Abstract
The psychiatrist who teaches behavioral science to future physicians intends not only to convey a body of factual information but also to teach an appreciation for the interrelatedness of biological, psychological, and environmental factors and their effect on the care of an individual patient. The authors examined two areas of student performance relevant to application of psychiatric principles: information gathering skills and observational skills. A multiple choice (MCI) written examination was administered to 90 first-year medical students at the end of a one semester behavioral science course, and a videotaped (VI) interview instrument was administered both before and after the course. Case history questions in MCI format were also included. The results indicate that the two instruments measure different clusters of student performance, with, however, a strong relationship existing between performance on the case history items on MCI and the hypothesis-developing section of the VI. Pre-post VI comparisons revealed a significant improvement in attention to the content of verbal productions as a result of the course.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Reiser, M.F.: Psychiatry in the undergraduate medical curriculum. American Journal of Psychiatry 130: 565–567, 1973.
Leigh, H., and Reiser, M.: The Patient: Biological, Psychological, and Social Dimensions of Medical Practice. New York: Plenum Publishing Co., 1980.
Stoller, R.J., and Geertsma, R.H.: Construction of a final examination to assess clinical judgment in Psychiatry. Journal of Medical Education 33: 837–840, 1958.
Geertsma, R.H., and Stoller, R.M.: The objective assessment of clinical judgment in psychiatry. Archives of General Psychiatry 2: 278–285, 1960.
Salzman, L.F., and Goldstein, R.H.: Changes in clinical judgment as a function of psychiatric education. Journal of Medical Education36: 914–923, 1961.
Goldstein, R.H. and Saltzman, L.F.: Correlates of clinical judgment in psychiatry. Journal of Medical Education 37: 1101–1104, 1962.
Monroe, R.R.: Techniques for evaluating the effectiveness of psychiatric teaching. American Journal of Psychiatry 122: 61–67, 1965.
Thurnblad, R.J., Muslin, H., and Loesch, J.: A test of clinical learning by medical students. American Journal of Psychiatry 130: 568–570, 1973.
Miller, P.R., and Tupin, J.P.: Multimedia teaching of introductory psychiatry. American Journal of Psychiatry 128: 1219–1223, 1972.
Meyerson, A.T., Wachtel, A., and Thornton, J.: Evaluation of a psychiatric clerkship by videotape. American Journal of Psychiatry 134: 883–886, 1977.
Tardiff, K., Redfield, J., and Koran, L.: Evaluation of a videotape technique for measuring clinical psychiatric skills of medical students. Journal of Medical Education 53: 438–440, 1978.
Tardiff, K.: A videotape technique for measuring clinical skills: Three years of experience. Journal of Medical Education 56: 187–191, 1981.
Marcotte, D.B., Ditzig, H., and Cox, J.: The effect of an elective oncology course on student’s attitudes and ability to assess patients with cancer. Journal of Psychiatric Education. In press, 1983.
Gonella, J.S., Goran, M.J., Williamson, J.S., and Cotsonas, N.J.: Evaluation of patient care, an approach. J.A.M.A. 214: 2040–2043, 1970.
Wingard, J.R., and Williamson, J.W.: Grades as predictors of physician’s career performance: An evaluative literature review. Journal of Medical Education 48: 311–317, 1973.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Opsahl, C.A., Wolfe, H., Marcotte, D.B. et al. Multifaceted Assessment of Biopsychosocial Skills. Acad Psychiatry 9, 66–72 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03399947
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03399947