CHSE Odisha Elective Psychology study plan

Define psychology and distinguish it from pseudoscience and common sense by writing your own one-paragraph definition plus three contrasting examples

Outline the scope of psychology across clinical, educational, organizational, and research settings, listing at least two concrete roles for each

Compare the five major schools (structuralism, functionalism, behaviourism, Gestalt, psychoanalysis) in a five-row table naming founder, core claim, and one lasting contribution

Describe the case-study, survey, correlational, and experimental methods, and state one strength and one limitation for each

Explain the classical conditioning paradigm using an original everyday example, correctly labelling UCS, UCR, CS, and CR

Contrast classical and operant conditioning by generating three original examples of each and identifying the controlling stimulus in each case

Apply the four reinforcement schedules to real scenarios and predict which produces the slowest extinction

Explain extinction, spontaneous recovery, generalization, and discrimination using your own examples rather than textbook wording

Distinguish positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment, and omission in a four-cell grid with one example per cell

Summarize Bandura's observational learning steps and state one classroom implication of social learning theory

Draw and label the divisions of the nervous system from central to peripheral to autonomic, and state the function of each branch

Describe the neuron's structure and explain depolarization, repolarization, and synaptic transmission in sequence

Match at least six endocrine glands to their hormones and primary behavioural effects

Explain the difference between genotype and phenotype and give one example of gene-environment interaction

Distinguish sensation from perception and explain the Gestalt principles of proximity, similarity, and closure with original illustrations in words

Define attention, describe selective and divided attention, and explain one determinant of attention such as intensity or set

Compare the sensory, short-term, and long-term memory stores on capacity, duration, and encoding

Explain working memory components and give one task that loads each component

Distinguish proactive from retroactive interference with an original example of each

Describe the encoding specificity principle and state how context and state can affect retrieval

Evaluate the decay, interference, and retrieval-failure explanations of forgetting and state which fits which evidence

Define motivation and distinguish intrinsic from extrinsic motivation with an exam-relevant example

Compare Maslow's hierarchy with a drive-reduction account and identify one criticism of each

Explain the James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, and Schachter-Singer theories of emotion and design a scenario that would separate them empirically

Describe the role of the limbic system and autonomic arousal in emotional experience

Distinguish emotion from mood and from stress, giving one criterion for each distinction

Define intelligence and distinguish it from aptitude and achievement with an example of each

Compare Spearman, Thurstone, Gardner, and Sternberg on the structure of intelligence and state one criticism of each

Explain IQ, mental age, deviation IQ, and the normal distribution of scores, and interpret a given IQ score correctly

Outline one test-construction issue such as reliability, validity, or cultural fairness and explain why it matters

Compare Freudian, trait, humanistic, and social-cognitive approaches to personality on key assumptions and assessment methods

Explain the Big Five dimensions and rate yourself on each with one behavioural justification

Distinguish projective from self-report personality tests and state one strength and one limitation of each

Define attitude and explain its components, then describe how cognitive dissonance can change an attitude

Distinguish conformity, compliance, and obedience with one original example of each

Explain bystander effect and social loafing, and state one factor that increases prosocial behaviour

Distinguish normality from abnormality using at least three criteria and apply them to one borderline case

Describe the main features of anxiety, mood, and psychotic disorders without relying on casual labels

Explain the biopsychosocial model and apply it to one disorder

Outline two approaches to treatment, such as cognitive-behavioural and pharmacological, and state one limitation of each

Describe at least three strategies for promoting mental health and one barrier to help-seeking

Explain group polarization and groupthink, and identify one way a group can reduce biased decisions

Retrieve definitions for every key term across all ten domains using spaced self-testing rather than rereading notes

Answer two full-length practice papers under timed conditions and score them

Diagnose your three weakest domains from practice scores and rewrite those topics in your own words

Practise structuring long answers with definition, explanation, example, and evaluation in the required marks' proportion

Review all eight deliverables and correct every factual error you find