UGC NET Psychology Syllabus 2025: Download PDF Now!

The UGC NET Psychology Syllabus is a comprehensive resource for candidates who have chosen the Psychology paper as their elective in the upcoming UGC NET Exam. Candidates preparing for the Psychology paper should go through the complete UGC NET syllabus for Psychology as notified in the official NTA website. The syllabus of UGC NET Psychology is broadly divided into two papers that assess a candidate's understanding of core concepts in the subject. 

• Paper 1 focuses on research methodology and statistics. Some of the key topics included in the UGC NET Syllabus for Psychology are scientific methods in psychological research, experimental designs, correlational methods, sampling techniques, test of hypotheses, probability and distributions, parametric and non-parametric tests. 
• Paper 2 examines various areas within the subject of Psychology like biological basis of behavior, cognition, learning, memory, thinking, intelligence and creativity, human development, personality, psychopathology, psychotherapy and counseling, health psychology, psychological testing, statistics, computer application, and research methods. 
• Candidates are expected to have in-depth knowledge of these fundamental aspects and be able to apply their learning to analyze case studies, problems, and scenarios. 
• By familiarizing themselves with the UGC NET Psychology Syllabus , cadidates can strategically plan their preparation and focus on the key areas that are emphasized in the exam, ensuring a higher chance of success.

In this article, we have provided the detailed UGC NET Psychology Syllabus including important unit-wise topics for your reference. 

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UGC NET Psychology Exam Pattern Highlights

Before delving into the details of UGC NET Psychology Syllabus, let us quickly go through the paper pattern and key points about the exam below –

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UGC NET Psychology Syllabus 2025

The UGC NET Psychology Syllabus is divided into 10 modules. Candidates who have opted for the Psychology optional in the UGC NET exam must be well versed with the key concepts and theories in psychology as provided in the official UGC NET Syllabus for Psychology as specified on the official NTA website.

UGC NET Psychology Syllabus 2025 PDF

The UGC NET Psychology Syllabus PDF is available on the official website @ugcnetonline.in. The syllabus is available in English and Hindi. Candidates can visit the official website to download the syllabus or use the direct link given below.

Download UGC NET Psychology Syllabus in English PDF

Download UGC NET Psychology Syllabus in Hindi PDF

Unit 1: Emergence of Psychology

• Psychological thought in some major Eastern Systems: Bhagavad Gita, Buddhism, Sufism and Integral Yoga.
• Academic psychology in India: Pre-independence era, post-independence era, 1970s: The move to addressing social issues, 1980s: Indigenization, 1990s: Paradigmatic concerns, disciplinary identity crisis, 2000s: Emergence of Indian psychology in academia. Issues: The colonial encounter, Postcolonialism and psychology, Lack of distinct disciplinary identity. 
• Western: Greek heritage, medieval period and modern period. Structuralism, Functionalism, Psychoanalytical, Gestalt, Behaviorism, Humanistic Existential, Transpersonal, Cognitive revolution, Multiculturalism. Four founding paths of academic psychology - Wundt, Freud, James, Dilthey. Issues: Crisis in psychology due to strict adherence to experimental analytical paradigm (logical empiricism). Indic influences on modern psychology. 
• Essential aspects of knowledge paradigms: Ontology, epistemology, and methodology.
• Paradigms of Western Psychology: Positivism, Post-Positivism, Critical perspective, Social Constructionism, Existential Phenomenology, and Co-operative Enquiry, Paradigmatic Controversies.

Unit 2: Research Methodology and Statistics

• Research - Meaning, Purpose, and Dimensions: Research problems, Variables and Operational Definitions, Hypothesis, Sampling. 
• Ethics in conducting and reporting research 

• Paradigms of research: Quantitative, Qualitative, Mixed methods approach Methods of research: Observation, Survey [Interview, Questionnaires], Experimental, Quasi-experimental, Field studies, Cross-Cultural Studies, Phenomenology, Grounded theory, Focus groups, Narratives, Case studies, Ethnography 
• Statistics in Psychology: Measures of Central Tendency and Dispersion. Normal Probability Curve. Parametric [t-test] and Non-parametric tests [Sign Test, Wilcoxon Signed rank test, Mann-Whitney test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Friedman]. Power analysis. Effect size. 
• Correlational Analysis: Correlation [Product Moment, Rank Order], Partial correlation, multiple correlation. Special Correlation Methods: Biserial, Point biserial, tetrachoric, phi coefficient. 
• Experimental Designs: ANOVA [One-way, Factorial], Randomized Block Designs, Repeated Measures Design, Latin Square, Cohort studies, Time series, MANOVA, ANCOVA. Single-subject . designs

