(a) How does a self-fulfilling prophecy work? Describe how the gender bias is an example of self-fulfilling prophecy in Indian…

(a) Self-fulfilling prophecy, and gender bias in India Mechanism (Merton): a false definition of a situation evokes behaviour that makes it come true. A belief or expectation changes how the perceiver treats the target, the target responds in a way that confirms it, and the belief is then taken as proven. Rosenthal and Jacobson's Pygmalion study showed this in classrooms.

Gender bias in India:

• Family: son preference and the view of daughters as paraya dhan lead to lower investment in girls' nutrition, health and higher education. Limited opportunity then produces lower attainment, which is read as confirmation of the original view.
• School: teachers who assume boys are better at mathematics give girls less encouragement. Stereotype threat and maths anxiety lower girls' performance and STEM enrolment, which seems to confirm the stereotype.
• Workplace: women are assumed to be less committed because of domestic roles, so they get fewer high-visibility assignments and less mentoring. Their underrepresentation in leadership is then cited as proof.

Breaking the cycle requires changing expectations (teacher and manager training), exposing people to counter-stereotypical role models, and supporting equal opportunity.

(b) Psychological interventions to improve performance in team games like hockey

• Team cohesion (Carron): team-building, shared goals and norms, and joint debriefs to build task and social cohesion and reduce social loafing.
• Role clarity and coordination: clear role expectations improve synchronisation in set plays such as penalty corners (injector, stopper, drag-flicker) and in transitions.
• Collective efficacy (Bandura): mastery experiences, vicarious learning and verbal persuasion help the team stay confident when behind.
• Goal setting: specific process goals alongside outcome goals, to focus attention on what can be controlled.
• Imagery (PETTLEP model): mental rehearsal of counter-attacks, defensive positions and one-on-one situations.
• Arousal and stress management: breathing, relaxation, pre-performance routines and stress inoculation training under simulated pressure.
• Attention and communication training: concentration cues, and short verbal and non-verbal signals during play.
• Leadership: shared leadership by captains and senior players, and recovery support after setbacks.

(c) Psychology of advertising; enhancing consumer awareness Psychology of advertising applies principles of perception, learning, memory, attitude change and motivation to explain how advertisements attract attention, shape attitudes and influence purchase.

• Elaboration Likelihood Model (Petty and Cacioppo): the central route (high involvement, evaluating facts) versus the peripheral route (low involvement, relying on cues such as celebrities, music, emotion, repetition).
• Learning principles: classical conditioning (pairing products with attractive images), repetition for memory, and social proof or modelling.
• Persuasion techniques: scarcity and urgency appeals, fear and humour appeals, and endorsement. Some can mislead and exploit biases.

Enhancing consumer awareness through advertising:

• Public-interest and social-marketing campaigns (for example, anti-tobacco warnings and the "Jago Grahak Jago" consumer awareness campaign) that explain rights and risks.
• Informative advertising with verifiable claims, clear labelling and price disclosure, supported by regulators such as the Central Consumer Protection Authority and the self-regulatory Advertising Standards Council of India, which act against misleading ads.
• Media and advertising literacy for the public to recognise persuasive intent and biases such as scarcity and bandwagon cues.
• Nudges such as transparent defaults, comparison charts and cooling-off periods.