History Of Psychology PYQs for CUET PG

History of Psychology PYQs for CUET PG

Chapter 2: History Of Psychology ( including MCQs )

Q1. What was considered the first major shift in the approach to psychology?
  • a. Redefining psychology as the science of behavior
  • b. The cognitive revolution
  • c. Nature vs nurture controversy
  • d. Freud’s theory focused on unconscious motives
Answer – a. Redefining psychology as the science of behavior
Explanation: The first major shift was moving from studying the mind to focusing on observable behavior, which gave rise to behaviorism.
Other Options Explained:
b: Cognitive revolution came later, reviving interest in mental processes.
c: Nature vs nurture is an old debate, not a shift in method.
d: Freud’s ideas were significant but not methodological revolutions.
Q2. The first major theoretical model in information processing psychology was proposed by ________ in ________.
  • a. Treisman, 1960
  • b. Chomsky, 1957
  • c. Broadbent, 1958
  • d. Watson, 1920
Answer – c. Broadbent, 1958
Explanation: Donald Broadbent proposed an early information-processing model explaining how attention is filtered in the brain.
Other Options Explained:
a: Treisman later revised Broadbent’s filter theory.
b: Chomsky challenged behaviorism with language theory, not processing models.
d: Watson was a behaviorist, unrelated to info-processing.
Q3. Who proposed the concept of inferiority complex?
  • a. Carl Jung
  • b. Harry Stack Sullivan
  • c. Erik Erikson
  • d. Alfred Adler
Answer – d. Alfred Adler
Explanation: Alfred Adler introduced the idea of the inferiority complex, where individuals strive to overcome feelings of inferiority.
Other Options Explained:
a: Jung is known for the collective unconscious.
b: Sullivan emphasized interpersonal relationships.
c: Erikson developed psychosocial development theory.
Q4. Which school of thought in psychology dismissed consciousness to focus only on observable actions?
  • a. Behaviorism
  • b. Functionalism
  • c. Psychoanalysis
  • d. Gestalt
Answer – a. Behaviorism
Explanation: Behaviorism rejected introspection and focused solely on observable and measurable behavior.
Other Options Explained:
b: Functionalism studied the purpose of consciousness.
c: Psychoanalysis dealt with unconscious processes.
d: Gestalt focused on mental organization and perception.
Q5. Who laid the groundwork for experimental psychology through studies on perception?
  • a. Gustav Fechner
  • b. Edward Titchener
  • c. Mary Whiton Calkins
  • d. William James
Answer – a. Gustav Fechner
Explanation: Gustav Fechner‘s work in psychophysics connected physical stimuli with mental perception, forming the base of experimental psychology.
Other Options Explained:
b: Titchener founded structuralism, not perception studies.
c: Calkins worked on self-psychology and memory.
d: James is known for functionalism.
Q6. Which psychologist is known for the ‘bottom-up processing’ theory in perception studies?
  • a. Max Wertheimer
  • b. Hermann von Helmholtz
  • c. James Gibson
  • d. Richard Gregory
Answer – c. James Gibson
Explanation: James Gibson proposed bottom-up processing, where perception begins with sensory input and builds up to complex understanding.
Other Options Explained:
a: Wertheimer emphasized Gestalt and whole-pattern perception.
b: Helmholtz is known for vision and unconscious inference.
d: Gregory supported top-down processing—the opposite view.
Q7. The idea of ‘Inferiority Complex’ was introduced by which thinker?
  • a. Carl Jung
  • b. Harry Stack Sullivan
  • c. Erik Erikson
  • d. Alfred Adler
Answer – d. Alfred Adler
Explanation: Alfred Adler coined the term inferiority complex, suggesting that feelings of inadequacy drive human motivation and behavior.
Other Options Explained:
a: Jung is known for collective unconscious.
b: Sullivan focused on interpersonal aspects of personality.
c: Erikson developed the psychosocial development theory.
