ISC Class 12 Psychology Board Exam Question Paper 2016 with Solutions

ISC Class 12 Psychology Board Exam Question Paper with Solutions 2016

Part - I (20 Marks)

Answer all questions.

(Compulsory)

Question 1. [20]
Answer briefly all the question (i) to (xx) :

(i) What is meant by phobia ? [1 Mark]

Answer:
Irrational fears of specific things causing intense emotional distress and interfering significantly with everyday activities.

Teacher's Note:
a) Define phobia as a persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation.
b) Emphasize that the fear is disproportionate to the actual danger posed by the stimulus.

(ii) Who put forward the Two Factor Theory of Intelligence ? [1 Mark]

Answer:
Charles Spearman put forward the Two Factor Theory of Intelligence.

Teacher's Note:
a) Mention that Spearman proposed the 'g' factor (general intelligence) and 's' factor (specific intelligence).
b) Ensure the theorist's name is spelled correctly to secure the mark.

(iii) What are projective techniques ? [1 Mark]

Answer:
Method used in the study of personality and social motives in which a subject is presented with a relatively ambiguous stimulus and asked to describe it in a meaningful way or to tell a story about it.

Teacher's Note:
a) Explain that these techniques bypass conscious defenses by using unstructured stimuli.
b) Give examples like the Rorschach Inkblot Test or TAT if necessary, but keep the core definition focused on ambiguous stimuli.

(iv) Mention any two personality types put forward by Sheldon. [1 Mark]

Answer:
Endomorph and Ectomorph (or Mesomorph).

Teacher's Note:
a) William Herbert Sheldon classified body types into endomorph, mesomorph, and ectomorph.
b) Students must mention any two correctly as requested by the question.

(v) What is primary cognitive appraisal of stress ? [1 Mark]

Answer:
Primary Cognitive appraisal - The evaluation of a situation whether it is threatening or not.

Teacher's Note:
a) Explain that it involves judging whether an event is irrelevant, benign-positive, or stressful (harm, threat, or challenge).
b) Contrast it briefly with secondary appraisal, which assesses coping resources.

(vi) Define personality, according to All port. [1 Mark]

Answer:
Personality is the dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical systems that determine his unique adjustments to his environment.

Teacher's Note:
a) Gordon Allport's definition emphasizes the dynamic and psychophysical nature of personality.
b) Exact wording or close approximation of key terms like 'dynamic organization' and 'unique adjustments' is expected.

(vii) What are social norms ? [1 Mark]

Answer:
Social norms are standards of behavior agreed upon by group members which exert a powerful influence on social behavior or rules indicating how individuals are expected to behave in specific situations are called social norm.

Teacher's Note:
a) Highlight that norms are unwritten or written rules shared by members of a society or group.
b) Mention that they guide and regulate appropriate behavior in various social contexts.

(viii) Explain the pre-conventional stage of morality. [1 Mark]

Answer:
As the first stage in moral development, preconventional morality is essentially the approach to right and wrong taken by children. Children often make moral decision based on how it will impact on them. Actions that lead to rewards are perceived as good or acceptable, once that lead to punishment are seen as bad or unacceptable.

Teacher's Note:
a) Based on Lawrence Kohlberg's theory of moral development.
b) Point out that morality is externally controlled, focusing on direct consequences to the self.

(ix) What is meant by the term Counselling Psychology ? [1 Mark]

Answer:
Counselling Psychology is a broad field of psychology that emphasizes helping and advising persons with various problems of day to day life, relating to education, occupation, career, mild mental problems like mild depression, marriage and marital problems, family related problems and professional problems etc.

Teacher's Note:
a) Note that it facilitates personal and interpersonal functioning across the life span.
b) Differentiate it slightly from clinical psychology by emphasizing normal developmental and situational issues.

(x) Mention one way to resist prejudice. [1 Mark]

Answer:
One way to resist prejudice is breaking the cycle to prejudice, making positive value, reducing stereotype.

