INTRODUCTION TO BEHAVIORAL

SCIENCES
What

is behavioral science ?
Why to teach ?
What to teach ?
How to teach--- the schedule ?
Evaluation

What is behavioral sciences ?

Behavioral

Sciences are the fields of study

that are primarily concerned with the
understanding, prediction, and control of
human behavior.
Related fields are Anthropology, Sociology and
Psychology.

What is behavioral sciences ?

ANTHROPOLOGY
Study of humankind

SOCIOLOGY
Study of the human societies

PSYCHOLOGY
Scientific study of the mind and behavior

Why to teach ?

To increase students knowledge and understanding of human

behavior, in general.
To understand the behaviors of patients, their family and
community in different clinical settings.
To understand their own behavior and attitude towards patients
& their problems and the roles they are required to play in
addressing the issues faced by humanity.
Recommended by PMDC
Helpful for students appearing in USMLE & board exams

What to teach ?
A.

SOCIAL INFLUENCES ON BEHAVIOR

1. Communication---Verbal & Non-verbal

Levels of communication
Interpersonal communications
Communication skills & its application

What to teach ?
2.

Health, illness, sickness and disease

Illness behavior, why go to doctor and why not

Stigmas, reactions to illness, attitudes and beliefs
Influences of Culture and Ethnicity on Health and Ill
Health
Death, Dying & Bereavement
Quality of life
Prevention of mental illnesses

3.

Social Support

Roles

The Family

What to teach ?
B.

INDIVIDUAL INFLUENCES ON BEHAVIOR

1. Basic Psychological Concepts

Learning & Behavior change

Memory
Emotions
Intelligence
Stress & coping
Cognition, Thinking and Beliefs

What to teach ?

Development through life cycle

Child development
Adolescence
Aging

What to teach ?

Theories of Personality Development

Cognitive Development (Piaget)

Psychosexual Development (Freud)
Psychosocial Development (Erickson)
Moral Development (Kohlberg)

What to teach ?
C

BIOLOGICAL INFLUENCES ON BEHAVIOR

Sensation & Perception

Pain
Motivation
Sleep
Genetics
Normal human sexuality

What to teach ?
D.

THE CLINICAL PROCESS

The Physician-Patient Relationship
Knowledge:

Rights and responsibilities

Rapport
Empathy vs. sympathy
Transference / counter transference
Counseling

How to teach ?

The subject is scheduled to be taught in all five years of

MBBS.
topics related to social, individual and biological
influences on behavior will be covered in first three
years
more emphasis will be given to physician-patient
relationship knowledge in the fourth and final years
topics related to the study of abnormal behavior will be
covered in Psychiatry.

How to teach ?
1.

SECOND YEAR SYLLABUS

2.

Introduction to the subject

Mind and brain
Motivation
Emotions
Memory & recall
Consciousness
Personality development
Stress and coping

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Evaluation

As Behavioral sciences is being taught as a subject, a

certain amount of weightage will be given for the
assessment purpose in evaluation.