NIH Research Training Opportunities for Minorities
Research Supplements in the Behavioral and Social Sciences
Research Areas
The Behavioral and Social Sciences is a large and multifaceted field, encompassing many disciplines (e.g., psychology, sociology, anthropology, public health, nursing, and social work) and methods of study (laboratory and field experiments, randomized clinical trials, surveys and questionnaires, interviews and direct observation, physiological manipulations and recordings, statistical modeling, economic analyses, standardized tests, ethnography, evaluation). When Congress created the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, it mandated that a standard definition be developed to monitor funding. In cooperation with numerous scientists and science organizations, a standard definition was created to encompass the wide range of research topics and crosscutting themes that characterize the area.
The definition provides a useful framework for behavioral and social scientists to describe their program of research. In addition, the definition simplifies the categories by which students and faculty can conduct their search for a research experience that will match their interests. For the core areas of behavioral and social sciences research, the definition is divided into two categories: basic research (which does not address specific health outcomes, but is designed to get a better understanding of behavioral and social functioning in general) and clinical research (which does address specific health outcomes, health risks, or factors that protect health). These two broad areas are further subdivided. An adjunct area is also included to describe research that is not specifically directed at understanding behavioral and social processes, but which has implications for our understanding of these processes.