Teacher's Note:
a) Other acceptable methods include increasing intergroup contact and education.
b) Ensure the answer specifically addresses cognitive or behavioral strategies to counter bias.

(xi) What is meant by the term person positivity bias ? [1 Mark]

Answer:
It is our tendency to evaluate individuals more positively than we evaluate groups, including the groups to which those individuals belong. Thus, we may have a prejudice against a group, we find that it applies to the group rather than to individual members of the group.

Teacher's Note:
a) Explain that people tend to rate specific human targets more favorably than abstract groups.
b) Highlight the contrast between group evaluation and individual evaluation.

(xii) Mention any one characteristic of passive- aggressive personality disorder. [1 Mark]

Answer:
Specific characteristics of passive aggressive personality disorder include procrastinates, or unreasonably criticize or scorns people in position of authority.

Teacher's Note:
a) Explain that this disorder involves a pervasive pattern of negativistic attitudes and passive resistance.
b) Give clear examples such as indirect resistance to demands.

(xiii) Explain the term counter transference. [1 Mark]

Answer:
Counter transference is a situation in which a therapist, during the course of therapy, develops positive or negative feelings toward the patient. These feelings may be stirred up during therapy which the therapist directs toward the patient.

Teacher's Note:
a) Contrast it with transference, where the patient projects feelings onto the therapist.
b) Note that therapists must remain aware of countertransference to maintain professional boundaries.

(xiv) What is meant by the term projection ? [1 Mark]

Answer:
The term projection is a defense mechanism in which conflict is dealt by ascribing one's own anxiety-provoking motives to someone else; blaming others.

Teacher's Note:
a) Identify projection as a Freudian ego defense mechanism.
b) Emphasize that unacceptable inner impulses are attributed to external persons.

(xv) Who put forward the theory of Cognitive development ? [1 Mark]

Answer:
Jean Piaget put forward the theory of cognitive development.

Teacher's Note:
a) Mention Piaget's four stages of cognitive development.
b) Keep the answer precise and direct.

(xvi) Explain self-actualization. [1 Mark]

Answer:
Self-actualization represents a concept derived from Humanistic psychological theory and specifically, from the theory created by Abraham Maslow. Self-actualization is the stage of personal development in which individuals reach their maximum potential/fullest potential or peak experience.

Teacher's Note:
a) Located at the top of Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
b) Define it as the realization of a person's full potential and self-fulfillment.

(xvii) What is meant by the term internals, according to Julian Rotter ? [1 Mark]

Answer:
According to Julian Rotter, individuals who believe that they exert considerable control over the outcomes they experience are called internals. Individuals with strong internal locus of control believe events in their life derive primarily from their own actions.

Teacher's Note:
a) Refer to Rotter's locus of control concept.
b) Contrast briefly with 'externals' who attribute outcomes to fate, luck, or others.

(xviii) Explain the term mood disorder. [1 Mark]

Answer:
A psychological disorder in which the individuals experience swings in their emotional states that are more extreme and prolonged than most people. Their highs are higher and lows are lower and they spend more time in these states than most people.

Teacher's Note:
a) Mention affective disorders like major depression and bipolar disorder.
b) Emphasize the severity and duration of emotional disturbance beyond normal fluctuations.

(xix) Mention any two central dimensions of personality according to Costa and McCrae. [1 Mark]

Answer:
Extraversion and Agreeableness (or Neuroticism, Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness).

Teacher's Note:
a) Based on the Five-Factor Model (OCEAN) of personality.
b) Students need to list any two dimensions correctly.

(xx) State any one use of GATB. [1 Mark]

Answer:
General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) can be safely used for the purpose of educational and vocational selection (or as a backbone of guidance services).

Teacher's Note:
a) Explain that GATB measures multiple aptitude domains for occupational counseling.
b) Validate correct usage in career guidance and personnel selection.