Unit 3: Psychological Testing

• Types of tests 
• Test construction: Item writing, item analysis 
• Test standardization: Reliability, validity and Norms 
• Areas of testing: Intelligence, creativity, neuropsychological tests, aptitude, Personality assessment, interest inventories 
• Computer-based psychological testing 

Unit 4: Biological Basis of Behavior

• Sensory systems: General and specific sensations, receptors and processes 
• The Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems: Structure and functions. Neuroplasticity. 
• Methods of Physiological Psychology: Invasive methods – Anatomical methods, degeneration techniques, lesion techniques, chemical methods, microelectrode studies. Non-invasive methods – EEG, Scanning methods. 
• Muscular and Glandular system: Types and functions 
• Biological basis of Motivation, emotion, genetics and behavior: Hunger, Thirst, Sleep and Sex, The Limbic system, Hormonal regulation of behavior, Chromosomal anomalies, Nature-Nurture controversy [Twin studies and adoption studies] 

Above are the topics covered in Unit 4 for UGC NET Psychology Syllabus

Unit 5: Attention, Perception, Learning, Memory and Forgetting

• Attention - Forms of attention, Models of attention: 
• Approaches to the Study of Perception: Gestalt and physiological approaches Perceptual Organization: Gestalt, Figure and Ground, Law of Organization Perceptual Constancy: Size, Shape, and Color, Illusions Perception of Form, Depth and Movement Role of motivation and learning in perception 
• Signal detection theory: Assumptions and applications Subliminal perception and related factors, information processing approach to perception, culture and perception, perceptual styles, Pattern recognition, Ecological perspective on perception. 
• Learning Process - Fundamental theories: Thorndike, Guthrie, Hull 
• Memory and Forgetting Memory processes: Encoding, Storage, Retrieval 

Unit 6: Thinking, Intelligence and Creativity

• Theoretical perspectives on thought processes: Associationism, Gestalt, Information processing, Feature integration model Concept formation: Rules, Types, and Strategies, Role of concepts in thinking Types of Reasoning Language and thought 
• Problem solving: Type, Strategies, and Obstacles Decision-making: Types and models 
• Metacognition: Metacognitive knowledge and Metacognitive regulation 
• Intelligence: Spearman, Thurstone, Jensen, Cattell, Gardner, Stenberg, Goleman, Das, Kar & Parrila
• Creativity: Torrance, Getzels & Jackson, Guilford, Wallach & Kogan Relationship between Intelligence and Creativity 

Unit 7: Personality, Motivation, Emotion, Stress and Coping

• Determinants of personality - Biological and socio-cultural: Approaches to the study of personality: Psychoanalytical, Neo-Freudian, Social learning, Trait and Type, Cognitive, Humanistic, Existential, Transpersonal psychology. Other theories: Rotter's Locus of Control, Seligman's Explanatory styles, Kohlberg’s theory of Moral development. 
• Basic motivational concepts: Instincts, Needs, Drives, Arousal, Incentives, Motivational Cycle. Approaches to the study of motivation: Psychoanalytical, Ethological, S-R Cognitive, Humanistic.
• Exploratory behavior and curiosity: Zuckerman's Sensation seeking Achievement, Affiliation and Power Motivational Competence Self-regulation Flow 
• Emotions - Physiological correlates: Theories of emotions: James-Lange, Canon-Bard, Schachter and Singer, Lazarus, Lindsley. Emotion regulation 
• Conflicts - Sources and types: Stress and Coping: Concept, Models, Type A, B, C, D behaviors, Stress management strategies [Biofeedback, Music therapy, Breathing exercises, Progressive Muscular Relaxation, Guided Imagery, Mindfulness, Meditation, Yogasana, Stress Inoculation Training]. 

