UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Option C – psychological barrier Psychological barriers arise from internal states, attitudes and beliefs that interfere with effective communication. When students already hold strong prejudices or negative stereotypes about a subject, they may resist listening carefully or interpreting messages fairly. Their mental filters distort or block the teacher’s explanations. Hence, such prejudices and stereotypes constitute psychological barriers to communication.

Option A:
Physical barrier refers to external environmental factors such as noise, distance or poor seating that hinder the transmission of messages. While these are important, they are not about internal attitudes or prejudices and thus do not match the description in the stem.

Option B:
Semantic barrier is created by problems related to language and meaning, such as ambiguous words or unfamiliar technical terms. It occurs even when attitudes are positive but meanings are unclear. In the question, the issue is not unclear language but the learner’s preconceived negative beliefs, so semantic is not appropriate.

Option C:
Psychological barrier is the correct term for obstacles resulting from emotions, attitudes and mental frameworks, including fear, boredom or prejudice. If students think a subject is useless or too difficult, they are less receptive to the teacher’s message. This explanation corresponds directly to the situation described in the stem.

Option D:
Organizational barrier typically refers to structural issues in institutions, such as complex hierarchies or unclear communication channels between departments. It does not concern individual learners’ internal prejudices, so it cannot be the accurate label here.