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Applied Behavior Analysis Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2009 2009.

It is Time to Play! Peer Implemented Pivotal Response Training with a Child with Autism during Recess , Leigh Anne Sams

Theses/Dissertations from 2008 2008

The Evaluation of a Commercially-Available Abduction Prevention Program , Kimberly V. Beck

Expert Video Modeling with Video Feedback to Enhance Gymnastics Skills , Eva Boyer

Behavior Contracting with Dependent Runaway Youth , Jessica Colon

Can Using One Trainer Solely to Deliver Prompts and Feedback During Role Plays Increase Correct Performance of Parenting Skills in a Behavioral Parent Training Program? , Michael M. Cripe

Evaluation of a Functional Treatment for Binge Eating Associated with Bulimia Nervosa , Tamela Cheri DeWeese-Giddings

Teaching Functional Skills to Individuals with Developmental Disabilities Using Video Prompting , Julie A. Horn

Evaluation of a Standardized Protocol for Parent Training in Positive Behavior Support Using a Multiple Baseline Design , Robin Lane

Publicly Posted Feedback with Goal Setting to Improve Tennis Performance , Gretchen Mathews

Improving Staff Performance by Enhancing Staff Training Procedures and Organizational Behavior Management Procedures , Dennis Martin McClelland Jr.

Supporting Teachers and Children During In-Class Transitions: The Power of Prevention , Sarah M. Mele

Effects of Supervisor’s Presence on Staff Response to Tactile Prompts and Self-Monitoring in a Group Home Setting , Judy M. Mowery

Social Skills Training with Typically Developing Adolescents: Measurement of Skill Acquisition , Jessica Anne Thompson

Theses/Dissertations from 2007 2007

Evaluating the effects of a reinforcement system for students participating in the Fast Forword language program , Catherine C. Wilcox

Theses/Dissertations from 2006 2006

The Acquisition of Functional Sign Language by Non-Hearing Impaired Infants , Kerri Haley-Garrett

Response Cards in the Elementary School Classroom: Effects on Student and Teacher Behavior , Shannon McKallip-Moss

The Effects of a Parent Training Course on Coercive Interactions Between Parents and Children , Lezlee Powell

The Effects of Role-Playing on the Development of Adaptive Skills in a Parent Training Program , Chantell A. Rodriguez-Del Valle

Archival evaluation of a proactive school wide discipline plan , Beth Rutz-Beynart

Effects of a multi-component interdependent group contingency game on the classroom behavior of typically developing elementary school children , Stacey D. Simonds

Establishing a Functional Analysis Protocol for Examining Behavioral Deficits using Social Withdrawal as an Exemplar , Melissa Penaranda Walters

Theses/Dissertations from 2005 2005

The Role of Choice Versus Preference: An Analysis of Why Choice Interventions Work , John D. Adelinis

The Effect of Direct Instruction Math Curriculum on Higher-Order Problem Solving , Pamela Christofori

The Effects of Response Cards on the Performance and Generalization of Parenting Skills , Bennie L. Colbert

A Comparison of Two Prompting Procedures on Tacting Behavior , Kelley N. Gardner

The Effects Of The Presence Of A Dog On The Social Interactions Of Children With Developmental Disabilities , Stephanie Walters

The Effects of Fluency Training on Performance, Maintenance, and Generalization of Parenting Skills , Gertie Williams

Theses/Dissertations from 2004 2004

Use of the Power Card Strategy as an Intervention with an Elementary School Student with Asperger Syndrome: Increasing On-Task Behavior in the General Education Setting , Jane M. Devenport

The Importance of Program-Delivered Differential Reinforcement in the Development of Classical Music Auditory Discrimination , Gudmundur Torfi Heimisson

The Impact of a Goal Setting Procedure on the Work Performance of Young Adults with Behavioral/Emotional/Learning Challenges , Robin Wagner Hogsholm

The Effects of Graphic Display and Training in Visual Inspection on Teachers' Detection of Behavior Change , Allana Duncan Luquette

Imitation and its Reciprocity in the Treatment of Autism , Roxana I. Nedelcu

Utility of Positive Peer Reporting to Improve Interactions Among Children in Foster Care , Jenny L. Van Horn

