Behavioral
and social sciences research is a large, multifaceted field,
encompassing a wide array of disciplines. The field employs
a variety of methodological approaches including: surveys
and questionnaires, interviews, randomized clinical trials,
direct observation, physiological manipulations and recording,
descriptive methods, laboratory and field experiments, standardized
tests, economic analyses, statistical modeling, ethnography,
and evaluation. Yet, behavioral and social sciences research
is not restricted to a set of disciplines or methodological
approaches. Instead, the field is defined by substantive areas
of research that transcend disciplinary and methodological
boundaries. In addition, several key cross-cutting themes
characterize social and behavioral sciences research. These
include: an emphasis on theory-driven research; the search
for general principles of behavioral and social functioning;
the importance ascribed to a developmental, lifespan perspective;
an emphasis on individual variation, and variation across
sociodemographic categories such as gender, age, and sociocultural
status; and a focus on both the social and biological context
of behavior.
Behavioral
and social science research funded at the NIH can best be
understood by dividing it into two sections: Core Areas of
Research, and Adjunct Areas of Research. The core areas of
research are further divided into basic or fundamental research
and clinical research. (The basic and clinical research distinction
serves more of an organizational function for purposes of
this definition, rather than representing firm boundaries
within the field.) Indeed, many studies have both basic and
clinical components. Moreover, basic and clinical research
is often complementary. Basic research frequently provides
the foundation for subsequent clinical research, and clinical
research often influences the direction of basic research.
Adjunct areas of behavioral and social sciences research include
many types of neurobiological research and some research on
pharmacological interventions--areas that have implications
for, and are often influenced by, behavioral research.
(1)
Definition of "behavioral" and "social"
For
purposes of this definition, the term "behavioral"
refers to overt actions; to underlying psychological processes
such as cognition, emotion, temperament, and motivation; and
to biobehavioral interactions. The term "social"
encompasses sociocultural, socioeconomic, and sociodemographic
status; to biosocial interactions; and to the various levels
of social context from small groups to complex cultural systems
and societal influences.
(2)
Core Areas of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research
The
core areas of behavioral and social sciences research are
those that have a major and explicit focus on the understanding
of behavioral or social processes, or on the use of these
processes to predict or influence health outcomes or health
risk factors. These core areas of research are divided into
basic (or fundamental) research and clinical research.
Role
of Basic or Fundamental Research
Basic
research in the behavioral and social sciences is designed
to further our understanding of behavioral and social functioning.
As is the case for basic research in the biomedical sciences,
basic behavioral and social sciences research does not address
disease outcomes per se, but is designed to provide essential
knowledge necessary for better prediction, prevention, and
control of illnesses.
Basic
behavioral and social research is divided into three categories:
(A) research on behavioral and social processes; (B) biopsychosocial
research; and (C) research on the development of behavioral
or social procedures for measurement, analysis, and classification.
A.
Research on behavioral and social processes
Research
on behavioral and social processes involves the study of human
or animal functioning at the level of the individual, small
group, institution, organization, or community. At the individual
level, this research may involve the study of behavioral factors
such as cognition, memory, language, perception, personality,
emotion, motivation, and others. At higher levels of aggregation,
it includes the study of social variables such as the structure
and dynamics of small groups (e.g. couples, families, work
groups, etc.); institutions and organizations (e.g. schools,
religious organizations, etc.); communities (defined by geography
or common interest); and larger demographic, political, economic,
and cultural systems. Research on behavioral and social processes
also includes the study of the interactions within and between
these two levels of aggregation, such as the influence of
sociocultural factors on cognitive processes or emotional
responses. Finally, this research also includes the study
of environmental factors such as climate, noise, environmental
hazards, and residential environments and their effects on
behavioral and social functioning.
Examples
of research topics and their implications that are or could
be funded by NIH Institutes and Centers include:
Sensation
and perception
(Implications: neurological and mental disorders and disorders
associated with abnormalities in vision, hearing, taste and
smell)
Emotion and motivation
(Implications: depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, conduct
disorders, normal psychological development, eating disorders,
obesity, addictions, sleep disturbances, behavioral and cognitive
treatments)
Vulnerability and resilience
(Implications: psychopathology, violence, effects of child
abuse and neglect)
Attention, learning and memory
(Implications: mental disorders involving abnormalities in
cognitive processes (e.g., schizophrenia, major depression),
attention deficit disorders, learning disabilities, Alzheimer's
disease and other dementias, cognitive rehabilitation, education)
Language development
(Implications: communication disorders, autism, learning disabilities)
Social influences and social cognition
(Implications: all-cause mortality, psychopathology, behavioral
and cognitive treatments)
Family processes and social networks
(Implications: domestic violence, divorce, child abuse, psychopathology,
all-cause mortality, child development, aging)
Sociocultural and environmental processes
(Implications: better understanding of social, cultural, and
environmental antecedents to mental and physical illnesses)
B.
