The Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research (OBSSR) archives materials older than three years that are no longer updated. This content is available for historical purposes, and the information and links may have changed over time.
I grew up in Iowa, which is total farm country, and all anybody does there is work with food and sell vegetables. Growing up as a little boy, I was always amazed at why one house would buy everything I had in the wagon and the other house would look…
Human behavior is infinitely rich, and video is a great method for capturing it. But after the initial behavior of interest is scored, the analysis is completed, and the paper is published, video data is often relegated to lab “attic space,” gatherin…
In the summer of 1912, a toddler took her uncle’s place in Bowdoin College’s graduation line. That uncle died along with the toddler’s grandfather in the sinking of the RMS Titanic. Though this little girl never stood on the tragic boat’s bow, her li…
What do place and the built environment have to do with alcohol and drug addictions? According to Debra Furr-Holden, Ph.D., quite a bit. Behavioral and mental health studies have shown that environmental risk is a predictor of behavior in highly diso…
Phenotypic selection occurs when individuals actively select partners with similar characteristics. However, phenotypic preference is often confounded with social homogamy, whereby couples’ similar pair-bonding behaviors are an artifact of their shar…
While there are fundamental limitations to each of these abilities, experiences can alter how they function together. Gazzaley points out that neuroplasticity is a very strong relationship between experience and learning, and he is using technology t…
What do smoking cessation, weight management, cancer, drug abuse, and related conditions such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C have in common? They have all been positively impacted by behavioral interventions for prevention and treatment. However, scient…
Elder mistreatment direct response programs, including Adult Protective Services (APS), work directly with elder abuse victims to prevent reoccurrence. Burnes shared strategies that target cognitively intact adults. For example, senior services are v…
We are excited to announce that the White House Social and Behavioral Sciences Team (SBST) is currently seeking new team members to join us in Washington, D.C., for a 1-year fellowship beginning in October 2016. Since our inception in 2014,…
On January 19–20, the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) had the pleasure of convening an expert panel to provide input into our strategic planning process. OBSSR staff and I finished the day energized and encouraged by the pas…