Behavioral Analysis of Interactions Between Teachers and Children with Selective Mutism , Jason D. Wallace

Theses/Dissertations from 2003 2003

Creating Positive Experiences: Increasing Parent Participation In A Low Income Elementary School , Krista Stinson Cayer

Evaluation Of A Presentation And Measurement Method For Assessing Activity Preference , Tara L. Lieblein

Using The ABLLS with English Language Learners: Implications for Students and Teachers , Lorie G. Schultz

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Applied Behavioral Science Dissertations and Theses

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The Good Behavior Game: Maintenance and Side-Effects in Preschoolers 

Increasing Student On-Task Behavior in a Juvenile Detention Day School Through the Use of a Token Procedure Implemented by Juvenile Correctional Officers 

Increasing Staff Healthy Behavioral Practices in Programs for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities 

A Comparison of Interteaching and the Learning Pathway in a Community Health Undergraduate Course 

A Comparison of Isolated and Synthesized Contingencies in Functional Analyses 

An Evaluation of Synchronous Reinforcement for Increasing On-task Behavior in Preschool Children 

Evaluation of a Computer-Based Version of Child Planned Activities Training 

Developing a Durable Intervention: Teaching Members of a Student Cooperative to Chair Meetings 

Toward Efficient Toilet Training of Young Children in Early Childcare Programs 

Cooperation and Productivity in a Simulated Small Group Work Task 

An Evaluation of a Community Life Skills Program for Adolescents in Foster Care 

Comparing Force and Ratio Progressions from the Behavioral Economic Unit Price Equation 

Temporal Attention, the Sunk Cost Effect, and Delay Discounting 

Effects of Conditioning Procedures on Vocalizations of Children with Minimal or Emerging Echoic Repertoire 

An Analysis of a Comprehensive and Collaborative Truancy Prevention and Diversion Program 

Delay of Gratification in Preschool Children Following Access to Print and Mobile Electronic Media 

EFFECTS OF SELF-MANAGEMENT USING FITBIT® TO INCREASE STEPS TAKEN BY ADULTS WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 

Examining Explanatory Inputs and Community System Change Intensity 

Development and Evaluation of an Evidence-Based Advocacy Training Package for People with Disabilities 

An Evaluation of Procedures that Affect Response Variability 

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Theses and Dissertations

Dissertations from 2021 2021.

An Evaluation of the Process Used to Develop and Administer an Employee Culture Survey in a Public Research University , Danielle B. Allen

Dissertations from 2020 2020

The Influence of Sleep and Physical Performance on Food Choice and Body Mass Index of College Students , Nathalie Cahill

Examining the Predictors of the White Racial Justice Advocate , Danielle N. Franks

An Examination of Reported Flirtation Behaviors , Michael Garza

Measuring Pay-Conversation Effectiveness Using Organizational Justice in a Fortune 100 Organization , Christoph Gloger

More Than a Feeling: The Role of Self-Compassion on the Affective Response to Negative Events in the Workplace , Michael A. Knott

Grit, Personality, and Job Performance: Exploring Nonlinear Relationships , Ellen Lovell

How Average is "Average?" Making Sense of a Machine Learning Analysis of Personality Types , Colin Lee Omori

Perceived Support and Overqualification as Related to Discretionary Behaviors , Nivedita Prabhu

Dissertations from 2019 2019

Developing a Model of Sexism-Based Traumatic Stress , Marcus Cherry

Decreasing Stress Through an Emotion Regulation and Non-Judging Based Intervention with Trauma-Exposed College Students , Megan Cherry

The Moderating Role of Culture in the Job Demands-Resources Model , James A. De Leon

An Examination of the Relationships Between Message Framing, Regulatory Focus, and Psychological Reactance on Risky Health Decision-Making Among College Students , Mallory B. Garza

Understanding Competing Climates: A Theoretical Framework for Examining Service and Ethical Climates , Cristopher T. Huynh

Dissertations from 2018 2018

A Model of the Relationship Between Performance Feedback and Goal Setting: A Consideration of, Affective Cognitive, and Psychological State Effects , Ann-Marie R. Castille

The Influence of Regional Stereotypes in Employee Selection , Brittani E. Plaisance