Biopsychosocial research
Biopsychosocial
research (also known as biobehavioral or biosocial research)
involves the study of the interactions of biological factors
with behavioral or social variables and how they affect each
other (i.e., the study of bi-directional multilevel relationships).
Examples
of research topics and their implications that are or could
be funded by the institutes include:
Behavior
genetics
(Implications: addictions, psychopathology, heart disease,
gene expression, cancer risk, diabetes, oral health)
Behavioral and cognitive neurosciences
(Implications: effects of brain injury, neurodegenerative
diseases, learning disabilities, dementia, addictions, sleep
disorders, schizophrenia, neurological development, and plasticity)
Psychoneuroimmunology
(Implications: stress effects on health, AIDS, dental problems,
infections)
Psychopharmacology
(Implications: addictions, psychopathology, brain disorders,
drug treatments)
Behavioral cardiology
(Implications: cardiovascular diseases, stroke, hypertension)
C. Research on the development of procedures for
measurement, analysis, and classification
Research
on the development of procedures for measurement, analysis,
and classification involves the development and refinement
of procedures for measuring and analyzing behavior, psychological
functioning, or the social environment. This research is designed
to develop research tools that could be used in other areas
of behavioral and social sciences or in biomedical research.
Examples
of research topics in this area include:
Statistical
modeling techniques
Memory
assessment
Behavioral
observation procedures
Psychometric
analysis self-report instruments
Qualitative
and ethnographic methods
Neuropsychological
assessment
Psychophysiological
methods
Pain
Assessment
Instruments
for determining dietary intake
Assessment
of medical adherence
Role of Clinical Research
Clinical
research in the behavioral and social sciences is designed
to predict or influence health outcomes, risks or protective
factors. It is also concerned with the impact of illness or
risk for illness on behavioral or social functioning. Clinical
research is divided into five categories: (A) research on
the identification and understanding of behavioral and social
risk and protective factors associated with the onset and
course of illness, and with health conditions; (B) research
on the effects of illness or physical condition on behavioral
and social functioning; (C) treatment outcomes research; (D)
research on health promotion and disease prevention; and (E)
research on institutional and organizational influences on
health.
A. Research on the identification and understanding
of behavioral and social risk and protective factors associated
with the onset and course of illness, and with health conditions.
Research
on the identification and understanding of behavioral and
social risk and protective factors associated with the onset
and course of illness, and with health conditions, examines
the association of specific behavioral and social factors
with mental and physical health outcomes, and the mechanisms
that explain these associations. It is concerned with behavioral
and social factors that may be health-damaging (risk factors)
or health-promoting (protective factors).
Examples
of research topics in this area include the study of such
risk and protective factors as:
Smoking
Dietary
practices
Physical
inactivity
Stress
Substance
abuse
Social
support
Cultural
practices
Socioeconomic
status
B. Research on the effects of illness or physical
condition on behavioral and social functioning.
Examples of research topics include such areas as:
Psychological
and social consequences of genetic testing
Behavioral
correlates of head injury across developmental stages
Emotional
and social consequences of HIV infection or cancer
Coping
responses associated with chronic pain syndromes
Effects
of illness on economic status
Coping
with loss of function due to disability
C. Treatment outcomes research
Treatment
outcomes research involves the design and evaluation of behavioral
and social interventions to treat mental and physical illnesses,
or interventions designed to ameliorate the effects of illness
on behavioral or social functioning. This area also includes
research on behavioral and social rehabilitation procedures.
Examples of research topics in this area include:
Cognitive
or behavioral interventions for anxiety disorders and depression
Strategies
to reduce arthritis pain
Interventions
for restoring behavioral and brain functioning following head
injury
Lifestyle
(dietary change, exercise, stress reduction) approaches to
reversing coronary atherosclerosis
Reference:
http://obssr.od.nih.gov/funding/definition.html#topage
Correspondence:
Virginia Cain, Ph.D., Acting Director Office
of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, Office of the
Director, National Institutes of Health, Building 1, Room
256, 1 Center Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0183