Q8. Who is credited with launching the ‘ego psychology’ movement within psychoanalysis?
  • a. Erik Erikson
  • b. Alfred Adler
  • c. Karen Horney
  • d. Anna Freud
Answer – d. Anna Freud
Explanation: Anna Freud expanded on her father’s work and focused on how the ego functions, starting the ego psychology movement.
Other Options Explained:
a: Erikson included ego theory in his psychosocial model.
b: Adler developed individual psychology, not ego theory.
c: Horney focused on neurotic needs and feminine psychology.
Q9. According to Maslow, which needs lie at the foundation of his hierarchy?
  • a. Higher needs
  • b. Lower needs
  • c. Greatest potency needs
  • d. Transformational needs
Answer – b. Lower needs
Explanation: Maslow placed physiological and safety needs at the bottom of the pyramid, labeling them as lower needs because they must be met before any higher-level psychological growth.
Other Options Explained:
a: Higher needs include esteem and self-actualization.
c: “Greatest potency needs” is not a Maslowian term.
d: “Transformational needs” are from newer models beyond Maslow.
Q10. Johannes Müller is best known for his contributions in which area?
  • a. Psychology
  • b. Developmental psychology
  • c. Physiology
  • d. Criminal psychology
Answer – c. Physiology
Explanation: Johannes Müller was a pioneer in physiology, introducing the doctrine of specific nerve energies, a key contribution to our understanding of sensory processing.
Other Options Explained:
a: Wundt is more directly linked to the founding of psychology.
b: Piaget is the leading name in developmental psychology.
d: Lombroso is associated with criminal psychology.
Q11. Which ancient philosopher influenced the development of introspection as a psychological method?
  • a. Aristotle
  • b. Plato
  • c. Socrates
  • d. Hippocrates
Answer – c. Socrates
Explanation: Socrates used self-questioning to explore thoughts and inner awareness, laying the foundation for introspection in psychology.
Other Options Explained:
a: Aristotle focused on empirical observation.
b: Plato leaned toward rationalism, not introspection.
d: Hippocrates contributed to medical, not introspective, thought.
Q12. In Plato’s three-part theory of the soul, which component is linked to desires and pleasures?
  • a. Rational mind
  • b. Spirited mind
  • c. Appetitive mind
  • d. Ethical mind
Answer – c. Appetitive mind
Explanation: The appetitive mind in Plato’s theory controls desires and urges, especially those related to physical and emotional pleasure.
Other Options Explained:
a: Rational part governs logic and intellect.
b: Spirited part handles willpower and emotions.
d: Ethical mind is not part of Plato’s model.
Q13. Who proposed the concept known as the ‘Four Humours’ to explain human temperament?
  • a. Galen
  • b. Socrates
  • c. Hippocrates
  • d. Aristotle
Answer – c. Hippocrates
Explanation: Hippocrates introduced the Four Humours theory, connecting body fluids to personality traits and mental states.
Other Options Explained:
a: Galen refined but didn’t originate the theory.
b: Socrates dealt with philosophy, not physiology.
d: Aristotle made contributions but not in humoral theory.
Q14. According to the humoural theory, which temperament is related to irritability and aggression?
  • a. Sanguine
  • b. Phlegmatic
  • c. Melancholic
  • d. Choleric
Answer – d. Choleric
Explanation: The choleric temperament, driven by yellow bile, is characterized by traits such as aggression, irritability, and strong-willed behavior.
Other Options Explained:
a: Sanguine – cheerful and social.
b: Phlegmatic – calm and stable.
c: Melancholic – sad and analytical.
Q15. What does Descartes’ rationalism primarily emphasize?
  • a. Observation and experimentation
  • b. Innate ideas, deduction, and reasoning
  • c. Emotional intelligence and ethics
  • d. The influence of culture on cognition
Answer – b. Innate ideas, deduction, and reasoning
Explanation: René Descartes emphasized rationalism, asserting that true knowledge comes from reasoning and innate ideas, not just sensory input.
