Psychology Optional Paper 1 Question Paper 2025 with Detailed Solution; Download PDF

UPSC Mains 2025 Question Paper for Psychology Optional Paper-I is available here to download in PDF Format. The exam has been conducted on August 31, 2025, in Forenoon Session (09:00 AM to 12 Noon). Check UPSC IAS 2025 Question Papers. This Paper comprises 8 questions which are of 250 marks. The duration of the exam is 3 hours.

UPSC Mains Psychology Optional Paper 1 Question Paper 2025 with Detailed Solution; Download PDF (August 31, 2025)

Q1 (A)  Why did behaviourists avoid the topics of thought and knowledge? Discuss.

Q1 (B)  Highlight the major factors that influence the psychological well-being of youth in the Indian setting.

Q1 (C)  Do attribution processes explain success and failure behaviour in social context? Answer this in the light of Weiner's model of attribution.

Q1 (D)  Critically evaluate the role of facial-affect programme and display rules in the expression of emotions by citing relevant examples.

Q1 (E)  IQ tests are too narrow in focus.' Evaluate the statement from the perspectives of Sternberg and Gardner's theories of intelligence.

Q2 (A)  Personality is all in our genes.' Evaluate the statement in the context of different personality theories.

Q2 (B)  When psychologists label their perspective humanistic, what does this term mean to you? What is its relevance in the modern era?

Q2 (C)  In what ways is probability sampling appropriate in the conduct of psychological research? Illustrate your answer with different techniques of probability sampling.

Q3 (A)  Discuss the role of biological, cognitive and learning influences on gender identity and gender typing by focusing on relevant theories and research studies.

Q3 (B)  Are quasi-experimental designs more advantageous than experimental designs? Discuss in the light of various methodological considerations.

Q3 (C)  Bring out the contributions of Binet and Wechsler in the measurement of intelligence. In what ways are Wechsler's approach and procedures more effective than Binet's approach and procedures ? Discuss with examples.

Q4 (A)  Describe social cognitive theory and its applications to solve large scale societal problems.

Q4 (B)  Meditation alters consciousness.' Discuss this by explaining meditation and consciousness along with relevant research examples.

Q4 (C)  What is the Whorfian hypothesis of linguistic relativity? Evaluate with empirical evidences.

Q5 (A)  Do correlational studies contribute in understanding 'cause and effect' relationship in human behaviour? Discuss.

Q5 (B)  Explain how psychological and cultural factors affect perception.

Q5 (C)  Can amnesia patients recall emotional events ? Explain your answer citing research evidence.

Q5 (D)  Discuss how the narrative approach to personality hinges on answering the question, Who am I ?".

Q5 (E)  Is jet-lag a genuine phenomena ? Explain it in the light of Circadian rhythms.

Q6 (A)  How would you justify the use of factor analysis in psychological research ? Answer with appropriate concepts and examples.

Q6 (B)  State the structure of language and explain its role in speech perception and comprehension.

Q6 (C)  What enables us to see the world in 3D despite our retinas capturing only 2D images? Explain.

Q7 (A)  Motivation is a complex process and cannot be explained by a single approach.' Evaluate the statement with the help of arousal, drive and expectancy theories by citing relevant examples.

Q7 (B)  Distinguish between deductive and inductive reasoning and throw light on stumbling blocks of reasoning.

Q7 (C)  Reward and punishment sometimes fail to effectively change behaviour. Explain with relevant examples.

Q8 (A)  Why do human beings form attitudes and prejudices? Discuss the role of psychosocial factors in bringing the change in them, in the present Indian socio-cultural context.

Q8 (B)  Give two examples of the use of the availability heuristic in everyday life - one example when it would be appropriate and another example when it might not be. Explain why your examples are illustrative of availability heuristic.

Q8 (C)  Describe some major strategies for memory retention and explain each one with relevant examples.

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