalities
    • Functional limitation of sense organs
  5. Attentional Processes
    • Selective Attention
    • Sustained Attention
  6. Perceptual Processes
    • Processing Approaches in Perception
  7. The Perceiver
  8. Principles of Perceptual Organisation
  9. Perception of Space, Depth, and Distance
    • Monocular Cues and Binocular Cues
  10. Perceptual Constancies
  11. Illusions
  12. Socio-Cultural Influences on Perception

Unit VI: Learning

  1. Introduction
  2. Nature of Learning
  3. Paradigms of Learning
  4. Classical Conditioning
    • Determinants of Classical Conditioning
  5. Operant/Instrumental Conditioning
    • Determinants of Operant Conditioning
    • Key Learning Processes
  6. Observational Learning
  7. Cognitive Learning
  8. Verbal Learning
  9. Skill Learning
  10. Factors Facilitating Learning
  11. Learning Disabilities

Unit VII: Human Memory

  1. Introduction
  2. Nature of memory
  3. Information processing Approach: The Stage Model
  4. Memory Systems: Sensory, Short-term and Long-term Memories
  5. Levels of Processing
  6. Types of Long-term Memory
    • Declarative and Procedural; Episodic and Semantic
  7. Nature and Causes of Forgetting
    • Forgetting due to Trace Decay, Interference and Retrieval Failure
  8. Enhancing Memory
    • Mnemonics using Images and Organisation

Unit VIII: Thinking

  1. Introduction
  2. Nature of Thinking
    • Building Blocks of Thought
  3. The Processes of Thinking
  4. Problem Solving
  5. Reasoning
  6. Decision-making
  7. Nature and Process of Creative Thinking
    • Nature of Creative Thinking
    • Process of Creative Thinking
  8. Thought and Language
  9. Development of Language and Language Use

Unit IX: Motivation and Emotion

  1. Introduction
  2. Nature of Motivation
  3. Types of Motives
    • Biological Motives
    • Psychosocial Motives
  4. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
  5. Nature of Emotions
  6. Expression of Emotions
    • Culture and Emotional Expression
    • Culture and Emotional Labelling
  7. Managing Negative Emotions
  8. Enhancing Positive Emotions