Part - II (50 Marks)

Section - A

Answer any two questions

Question 2.
(a) Describe Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of Intelligence. [5 Marks]
(b) Explain how Stanford Binet test can be used to measure intelligence. [5 Marks]

Answer:
(a) Theorist: Robert Sternberg.
Triarchic theory - He gave three basic types of intelligence:
1. Componential or Analytical: The ability to think critically and analytically; people high on this type score well on standard academic tests or prove to be excellent students. Example - professors, teachers.
2. Experiential or Creative: Insight and ability to formulate new ideas; people high on this type excel at zeroing in on what information is crucial in a given situation and/or combining seemingly unrelated facts. Example - inventions like minting coins, printing press.
3. Contextual or Practical: They have a high adaptive sense or are street smart. They are adaptable at solving problems of everyday life. Example - carrying the baby on the back while doing work.

(b) The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales is an individually administered intelligence test that was revised from the original Binet-Simon scale by Lewis M. Terman, a psychologist at Stanford University. It is a cognitive ability intelligence test used to diagnose developmental or intellectual deficiencies in young children. The test measures five factors and consists of both verbal and non-verbal subtests. The five factors tested are knowledge, quantitative reasoning, visual-spatial processing, working memory, and fluid reasoning.
The MA/CA ratio yields the Intelligence Quotient (IQ), a concept proposed by psychologist William Stern in 1912. To express this fact in the form of IQ, we take the ratio of Mental Age (MA) to Chronological Age (CA) and multiply by 100 to eliminate decimals:
\( \text{IQ} = \frac{\text{MA}}{\text{CA}} \times 100 \)
If an individual's MA and CA are equal, an IQ of 100 is obtained, which is considered an average score. IQ above 100 indicates intellectual age greater than chronological age, while numbers below 100 indicate lower intelligence than peers.
Uses: School placement, determining the presence of learning disabilities or developmental delays, tracking intellectual development, and neuropsychological testing.

Teacher's Note:
a) For part (a), ensure all three sub-theories (analytical, creative, practical) are clearly detailed with examples.
b) For part (b), mention the formula clearly and explain the calculation of IQ and its clinical applications.

Question 3.
(a) What is meant by achievement test ? Discuss any four uses of achievement test. [5 Marks]
(b) Explain the basic concepts of Karen Horney's theory of personality. [5 Marks]

Answer:
(a) Achievement refers to what a person has acquired or achieved after specific training or instructions have been imparted. An achievement test is also known as a proficiency test, measuring the extent to which a person has acquired certain information or proficiency as a function of instruction or training.
Four uses of achievement tests are:
1. Checking instructional weaknesses: They help identify weaknesses in teaching methods or slackness in students so that instruction can be improved.
2. Curriculum formulation: They assist education boards in critical examination of content and teaching methods.
3. Adapting instruction to individual needs: Test results reveal the need for further guidance, allowing instruction to be customized.
4. Diagnosis and selection: Diagnostic tests identify educationally retarded pupils for remedial programs, while standard end-of-course exams assist in job selection, promotion, and vocational placement.

(b) Karen Horney argued that "penis envy" was not a normal development in females but rather an unusual and pathological occurrence, countering that males also envied women's capacity for pregnancy and childbirth. Two major components of her personality psychology are basic anxiety and basic hostility.
1. Basic Anxiety: Arises in childhood when the child feels helpless in a threatening world. Dependent on parents for safety, erratic, indifferent, or rejecting parents heighten the child's vulnerability.
2. Basic Hostility: Accompanies basic anxiety and grows out of resentment over parental behavior. Since hostility cannot be expressed directly, it is repressed, increasing anxiety.
She proposed three modes of social interaction used by individuals:
- Moving towards others (compliance / passive).
- Moving against others (ascendance, domination, aggression).
- Moving away from others (self-protection by withdrawal).
Normal people use all three in a balanced way, whereas neurotic individuals rigidly rely on a single approach.

Teacher's Note:
a) In part (a), clearly define achievement tests and enumerate four distinct educational and vocational uses.
b) In part (b), cover basic anxiety, basic hostility, and Horney's three coping mechanisms (moving toward, against, and away).