Other Options Explained:
a: Empiricism focuses on observation and experiment.
c: Emotional intelligence is a modern psychological focus.
d: Cultural influence is explored in cross-cultural psychology.
Q16. Who is recognized as the pioneer of modern psychology in India?
  • a. Girindra Shekhar Bose
  • b. N.N. Sengupta
  • c. Gunamudian David Boaz
  • d. S. Radhakrishnan
Answer – c. Gunamudian David Boaz
Explanation: G.D. Boaz is credited with establishing modern psychology in India, founding the first psychology department at the University of Madras and promoting scientific methods in the field.
Other Options Explained:
a: G.S. Bose founded the Indian Psychoanalytic Society.
b: N.N. Sengupta contributed to psychology in Calcutta.
d: S. Radhakrishnan was a philosopher, not a psychologist.
Q17. What do psychologists call the tendency to focus only on information that confirms one’s existing beliefs?
  • a. Heuristic bias
  • b. Availability bias
  • c. Confirmation bias
  • d. Anchoring bias
Answer – c. Confirmation bias
Explanation: Confirmation bias is when people search for, interpret, or remember information in a way that confirms their preconceptions, while ignoring contradictory data.
Other Options Explained:
a: Heuristic bias involves mental shortcuts that can cause errors.
b: Availability bias is about judging by what comes easily to mind.
d: Anchoring bias is sticking to initial information too heavily.
Q18. Why do researchers use random assignment in experiments?
  • a. To increase the number of participants
  • b. To adjust the dependent variable
  • c. To give all participants an equal opportunity to be in any group
  • d. To limit participant variation
Answer – c. To give all participants an equal opportunity to be in any group
Explanation: Random assignment helps create equivalent groups in experiments, minimizing bias and ensuring that differences in outcomes are due to the independent variable.
Other Options Explained:
a: Increasing participant count is a separate process.
b: Random assignment doesn’t change variables.
d: It balances variation rather than limiting it.
Q19. What does the term “double-blind procedure” mean in research studies?
  • a. Both the researcher and participant know the hypothesis
  • b. Only the participant is unaware of the true purpose
  • c. Only the researcher is unaware of the participant’s condition
  • d. Neither the participant nor the researcher knows the specific experimental condition
Answer – d. Neither the participant nor the researcher knows the specific experimental condition
Explanation: A double-blind procedure keeps both the participant and researcher unaware of group assignments, preventing expectations from influencing outcomes.
Other Options Explained:
a: This is not a blind procedure.
b: Only describes a single-blind study.
c: Again, single-blind but from the researcher’s side.
Q20. In an experiment, what does a “confounding variable” refer to?
  • a. A factor that enhances the effect of the independent variable
  • b. A variable that disrupts clarity in determining the cause
  • c. A factor purposely changed by the researcher
  • d. A variable chosen at random
Answer – b. A variable that disrupts clarity in determining the cause
Explanation: A confounding variable interferes with the relationship between the independent and dependent variables, making it unclear what’s truly causing the effect.
Other Options Explained:
a: That’s a moderator, not a confounder.
c: This describes the independent variable.
d: Random selection doesn’t define a confounding variable.
Q21. Which psychologist conducted the “Little Albert” study to showcase classical conditioning in humans?
  • a. Edward Tolman
  • b. Ivan Pavlov
  • c. J.B. Watson
  • d. B.F. Skinner
Answer – c. J.B. Watson
Explanation: John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner conducted the “Little Albert” experiment to demonstrate that human emotions like fear can be conditioned through classical methods.
Other Options Explained:
a: Tolman focused on cognitive behaviorism and latent learning.
b: Pavlov did classical conditioning on dogs.
d: Skinner studied operant, not classical conditioning.
Q22. Who introduced the idea of the “Hierarchy of Needs” in human motivation?