Dissertations from 2017 2017

Adult attachment style and inter-parental discrepancy on pediatric behavior assessment scales , Laura Beliech Harris

The mediating influence of career aspirations and career decision-making self-efficacy on self-differentiation, vocational identity, and career indecision , Jay Justin Middleton

Impacting student slumber: An analysis of self-report and physiological data following a psychoeducational intervention , Danielle N. Newman

The development and validation of an automatic-item generation measure of cognitive ability , Hines Scott

A randomized controlled study examining the effectiveness of a gratitude intervention and an optimism intervention on well-being: Moderating effects of personality disposition and social support , J. Brandon Waits

Dissertations from 2016 2016

Reinventing proactive personality: A new construct and measurement , Bharati B. Belwalkar

Evaluating indicators of job performance: Distributions and types of analyses , Richard J. Chambers II

Assessing spiritual bypass in a clinical population: Initial test construction and validation , Terri K. Duck

PTSD, Academic Achievement, and College Persistence: The Moderating Effects of Coping Mechanisms and Social Support , Rebecca Granda

Chronotype preference, partial sleep deprivation, and executive functions performance throughout the wake-cycle , Devin Layne Merritt

Personal factors, domain specificity, and risky decision-making , Rose Niles

Factors predicting weight loss and weight gain in bariatric surgery patients , Deborah Potisek Simpson

Using latent class cluster analysis to identify and profile organizational subclimates: An exploratory investigation using safety climate as an exemplar , Amy Frost Stevenson

The relationship between executive functioning and substance abuse , John M. Tracy

Personality traits related to problematic Facebook use , Shelley R. Visconte

Dissertations from 2015 2015

Job analysis: Measuring accuracy and capturing multiple perspectives , DeAnn H. Arnold

Bright or dark, or virtues and vices? A reexamination of the big five and job performance , Christopher M. Castille

DSM-5 Section III model of personality disorders: Developing a measure of Criterion A , Jeanette M. Edmonds

Individual adaptability as a predictor of job performance , Stephanie L. Murphy

Crystallized intelligence and openness to experience: Drawing on intellectual-investment theories to predict job performance longitudinally , Christopher B. Patton

Making the connection between disordered personalities and interpersonal dysfunction: A relational study , Meggie P. Rowland

Cultural context's influence on the relationships between leadership personality and subordinate perceptions , Victoria J. Smoak

Objectively measuring the effects of sleep on reading comprehension and sustained selective attention , Jennifer L. Thibodeaux

Increasing career exploratory behavior through message framing , Lauren Elizabeth Tressler

The relationship between sleep and nutrition in message framing among college students , Abbey G. White

Dissertations from 2014 2014

The impact of stereotype threat on high school females' math performance: Moderators and an intervention , Jacqueline Hebert Ball

An examination of the effectiveness of the Louisiana GEAR UP program in promoting self-efficacy, improving academic achievement and increasing teachers' aspirations for their students , Candi Hill

The effect of state orientation on emotion dysregulation, borderline personality disorder, and nonsuicidal self-injury , Desiree LeBoeuf-Davis

Psychopathy and the HEXACO personality model , M. Todd Lobrano

Effects of gender bias and gender inversion stereotypes on assessment of personality traits and diagnosis of personality disorders , Beatrice Charmaine Mosier

What we thought we knew: Intellectual assessment of individuals who are blind , Richard L. Sylvester Jr.

Dissertations from 2013 2013

An investigation of the relationships among the family of origin, need for achievement, and career development , David G. Arcement

Message framing effects in the delivery of sleep hygiene information to parents of elementary and middle school children , Aimee L. Blackham

The relationships of sleep quality, length, and napping to physical performance , Rebecca M. Hoffmann

Exploring the structural relationships between personality and 360-degree feedback , Cole N. Napper

Dissertations from 2012 2012

Emotional labor and authentic leadership , John E. Buckner V

The impact of psychological reactance and approach/avoidance motivation on the effectiveness of sleep interventions , Barbara Calvert

The effects of training in self-regulated learning and achievement orientations in lower socioeconomic elementary students , Ashley N. Carroll

Predicting substance abuse treatment participation with the Personality Assessment Inventory: An investigation of how personality and interpersonal factors affect treatment , Annese Baum Hutchins

