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A Definition of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research
for the National Institutes of Health
Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research
National Institutes of Health
Revised June 2001
Correspondence:
Virginia Cain, Ph.D.
Deputy 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
SUMMARY
When the United States Congress created the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research at the National Institutes of Health, it mandated that the Office develop a standard definition of the field to assess and monitor funding in this area. This definition of health-related behavioral and social sciences research was developed in 1996 in consultation with behavioral and social scientists and science organizations, and benefited from the leadership of OBSSR's founding director, Dr. Norman B. Anderson. This definition, slightly revised in June 2000, divides behavioral and social sciences research 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 (this distinction serves more of an organizational function rather than representing firm boundaries within the field.) Adjunct areas of behavioral and social sciences research include many types of neurological research and some research on pharmacological interventions--areas that have implications for, and are often influences by, behavioral research.
BACKGROUND
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) mission is to fund and conduct research that will result in an improvement in health. For the past five years, the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR), which is located in the Office of the Director, has served to stimulate the growth of the behavioral and social sciences at the NIH. Although behavioral research has a long funding history at the NIH, we have become increasingly aware of its vital importance to our overall mission. Behavioral and social factors are important contributors to health and illness and frequently interact with biological factors to influence health outcomes. They also represent critical avenues for treatment and prevention.
When Congress created the OBSSR, it mandated that a standard definition of behavioral and social sciences research be established. This definition was to be used to assess and monitor funding for behavioral and social sciences research at all of the NIH institutes, centers, and divisions. Heretofore, there had been no single definition of the field that could be used to assess and monitor NIH support of the behavioral and social sciences across all NIH Institutes and Centers.
Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Defined at NIH
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 procedure 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:
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Statistical modeling techniques
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Memory assessment
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Behavioral observation procedures
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Psychometric analysis self-report instruments
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Qualitative and ethnographic methods
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Neuropsychological assessment
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Psychophysiological methods
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Pain Assessment
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Instruments for determining dietary intake
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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:
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Smoking
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Dietary practices
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Physical inactivity
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Stress
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Substance abuse
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Social support
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Cultural practices
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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:
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Psychological and social consequences of genetic testing
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Behavioral correlates of head injury across developmental stages
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Emotional and social consequences of HIV infection or cancer
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Coping responses associated with chronic pain syndromes
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Effects of illness on economic status
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Coping with loss of function due to disability
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:
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Cognitive or behavioral interventions for anxiety disorders and depression
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Strategies to reduce arthritis pain
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Interventions for restoring behavioral and brain functioning following head injury
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Lifestyle (dietary change, exercise, stress reduction) approaches to reversing coronary atherosclerosis
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