Question 4.
(a) Discuss Sigmund Freud's view about the structure of personality. [4 Marks]
(b) Explain MMPI as a tool to assess personality. [6 Marks]

Answer:
(a) Freud suggested that personality consists largely of three parts: the Id, the Ego, and the Super-ego.
1. The Id: Consists of all primitive, innate urges, bodily needs, and aggressive impulses. It operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate total gratification without considering potential costs.
2. The Ego: Acts according to the reality principle, holding the id in check until conditions allow safe satisfaction. It directs behavior to maximize pleasure and minimize pain.
3. The Super-ego: Concerned with morality and right versus wrong. It permits impulse gratification only when morally correct, acting as our conscience.
Constant struggle among these three structures plays a key role in personality and psychological disorders, sometimes visible in everyday behavior through Freudian slips.

(b) The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was developed in 1930 (current version MMPI-2 contains 567 items).
Key features:
1. Contains 10 clinical scales and several validity scales.
2. Clinical scales relate to various psychological disorders (such as Hypochondriasis, Depression, Hysteria, Psychopathic Deviance, Paranoia, Psychasthenia, Schizophrenia, Hypomania, and Social Introversion), while validity scales determine if the respondent is faking answers.
3. Format: True/False statements where respondents classify items into True, False, or Can't say categories.
4. Target group: Used for adults aged 18 and above, taking one to two hours to complete.
5. Validity scores include 'validity scores' (F), a 'lie score' (L), a 'questions score', and a 'K-score'.

Teacher's Note:
a) For part (a), accurately define Id, Ego, and Super-ego along with their governing principles.
b) For part (b), detail the structure of MMPI-2, its true/false format, and mention clinical and validity scales.

Section - B

Answer any three questions.

Question 5.
(a) Discuss the Formal Operational Stage as given by Piaget. [5 Marks]
(b) Explain the relative contribution of heredity and environment in the context of a child's development. [5 Marks]

Answer:
(a) Formal Operational Stage as suggested by Piaget: Beginning around age twelve, children enter the final stage of cognitive development where major features of adult thought emerge. Unlike concrete operations limited to tangible objects, formal operations involve abstract thinking and reasoning about possibilities.
Key features include:
1. Hypothetical thinking: Ability to think about how things might be if certain changes took place and judge hypothetical reasoning.
2. Deduction and induction: Sophisticated reasoning from general principles to specific hypotheses, and vice versa.
3. Inter-propositional logic: Ability to judge whether propositions are logically connected regardless of factual truth.
4. Reflective thinking: Ability to act as one's own critic, evaluating processes and ideas from an objective standpoint.

(b) The relative contribution of heredity and environment in child development involves understanding how nature and nurture interact.
- Heredity sets biological limits and potential. Studies (like Pearson, 1904) show strong resemblances in physical and mental traits among family members.
- Environment shapes the extent to which genetic potential is realized. Studies by Chicago University (Freeman, 1925) and Stanford (Burks, 1928) emphasize the influence of home environment on mental traits.
- While heredity determines intellectual and physiological limits, environmental factors (training, education, social opportunities) influence the actual level of development achieved.
Conclusion: Neither nature nor nurture alone can explain personality and behavioral development; they operate cooperatively and coordinately.

Teacher's Note:
a) In part (a), clearly explain Piaget's formal operational stage with its key cognitive attributes like hypothetical and abstract thinking.
b) In part (b), provide a balanced view of nature and nurture, citing that heredity sets the ceiling while environment determines the level achieved within that limit.