Research motivation in professional psychology doctoral students: Examination of the psychometric properties of the Research Motivation Scale , Carly Bischoff Mayer

Proposed DSM-5 personality traits and substance use: A multi-faceted study , W. Reese Mayer

Examining the effects of fear of failure, self-efficacy and gender role conflict in male and female engineering students , Krista L. Nelson

The relationship between personality and forgiveness of sexual infidelity in marriage , Karen Suggs Roper

Deception Detection: Using Eye-Tracking Technology to Measure Faking in a Simulated Applicant Setting , Luke Simmering

Effects of gender composition of target and sender dyads on the tendency to infer lies , Byron J. Simoneaux

Psychological effects of intensive and comprehensive training centers on blind and visually impaired adults , Caitlin Singletary

Dissertations from 2011 2011

The effects of age, information, and personal contact on attitudes toward individuals with cleft lip and palate , Adam Thomas Blancher

The influence of the character strengths of gratitude and kindness on subjective well-being , Tracy Harper Dossett

The effectiveness of a substance abuse treatment group for at risk college students , Melissa D. Simundson

Racial prejudice, homophobia, and sexism as a function of right-wing authoritarianism, religious values, religious pressures, and religious orientation , Dixie Turner

Sleep habits of high school students: An intervention to improve them , John Edward Wallace

Dissertations from 2010 2010

An exploration of the relationship among online social network usage, intimacy, social comparison tendencies, and relationship satisfaction , Matthew Hand

Socially Desirable Responding on the MMPI -2, MCMI-III, and PAI in a substance abuse treatment setting , James Brian Rutland

Weight gain among adults with intellectual disabilities receiving atypical antipsychotics , Sherri Lyn Transier

Dissertations from 2009 2009

How selected personality factors affect the relationships between marital satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, and infidelity , Amanda Marie Campbell

An examination of factors affecting weight and health in exercising adults , Cynthia West Dupuis

Examination of the clinical benefit of adding Reversal Theory concepts to the expressive writing paradigm , Stephanie Ellis

Detection of malingering via cognitive cues , Birgit M. Smart

A model of quality of life and emotional and behavioral functioning in obese children and adolescents , Terry Oliver Thomas

Dissertations from 2007 2007

Examining the ability of the Halstead -Reitan Battery and the Wide Range Achievement Test to utilize severity in discriminating among Alzheimer's dementia patients , Gina Gibson-Beverly

Evaluation of a sleep hygiene program to improve inmate sleep quality , Jennifer F. Hodges-Crowder

Evaluation of a psychoeducational program designed to affect attitudes associated with intimate partner violence in an inmate population , Melani Magee Wheeler

Dissertations from 2006 2006

The impact of sleep quality and duration on college student adjustment and health , Robert L. Krenek Jr.

The prediction of career decision-making self-efficacy from Black and White racial identity attitudes , Jennifer K. Montgomery

Sleep quality of college students and its relationship to coping styles and well-being , Cathy Alison Word

Dissertations from 2005 2005

Sleep habits and patterns of college students and their relationship to selected personality characteristics , Steve M. Jenkins

An investigation of reactance, coping, quality of life, and well -being , Monique Maria Matherne

Effect of comorbid psychiatric disorders on measures of group cohesion in substance abusers , Sharon Bradford Robbins

The effects of gender role conflict and psychological reactance on relationship beliefs , Donna Bullard Thomas

Dissertations from 2004 2004

Temperament and alcohol use: The relationship to psychological reactance , Pearle Elizabeth Bobbitt

Psychological effects of martial arts training: Fear of physical assault and self -esteem , Robert C. Clanton

Relationship between personality styles and drug/alcohol use in prison inmates , Anita S. Quinn Flye

Self -esteem and sense of entitlement in violent and nonviolent criminal behavior , Susan Frank

An exploration into gender role conflict, attitudes toward females, and relationship beliefs , Julia M. Wood

Dissertations from 2003 2003

The effect of hardiness on the relationship between stress and well-being: Moderator, mediator, or both? , Alison Jo Donnell

Psychological reactance as a personality characteristic: Relationships to attachment and autonomy , Maurine Traville Hargrove Ladner