  • a. Carl Rogers
  • b. Abraham Maslow
  • c. William James
  • d. Edward Titchener
Answer – b. Abraham Maslow
Explanation: Abraham Maslow developed the hierarchy of needs, describing a progression from basic physiological needs to self-actualization in human motivation.
Other Options Explained:
a: Rogers was known for client-centered therapy.
c: James contributed to functionalism.
d: Titchener promoted structuralism.
Q23. The cognitive model of memory introduced in 1968 by two psychologists marked a key point in the cognitive revolution. Who were they?
  • a. Watson and Skinner
  • b. Maslow and Rogers
  • c. Atkinson and Shiffrin
  • d. Freud and Jung
Answer – c. Atkinson and Shiffrin
Explanation: Atkinson and Shiffrin proposed the multi-store model of memory, introducing the flow from sensory to short-term and long-term memory, a milestone in cognitive psychology.
Other Options Explained:
a: Behaviorists, not cognitive theorists.
b: Promoted humanistic psychology.
d: Focused on psychoanalysis, not memory models.
Q24. When was the Indian Psychological Association formally established?
  • a. 1916
  • b. 1925
  • c. 1936
  • d. 1947
Answer – b. 1925
Explanation: The Indian Psychological Association was founded in 1925 to organize and advance the field of psychology in India through research and collaboration.
Other Options Explained:
a: Year of the first psychology department in Calcutta.
c & d: Not connected to IPA’s formation.
Q25. Which psychologist is often credited as the founder of cognitive psychology due to his influential book?
  • a. George Miller
  • b. Carl Rogers
  • c. Wilhelm Wundt
  • d. Ulric Neisser
Answer – d. Ulric Neisser
Explanation: Ulric Neisser wrote the book “Cognitive Psychology” in 1967, which laid the foundation for the scientific study of mental processes and established the field formally.
Other Options Explained:
a: George Miller was influential but didn’t name the field.
b: Rogers contributed to humanistic psychology.
c: Wundt focused on structuralism and experimental psychology.
Q26. According to the philosophy of Empiricism, how does an individual’s mind begin at birth?
  • a. Pre-existing knowledge
  • b. Rational thoughts
  • c. A blank slate (tabula rasa)
  • d. Innate logic
Answer – c. A blank slate (tabula rasa)
Explanation: Empiricists like John Locke believed that the mind at birth is a blank slate and knowledge is built through sensory experience.
Other Options Explained:
a, b, d: These reflect rationalist views, not empiricism.
Q27. Who is widely regarded as the father of modern Western philosophy?
  • a. John Locke
  • b. Auguste Comte
  • c. René Descartes
  • d. Thomas Hobbes
Answer – c. René Descartes
Explanation: René Descartes is known for founding modern Western philosophy with his emphasis on doubt and reason—”I think, therefore I am.”
Other Options Explained:
a: Locke supported empiricism.
b: Comte founded positivism.
d: Hobbes introduced materialism.
Q28. Who proposed the philosophical theory known as “positivism”?
  • a. Thomas Hobbes
  • b. John Locke
  • c. Auguste Comte
  • d. Aristotle
Answer – c. Auguste Comte
Explanation: Auguste Comte introduced positivism, a philosophy that stresses science and observable facts as the only source of true knowledge.
Other Options Explained:
a: Hobbes supported materialism.
b: Locke believed in empiricism.
d: Aristotle made early contributions to logic and biology.
Q29. According to Descartes, which gland in the brain served as the link between the mind and body?
  • a. Pituitary gland
  • b. Pineal gland
  • c. Adrenal gland
  • d. Hypothalamus
Answer – b. Pineal gland
Explanation: Descartes proposed that the pineal gland acts as the connection point between the mind and body due to its unique position in the brain.
Other Options Explained:
a, c, d: Real glands but not associated with Descartes’ mind-body theory.
Q30. Which thinker is most associated with introducing materialism to psychology?
