Abstract
The extent to which second year medical students increased their positivity to psychiatry and their orientation toward the patient as a person following a Behavioral Science course was measured in two successive years. Mastery of the cognitive aspects of the course were also assessed. While performance significantly improved on the Behavioral Science part of the National Boards, no change in attitudes was demonstrated. Both before and after the course medical students saw patients and psychiatrists as less desirable than and generally unlike themselves. Further study revealed that entering medical students are more negative in their attitudes toward psychiatry than the general population and share fairly negative views of patients and psychiatrists with the Psychiatry Department faculty. These attitudinal factors and several other barriers are cited as reducing the potential impact of pre-clinical teaching on medical students’ values.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bates, R.C. MD.: The fine art of under standing patients. Oradell, NJ: Medical Economies Book Division, Inc., 1968.
Pellegrino, E.D.: Human values and the medical curriculum. Journal of the American Medical Association, 209: 1349–1353, 1969.
Pellegrino, E.D.: Educating the humanist physician. Journal of the American Medical Association, 227: 1288–1294, 1974.
Bowden, C.L. & Barton, D.: Goals of medical student psychiatric education. Journal of Medical Education, 50: 257–263, 1975.
Reiser, M.F.: Psychiatry in the undergraduate medical curriculum. American Journal of Psychiatry, 130: 565–567, 1973.
Coker, R.E., Back, K.W., Donnelly, T.G. & Miller, N.: Patterns of influence: Medical school faculty members and the values and specialty interests of medical students. Journal of Medical Education, 35: 518–527, 1960.
Light, D.: The impact of medical school on future psychiatrists. American Journal of Psychiatry, 132: 607–610, 1975.
Moos, R.H. & Yalom I.D.: Medical students’ attitude toward psychiatry and psychiatrists. Mental Hygiene, 50: 246–256, 1966.
Nunnally, J.C. Popular conceptions of mental health. New York: Holt, Reinhart and Winston, 1961.
Osgood, C.E., Suci, C.J. & Tannenbaum, P.H.: Measurement of meaning. Urbana, Ill., University of Illinois Press, 1957.
Becker, H.S., Geer, B., Hughes, E.C. & Strauss, A.L.: Boys in white. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1961.
Truett, C., Douville, A.N., Fagel, B. & Cunningham, M.: The Medical curriculum and human values. Journal of the American Medical Association, 209: 1341–1345, 1969.
Hovland, E.I., Janis, I., Kelly, H.: Communication and persuasion. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1953.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Earlier versions of this paper were presented to the meetings of the Eastern Psychological Association, New York, N.Y. in April 1975 and to the meetings of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, California in April 1976. The statistical reviewer for this research was Irving Secemski of CGA Computer Associates.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Markham, B. Can a Behavioral Science Course Change Medical Students’ Attitudes?. Acad Psychiatry 3, 44–54 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03399722
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03399722