BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES: Curriculum Outline
Table of Contents
I. HEALTH, ILLNESS, SICKNESS, AND DISEASE
A. Relationships Among Health, Illness, Sickness, and Disease Knowledge:
1.Health: Homeostasis
2.Ill Health: Deviance
3.Approaches to Medicine
4.Influences of Culture and Ethnicity on Health and Ill Health
B. Biopsychosocial Model Knowledge:
1.Dimensions of the Theory
II. BIOLOGIC COMPONENTS OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR
A. Cellular and Molecular Biology of the Brain Knowledge:
1.Cellular Makeup
2.Signalling
3.Nervous System Development
B. Specific Neurotransmitters and Their Effects on Behavior Knowledge:
1.Dopamine
2.Acetylcholine
3.Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA)
4.Norepinephrine
5.Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine)
C. Functional Neuroanatomy Knowledge:
1.Principal Brain Functions
2.Methods for Examining Brain/Behavior Associations
3.Hemispheric Dominance
4.Functional Differences Between the Anterior and Posterior Portions of the Brain
5.Triune Brain Concept
6.Anatomical Linkages
7.Anatomical Characterization and Functional Definition
8.Primary Sensorimotor Cortical Areas
9.Unimodal Association Areas
10.Relationships Between Unimodal Association Areas and Limbic System Memory Functions
11.Primary Heteromodal Association Areas
12.Structure and Functions of the Paralimbic Cortex
13.Structure and Functions of the Limbic System
14.Functional Anatomy of Propositional Language
15.Assessment of Propositional Language and Prosody
16.Anatomic-Pathologic Findings and Clinical Manifestations
17.Paraphasic Speech and Formal Thought Disorder
18.Functional Anatomy of Prosody
19.Clinical Assessment
20.Anatomic-Pathologic Findings and Clinical Manifestations
21.Dysprosodia and Emotional Blunting
22.Motor Functions and Dysfunctions
23.Memory
24.Other Cognitive Functions
25.Diffuse Cognitive Functions
26.Cortical and Subcortical Dementia
D. Genetics and Behavior Knowledge:
1.Genetic Influences
2.Properties of the Genome
3.Gene Networks
4.Concepts in Behavioral Genetics
5.Assessment of Genetic Contributions to Behavior
6.Genetics of Personality
7.Genetics of Intelligence
8.Genetics of Specific Psychiatric Disorders
9.Genetic Counseling
E. Chronobiology Knowledge:
1.Rhythmicity
2.Sleep Architecture
3.Developmental/Age-Related Aspects of Sleep
4.Effects of Chemical Compounds on Sleep
5.Sleep Disorders [see VIII.D.4.a.(13)]
III. INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR
A. Basic Psychologic Concepts Knowledge:
1.Nature-Nurture Interactions
2.Patterns of Behavioral Consistency/Constancy
3.Cognition
4.Sensations and Perceptions
5.Emotion
6.Stress Response
7.Motivation
8.Aptitudes
B. Development Through the Life Cycle Knowledge:
1.Developmental Issues
2.Prenatal/Perinatal Development
3.Infancy (1-12 months)
4.Toddlerhood (1-3 years)
5.Early Childhood (3-6 years)
6.Middle Childhood (6-12 years)
7.Adolescence (13-19 years)
8.Young Adulthood (20-40 years)
9.Midlife (40-65 years)
10.Late Life (>65 years)
C. Selected Theories of Development Presented Longitudinally Knowledge:
1.Social Learning (Bandura)
2.Cognitive Development (Piaget)
3.Psychosexual Development (Freud)
4.Psychosocial Development (Erikson)
5.Moral Development (Kohlberg)
D. Individual Behavior in the Medical Context Knowledge:
1.The Patient
2.The Physician
IV. INTERPERSONAL AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
A. Normal Human Sexuality Knowledge:
1.Sexual Response Cycles for Males and Females
2.Sexuality Across the Life Cycle
3.Sexual Orientation
4.Sexual Myths and Stereotypes Regarding
5.Contraception/Safe-Sex Practices
6.Pregnancy
7.Sexually-Transmitted Diseases
8.Sexual Dysfunction
B. Family Systems Knowledge:
1.The Family Unit
2.Life Cycle of the Traditional Family: Stages, Tasks, and Health Concerns
3.Significant Factors/Events and Family Systems
4.Family Life Styles
5.Special Family Issues
6.Ill Health and the Family
7.The Physician's Family
8.The Physician-Patient-Family Triad
V. INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS
A. Organizations Knowledge:
1.Structure and Function
2.Social Roles within Organizations
B. Social Differentiation Knowledge:
1.Socioeconomic status (SES)
2.Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status and Health
C. Societal Problems Knowledge:
1.Abuse
2.Substance Abuse
3.Poverty/Homelessness
4.Violence
5.Suicide and Attempted Suicide
D. Institutions/Organizations in the Medical Context Knowledge:
1.Health-Related Institutions and Organizations
2.Financing of Health Care
3.Legal Issues in Patient Care
4.Ethical Issues in Patient Care
VI. EPIDEMIOLOGY
A. Statistics Knowledge:
1.Probability
2.Distribution
3.The Logic of Statistical Inference
B. Clinical Epidemiology Knowledge:
1.Basic Principles and Concepts
2.Epidemiologic Strategies
VII. THE CLINICAL PROCESS
A. The Physician-Patient Relationship Knowledge:
1.Characteristics
2.Rights and responsibilities
3.Rapport
4.Empathy vs. sympathy
5.Transference/countertransference
6.Non-specific therapeutic effects
7.Iatrogenic effects
8.Outcomes
B. The Medical Encounter Knowledge:
1.Meeting the patient
2.Acquisition of data
3.The Medical Encounter in Selected Situations
C. Clinical Decision-Making Knowledge:
1.Organization and analysis of data
2.Hypothesis generation
3.Diagnosis and differential diagnoses
4.Management
5.Evaluation of the literature
VIII. PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
A. Definitions/Concepts/Interrelationships Knowledge:
1.Normality, Deviance, Disorder, Syndrome, Disease
2.Approaches to diagnostic classification
3.Phenomenology
B. Etiologic Orientations in Psychopathology Knowledge:
1.Psychodynamic
2.Cognitive-Behavioral
3.Neurobiologic
C. Diagnostic Assessment Knowledge:
1.The Psychiatric History
2.Mental Status Examination
3.Behavioral Measures
4.General physical and neurologic examination [see VII.B.2.b and general medical texts]
5.Laboratory and Neuroimaging Tests [see VII.B.2.c and laboratory medicine/radiology texts]
6.Psychological Tests
D. Psychiatric Nosology: American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (APA
DSM) Knowledge:
1.Philosophy
2.Multiaxial Diagnostic System
3.Axis I and Axis II disorders: Clinical Descriptions
4.Current Classification of Psychiatric Disorders
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