  • a. John Locke
  • b. Auguste Comte
  • c. René Descartes
  • d. Thomas Hobbes
Answer – d. Thomas Hobbes
Explanation: Thomas Hobbes introduced materialism by suggesting that all mental processes result from physical interactions—laying groundwork for a scientific view of the mind.
Other Options Explained:
a: Locke supported empiricism.
b: Comte proposed positivism.
c: Descartes believed in dualism.
Q31. Who is credited with founding experimental psychology and establishing the first psychological laboratory in 1879?
  • a. Edward Titchener
  • b. William James
  • c. Wilhelm Wundt
  • d. G. Stanley Hall
Answer – c. Wilhelm Wundt
Explanation: Wilhelm Wundt established the first psychology lab in Leipzig, Germany, in 1879, marking the formal beginning of psychology as a scientific discipline.
Other Options Explained:
a: Titchener brought structuralism to the U.S.
b: James founded functionalism.
d: Hall opened the first U.S. psychology lab.
Q32. Which philosopher proposed that the mind and body are two distinct substances that interact through the pineal gland?
  • a. John Locke
  • b. René Descartes
  • c. Sigmund Freud
  • d. Charles Darwin
Answer – b. René Descartes
Explanation: Descartes proposed the theory of dualism, suggesting that the mind and body are separate entities that interact through the pineal gland.
Other Options Explained:
a: Locke advocated empiricism.
c: Freud focused on the unconscious.
d: Darwin emphasized evolution.
Q33. Who established the first experimental psychology lab in the U.S. at Johns Hopkins University?
  • a. William James
  • b. Edward Titchener
  • c. G. Stanley Hall
  • d. Max Wertheimer
Answer – c. G. Stanley Hall
Explanation: G. Stanley Hall opened the first experimental psychology lab in the U.S. at Johns Hopkins in 1883, advancing psychology in America.
Other Options Explained:
a: James opened a teaching lab at Harvard.
b: Titchener brought structuralism to the U.S.
d: Wertheimer helped found Gestalt psychology.
Q34. The psychological school of thought known as structuralism was initiated by:
  • a. Wilhelm Wundt
  • b. William James
  • c. Sigmund Freud
  • d. Max Wertheimer
Answer – a. Wilhelm Wundt
Explanation: Wilhelm Wundt laid the foundation for structuralism by analyzing consciousness into basic elements, though the term was later formalized by his student Titchener.
Other Options Explained:
b: James promoted functionalism.
c: Freud founded psychoanalysis.
d: Wertheimer initiated Gestalt psychology.
Q35. Who became the first elected president of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1892?
  • a. William James
  • b. Sigmund Freud
  • c. G. Stanley Hall
  • d. Edward Titchener
Answer – c. G. Stanley Hall
Explanation: G. Stanley Hall was the first elected president of the APA in 1892 and contributed significantly to developmental and educational psychology in the U.S.
Other Options Explained:
a: James was influential but not APA’s first president.
b: Freud was not involved with APA.
d: Titchener was more aligned with structuralist thought than APA leadership.
Q36. In which year was the Indian Association of Clinical Psychology (IACP) officially formed?
  • a. 1956
  • b. 1986
  • c. 1992
  • d. 2001
Answer – a. 1956
Explanation: The Indian Association of Clinical Psychology (IACP) was formed in 1956 to support the development of clinical psychology in India.
Other Options Explained:
b, c, d: These dates are not related to IACP’s founding.
Q37. Which of the following does not align with the core scientific values followed in psychology?
  • a. Accuracy
  • b. Skepticism
  • c. Prejudice
  • d. Objectivity
Answer – c. Prejudice
Explanation: Prejudice involves biased thinking and goes against the scientific principles of objectivity, skepticism, and accuracy in psychology.
Other Options Explained:
a: Vital for reliable data.
b: Encourages questioning claims.
d: Essential for unbiased research.
Q38. Who developed the model of the mind that aligns closely with Plato’s concept of the tripartite soul?