Unit 8: Social Psychology

• Nature, scope and history of social psychology 

• Traditional theoretical perspectives: Field theory, Cognitive Dissonance, Sociobiology, Psychodynamic Approaches, Social Cognition. 
• Social perception: [Communication, Attributions], attitude and its change within cultural context, prosocial behavior 
• Group and Social influence: [Social Facilitation, Social loafing], Social influence [Conformity, Peer Pressure, Persuasion, Compliance, Obedience, Social Power, Reactance]. Aggression. 
• Applied social psychology: Health, Environment and Law, Personal space, crowding, and territoriality. 

Unit 9: Human Development and Interventions

• Developmental processes: Nature, Principles, Factors in development, Stages of Development. Successful aging. 
• Various aspects of development: Sensory-motor, cognitive, language, emotional, social and moral. 
• Psychopathology: Concept, Mental Status Examination, Classification, Causes 
• Psychotherapies: 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. 
• Applications of theories of motivation and learning in School Factors in educational achievement Teacher effectiveness 
• Counselling: Process, skills, and techniques 

Unit 10: Emerging Areas

• Issues of Gender, Poverty, Disability, and Migration: Cultural bias and discrimination. Stigma, Marginalization, and Social Suffering, Child Abuse and Domestic violence. 
• Peace psychology: Violence, non-violence, conflict resolution at macro level, role of media in conflict resolution. 
• Wellbeing and Self-growth: Types of wellbeing [Hedonic and Eudaimonic], Character strengths, Resilience and Post-Traumatic Growth. 
• Health: Health promoting and health compromising behaviors, Lifestyle and Chronic diseases [Diabetes, Hypertension, Coronary Heart Disease], Psychoneuroimmunology [Cancer, HIV/AIDS] 
• Psychology and technology interface: Digital learning, Digital etiquette: Cyber bullying, Cyber pornography: Consumption, implications, Parental mediation of Digital Usage.

UGC NET Psychology Syllabus – Important Topics

In Paper 2 of the NTA UGC NET Psychology exam, the subject ‘Psychology’ plays a very important role. UGC NET asks questions of varied difficulty levels from this segment and hence, it becomes important for the exam aspirants to know the important topics included in the UGC NET Psychology Syllabus. The table below depicts important topics and sub-topics that are important for UGC NET Psychology syllabus –

Go through UGC NET Important Topics for Psychology and other subjects.

UGC NET Psychology Exam Pattern 2025

Now that you know the important topics from the UGC NET Psychology syllabus, it is also crucial to be aware of the paper pattern and the marks distribution in the official UGC NET Psychology paper. The detailed breakdown of the paper pattern is provided below –

Go through the complete UGC NET Exam Pattern in detail.

Best Books to Prepare UGC NET Psychology Syllabus

Since Psychology is a vast field, students who have opted for the Psychology elective in the upcoming UGC NET exam must get hold of the right books to cover the UGC NET Psychology syllabus for Paper 2. The following are some of the recommended reading materials to cover the complete UGC NET Psychology syllabus –

Tips to Cover UGC NET Psychology Syllabus

The UGC NET Psychology syllabus is quite extensive and it is important to prepare it in a strategic manner. Following are some key points to consider while preparing the UGC NET Psychology syllabus –

1. Understand the syllabus structure and identify important topics and sub-topics. Give more focus to frequently asked areas.
2. Start with revising fundamentals of psychology like schools of thought, research methods, personality theories etc. These act as building blocks.
3. Make condensed notes of each topic in point form for quick revision. You can divide notes into separate booklets based on subject areas.
4. Refer to standard textbooks recommended for NET preparation. Focus on understanding concepts rather than rote learning long definitions.
5. Learn about landmark studies associated with each topic and major conclusions. This helps in reference-based question answering.
6. Practice as many previous years' question papers and mock tests as possible. Time yourself.
7. Find study partners or form online groups for discussions. Teaching concepts to others reinforces your learning.

With systematic preparation and regular practice, you can effectively cover the UGC NET Psychology syllabus within the given timelines. Proper time management and self-assessment are keys to success.

Go through UGC NET Exam Dates to be prepared with the complete Psychology syllabus well in advance.

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