Question 6.
(a) Explain the distress cycle. [5 Marks]
(b) Discuss briefly any five ways in which health of an individual can be affected by stress. [5 Marks]

Answer:
(a) Psychological distress is a general term describing unpleasant feelings or emotions that impact functioning and daily living. The distress cycle illustrates how stress originates, overloads, and creates negative consequences:
1. Sources of Stress: Can include change stressors, chemical stressors, commuting stressors, decision stressors, disease stressors, emotional stressors, environmental stressors, family stressors, pain stressors, phobic stressors, physical stressors, social stressors, and work stressors.
2. Stress Overloading: Accumulated stressors lead to stress overload.
3. Immediate Effects: Behavioral (overeating), physiological (elevated blood pressure, rapid heartbeat), emotional (anxiety, depression, anger), and cognitive (distractibility).
4. Long-Term Disorders: Behavioral disorders (obesity), medical disorders (hypertension), emotional disorders, and cognitive disorders.
5. Overall Costs: Decreased productivity, decreased enjoyment, and decreased intimacy.

(b) Five ways in which health can be affected by stress:
1. Diabetes: Stress causes blood sugar levels to rise as hormones like cortisol and epinephrine are released to boost energy.
2. Ulcers: Chronic stress and emotional distress stimulate excess digestive acids that erode the lining of the stomach or small intestine.
3. High Blood Pressure (Hypertension): Stress causes the retention of excess sodium and fluids which constrict artery cell walls, raising blood pressure.
4. Impairment of the Immune System: Prolonged stress interferes with the immune system's ability to destroy harmful bacteria, viruses, and cancerous cells.
5. Heart Attack and Cardiovascular Risk: Stress increases blood cholesterol levels and blood clotting speed, contributing significantly to coronary risk, especially in Type A personalities.

Teacher's Note:
a) For part (a), outline the flow of the distress cycle from sources and immediate effects to overall costs.
b) For part (b), clearly detail five specific physiological health conditions triggered or worsened by stress.

Question 7.
(a) Discuss the biological, psychological and sociocultural perspectives of viewing abnormal behavior. [5 Marks]
(b) Explain the main features of Client Centered Therapy. [5 Marks]

Answer:
(a) Perspectives of viewing abnormal behavior:
1. Biological Model: Emphasizes the role of the nervous system, neurotransmitter imbalances, genetic factors, and disorders of the central nervous system (CNS), autonomic nervous system (ANS), or endocrine system. Examples include chromosomal abnormalities like Down syndrome.
2. Psychological Model: Emphasizes basic psychological processes, learning (e.g., phobias), cognitive factors (faulty patterns of thought leading to depression), and unconscious conflicts as emphasized by Freud.
3. Sociocultural Model: Emphasizes external factors such as poverty, unemployment, inferior education, prejudice, negative environments, and cultural traditions as potential causes of mental disorders.

(b) Client-Centered Therapy (developed by Carl Rogers):
- Core philosophy: Rogers rejected Freud's view of primitive urges, arguing instead that psychological problems arise when a client's drive toward self-actualization is thwarted by judgments and "conditions of worth" imposed by others.
- Unconditional Positive Regard: Therapists provide unconditional acceptance and a warm, caring environment free from threat of rejection.
- Empathetic Understanding: Therapists reflect the client's feelings and perceptions accurately.
- Outcome: Freed from the need to conform to unrealistic conditions of worth, clients learn to accept unwanted aspects of their personalities, see themselves as unique human beings, and resume their progress toward self-fulfillment.

Teacher's Note:
a) In part (a), clearly separate the biological, psychological, and sociocultural explanations for abnormality.
b) In part (b), highlight Carl Rogers' humanistic approach, conditions of worth, and unconditional positive regard.

Question 8.
(a) Explain Milgram's Experiment on Obedience. [5 Marks]
(b) Describe the process through which people try to understand the reasons for others behavior. [5 Marks]

Answer:
(a) Milgram's Experiment on Obedience:
- Objective: To study obedience to authority figures.
- Setup: Male subjects responded to newspaper ads and were assigned the role of 'teacher' via a rigged drawing, while a confederate played the 'learner'. The teacher was instructed to administer electric shocks (ranging from 15 to 450 volts across 30 switches) whenever the learner made a mistake on a word-matching task.
- Procedure: Although no actual shocks were administered, the equipment appeared genuine. As the learner made mistakes, shocks were increased. The learner protested, kicked walls, and eventually stopped responding at 300 volts.
- Results: Despite signs of extreme tension and distress, 65 percent of subjects (26 out of 40) continued to administer shocks all the way to the maximum 450-volt level when prodded by the experimenter.
- Conclusion: High obedience is driven by perceived authority, shifting of responsibility to the experimenter, and gradual escalation of commands.