  • a. Aristotle
  • b. Sigmund Freud
  • c. René Descartes
  • d. Hippocrates
Answer – b. Sigmund Freud
Explanation: Freud’s model of id, ego, and superego resembles Plato’s tripartite soul: the appetitive (id), spirited (ego), and rational (superego) elements of human behavior.
Other Options Explained:
a: Rejected Plato’s soul division.
c: Proposed mind-body dualism.
d: Known for the four humors theory.
Q39. What are the three primary elements described in Plato’s theory of the soul?
  • a. Rational, emotional, appetitive
  • b. Logical, ethical, spiritual
  • c. Conscious, unconscious, subconscious
  • d. Id, ego, superego
Answer – a. Rational, emotional, appetitive
Explanation: Plato proposed that the soul has three components: rational (wisdom-seeking), spirited/emotional (will and courage), and appetitive (desires and drives).
Other Options Explained:
b: Not Plato’s framework.
c: Freudian terms.
d: Also from Freud’s model.
Q40. As per Hippocrates’ theory of the four bodily fluids, what does yellow bile symbolize?
  • a. Joy
  • b. Sadness
  • c. Anger and irritation
  • d. Calmness
Answer – c. Anger and irritation
Explanation: According to Hippocrates’ humor theory, yellow bile was associated with anger and aggression. An excess was thought to cause a choleric temperament.
Other Options Explained:
a: Blood was linked with joy (sanguine).
b: Black bile was linked with sadness (melancholy).
d: Phlegm symbolized calmness (phlegmatic).
Q41. According to René Descartes, what lies at the core of Rationalist thinking?
  • a. Sensory experience
  • b. Trial and error
  • c. Logic and reason
  • d. Observation and experimentation
Answer – c. Logic and reason
Explanation: Descartes promoted Rationalism, the idea that genuine knowledge comes through logical deduction and innate ideas, not sensory data.
Other Options Explained:
a & d: Core to Empiricism.
b: Reflects behaviorist learning theory.
Q42. As per John Locke’s Empiricism, how is human knowledge primarily acquired?
  • a. Meditation and insight
  • b. Logical deduction
  • c. Sensory experience and experimentation
  • d. Faith and belief
Answer – c. Sensory experience and experimentation
Explanation: Locke believed the mind is a “blank slate” and all knowledge is built from sensory experience — a core of Empiricism.
Other Options Explained:
a: More aligned with spiritual practices.
b: Rationalist approach.
d: Not part of empirical psychology.
Q43. In psychological experiments, what does the double-blind design help prevent?
  • a. Researcher knows the hypothesis
  • b. Participants are given all details in advance
  • c. Neither researcher nor participant knows the hypothesis
  • d. Both researcher and participant create the hypothesis
Answer – c. Neither researcher nor participant knows the hypothesis
Explanation: The double-blind method is designed to reduce bias by keeping both researchers and participants unaware of who receives which treatment.
Other Options Explained:
a & b: Allow for unintentional bias.
d: Not a valid scientific process.
Q44. Which philosopher is known for proposing the concept of mind-body dualism?
  • a. John Locke
  • b. René Descartes
  • c. Auguste Comte
  • d. Thomas Hobbes
Answer – b. René Descartes
Explanation: Descartes is famous for mind-body dualism — the theory that the mind and body are separate but influence each other.
Other Options Explained:
a & d: Believed in materialism.
c: Focused on positivism.
Q45. What does the availability heuristic explain about human decision-making?
  • a. Logical reasoning based on facts
  • b. Mental shortcut based on recent or easily available information
  • c. Statistical approach to decisions
  • d. Use of deductive logic only
Answer – b. Mental shortcut based on recent or easily available information
Explanation: The availability heuristic causes people to rely on immediate examples when making judgments — like overestimating plane crashes due to recent news.
Other Options Explained:
a & d: Describe formal reasoning, not heuristics.
c: Involves statistical analysis, not mental shortcuts.

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