South-West University "Neofit Rilski" - Blagoevgrad
Faculty Of Philosophy, Department Of Psychology
Examination Synopsis Of The State Final Certification Exam
For Students With A Major In Psychology, Bachelor's Degree

1. General approaches in psychology. Introspective psychology, Functionalism, Psychoanalysis, Gestalt psychology, Behaviorism, Humanistic approach in psychology.
2. Concepts of psychological development: Sigmund Freud's theory of psychosexual stages; Erik Erikson's standpoints; Jean Piaget's standpoints.
3. Definition of cognitive mental processes (cognitive functions). Functional model of perceptual processing of sensory information. Diagnostic and pathology.
4. Attention - psychological theories. Diagnostic and pathology.
5. Memory - psychological theories and models of memory. Diagnostic and pathology.
6. Language and speech - definition, characteristics, diagnostic and pathology.
7. Thinking - definition, characteristics, modalities, diagnostic and pathology.
8. Emotions - characteristics, classifications, and contemporary theoretical models. Diagnostic and pathology.
9. Psychological theories (theories of personality traits, cognitive phenomenological approach; operant and social learning).
10. Temperament, character, personality. Interrelationship. Diagnostic, differential features and pathology.
11. Motives and motivation. Psychological theories of motivation.
12. Crisis and sensitive periods in development - characteristic.
13. Age specificity in development and implementation of cognitive functions.
14. Educational activity and psychological development. Theories of learning.
15. Methods for data collection from psychological researches - observation, inquiry, interview, talk, biographical method, sociometry and others.
16. Experimental method. Types of experiments. Experimental plans.
17. The process of constructing a test - generating items, item - analysis, extraction of scales from test, reliability, validity, norms.
18. Intelligence - theoretical concepts, individual differences, diagnostics.
19. Abilities, interests and creativity - theoretical concepts, measurement.
20. Projective methods - essence, specificity, classifications.
21. The process of socialization. Social roles, norms and values.
22. Social cognition. Attribution theory. Typical errors in social perception.
23. Social attitudes, stereotypes, prejudices - effects on behavior.
24. Social influence - conformity, obedience, innovation, leadership and others.
25. Antisocial behavior - deviations, delinquency. Characteristic types, diagnostics.
26. Models for psychological counseling. Differentiation of psychological counseling and psychotherapy.
27. Psychopathology of personality - personality disorders, psychotic disorders, neurotic disorders, instincts and inclinations.
28. Professional recruitment and employability. Professional profile.
29. Economic behavior - basic psychological models.
30. Individual features and individual style.

References

1. Ackerman, J. M., & Kenrick, D. T. (2008). The costs of benefits: Help-refusals highlight key trade-offs of social life. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 12(2), 118-140.
2. Au, A., Lau, S., & Lee, M. (2009). Suicide ideation and depression: The moderation effects of family cohesion and social self-concept. Adolescence, 44(176), 851-868.
3. Barrett, H. C., & Kurzban, R. (2006). Modularity in cognition: Framing the debate. Psychological Review, 113(3), 628-647.
4. Bernstein, M. J., Young, S. G., Brown, C. M., Sacco, D. F., & Claypool, H. M. (2008). Adaptive responses to social exclusion: Social rejection improves detection of real and fake smiles. Psychological Science, 19(10), 981-983.
5. Bertera, E. (2007). The role of positive and negative social exchanges between adolescents, their peers and family as predictors of suicide ideation. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 24(6), 523-538.
6. Buss, D., & Kenrick, D. (1998). Evolutionary social psychology. In D. T. Gilbert, S. T. Fiske, & G. Lindzey (Eds.), Handbook of social psychology (4th ed., Vol. 2, pp. 982-1026). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill;
7. Compton, M., Thompson, N., & Kaslow, N. (2005). Social environment factors associated with suicide attempt among low-income African Americans: The protective role of family relationships and social support. Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology, 40(3), 175-185.
8. Fiske, S. T., & Taylor, S. E. (2008). Social cognition: From brains to culture. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill
9. Herrmann, E., Call, J., Hernández-Lloreda, M. V., Hare, B., & Tomasello, M. (2007). Humans have evolved specialized skills of social cognition: The cultural intelligence hypothesis. Science, 317(5843), 1360-1366.
10. Kruglanski, A., & Stroebe, W. (2011). Handbook of the history of social psychology. Philadelphia, PA: Psychology Press.
11. Lieberman, M. D. (2010). Social cognitive neuroscience. In S. T. Fiske, D. T. Gilbert, & G. Lindzey (Eds.), Handbook of social psychology (5th ed., Vol. 1, pp. 143-193). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
12. Maner, J. K., DeWall, C. N., Baumeister, R. F., & Schaller, M. (2007). Does social exclusion motivate interpersonal reconnection? Resolving the "porcupine problem." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(1), 42-55.
13. Pinker, S. (2002). The blank slate: The modern denial of human nature. New York, NY: Penguin Putnam.
14. Sebastian, C., Viding, E., Williams, K. D., & Blakemore, S.-J. (2010). Social brain development and the affective consequences of ostracism in adolescence. Brain and Cognition, 72(1), 134-145
15. Schultz, D. P. & Schultz, S. E. (2007). A History of Modern Psychology. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing.
16. Workman, L., & Reader, W. (2008). Evolutionary psychology: An introduction (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.