(b) Attribution (The process through which we determine causes behind others' behavior):
We examine others' behavior for clues to decide whether actions stem from internal causes (traits, intentions) or external causes (situation, luck). According to Kelley's covariation model, we consider three types of information:
1. Consensus: Whether other people behave in the same way as the person in question.
2. Consistency: Whether this person behaves in the same manner over time.
3. Distinctiveness: Whether this person behaves in the same way in different situations.
- Internal Attribution: If consensus is low (few people act this way), consistency is high, and distinctiveness is low, we conclude the behavior stems from internal causes.
- External Attribution: If consensus, consistency, and distinctiveness are all high, we conclude the behavior stems from external causes (situational pressure or lack of choice).

Teacher's Note:
a) For part (a), summarize Milgram's procedure, shock levels, and the surprising finding that 65% of participants obeyed up to 450 volts.
b) For part (b), explain attribution theory and Kelley's three dimensions: consensus, consistency, and distinctiveness.

Question 9.
Write notes on any two of the following : [5 x 2 = 10 Marks]
(a) Role of psychology in facilitating learning in schools.
(b) Career counselling.
(c) How does the knowledge of psychology help in preventing crime ?

(a) Role of psychology in facilitating learning in schools. [5 Marks]
Answer:
Five ways psychology facilitates learning in schools include:
1. Providing opportunities to students to discover, develop, and improve their interests and abilities.
2. Arranging for remedial work when required based on diagnostic assessments.
3. Helping students develop effective study habits and cognitive strategies.
4. Making students aware of the importance of educational planning and goal setting.
5. Providing information about higher education options and career pathways.

Teacher's Note:
a) Focus on educational psychology applications within school settings.
b) Emphasize student guidance, remedial teaching, and motivation.

(b) Career counselling. [5 Marks]
Answer:
Career counselling is the process of helping candidates select a course of study or career suited to their aptitude, personality, interests, and skills, bridging internal psychology with external employability factors.
Methods used include:
1. Career Testing / Aptitude Testing: Online or objective tests matching individual traits with successful professionals in specific fields.
2. Psychometric Testing: Assessing personality types, work-life preferences, goals, and strengths.
3. Intelligence Testing: Helping determine appropriate vocational levels ranging from skilled professional roles to structured routine tasks.
Career counseling is essential for selection, recruitment, training, and promotion.

Teacher's Note:
a) Define career counseling as the integration of psychological assessment with vocational planning.
b) Mention tools like aptitude tests, psychometric tests, and intelligence measures.

(c) How does the knowledge of psychology help in preventing crime ? [5 Marks]
Answer:
Crime is legally defined as illegal acts committed by individuals convicted by a court of law. Preventing criminal behavior requires addressing social and psychological factors:
1. Juvenile Intervention: Early identification, control, and treatment of delinquents since today's delinquents are tomorrow's criminals.
2. Social and Educational Reforms: Narrowing the gulf between rich and poor, eliminating caste barriers, and reforming educational systems to minimize economic and social frustration among youth.
3. Inculcation of Moral Values: Strengthening moral foundations to combat the crisis of character.
4. Environmental Modification: Providing social and legal justice, protecting individuals from environmental deprivation, and curbing the negative influence of mass media and unemployment.
5. Rehabilitation: Helping emotionally maladjusted individuals before they drift into criminal behavior.

Teacher's Note:
a) Explain that psychological prevention involves early intervention in behavioral disorders and delinquency.
b) Highlight the role of social reforms, moral education, and environmental support in curbing criminal tendencies.