An investigation of the relationship among life-skills, self-esteem, and well-being in adults , Scott David Meche

Personality style and psychological reactance: Theory confirmation and empirical prediction of reactant personalities , Eric Alexander Seemann

Dissertations from 2002 2002

Development and evaluation of the Sleep Treatment and Education Program for Students (STEPS) , Franklin Christian Brown

Relationships between a quaternary model of psychological type processes and defense mechanism clusters , Kathryn Elizabeth Kelly

An examination of the relationship between perceived parenting styles, psychosocial development, and locus of control orientation in college students , Cheryl Sue Marsiglia

Preventing driving under the influence through informal interventions: An examination of the decision making processes common to potential DUI offenders , David John Williams

Dissertations from 2001 2001

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Coping Style Inventory in a college sample , Christopher Garth Bellah

An investigation of the relationship between the family of origin and selected career development outcomes , Timothy Dean Dodge

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Why Do We Say Less When a Black Child Goes Missing?

In this episode of the Chicago Booth Review Podcast, Ayelet Fishbach, a professor of behavioral science at Chicago Booth, chats about her recent paper on “surprised elaboration.”

Defeating Bias Through AI

By understanding how people think and operate, algorithms could help us defeat bias instead of empowering it, Diag Davenport, PhD ’22, suggests. “The endgame is changing how people think, changing how institutions operate.”

Why Keeping Up with the Joneses is Problematic

“When you look to other people, you infer they’re wealthy because you see them spending a lot of money on something,” Chicago Booth PhD student, Rafael Batista says.

Even When Algorithms Outperform Humans, People Often Reject Them

Further research from Dietvorst and Booth PhD student Soaham Bharti suggests that people may not be averse to algorithms per se but rather are willing to take risks in pursuit of exceptional accuracy.

We've Been Underestimating Discrimination

University of Pennsylvania’s J. Aislinn Bohren, Brown’s Peter Hull, and Chicago Booth’s Alex Imas are among the economists who are proposing new approaches to measuring discrimination that take systemic factors into account.

Humanity Is Carried on the Voice

Research by Chicago Booth’s Nicholas Epley and others, including Juliana Schroeder, MA ’12, MBA ’14, PhD ’15, indicates that the presence of someone’s voice is an important part of conveying their humanity.

A Network of Support

Doctoral students at Booth have access to the resources of several high-powered research centers that offer funding for student work, host conferences, and foster a strong research community, as well as weekly workshops.

Center for Decision Research Positioned at the forefront of the rapidly developing field of behavioral science, the CDR is devoted to building a richer understanding of human behavior and experience.

Research Workshops Keep up to date with the latest behavioral science work through the Center for Decision Research's weekly workshop series. Faculty, students, and invited guests meet to discuss their work on the behavioral implications of decision and judgment models.

Inside the Student Experience

Juliana Schroeder, PhD ’15, talks about her research into how people convey their mental capacity to others.

Video Transcript

Juliana Schroeder, ’15: 00:11 I was always interested in the way that we interact with those around us, and the way that we judge them, and how we make decisions, but I was interested in it from sort of a really broad social science perspective, both psychology and economics, and then, when I came to Chicago Booth, I met Nick Epley right away who's a professor here, and he got me really interested in this specific topic. This is research about how people convey their mental capacity to others. Most people think that if someone can see them, they might appear smarter.

Juliana Schroeder, ’15: 00:46 We don't find any evidence of that. We find that it carries through the voice. We think that being able to hear someone's voice, being able to hear them speak is humanizing in some way. It kind of conveys their mental capacities. We've been looking at what are the paralinguistic cues that mediate the fact, and it seems that variance and pitch is important. There could be boundary conditions to this effect. There might be certain accents that convey less intelligence, so we're looking at the Southern drawl, for example. That is one in particular in the U.S. that seems to be associated with less intelligence

Juliana Schroeder, ’15: 01:22 There might be other ways of speaking and aspects in someone's speech, like vocal fray, that could convey less intelligence as well. Working with Nick Epley on this project has been a really fantastic experience. He has been so supportive. We would meet every single week and discuss ideas. I feel extremely lucky to be at Chicago Booth. It's been such an incredible place with incredible resources to do research. When I do research, I think about what would be an interesting psychological idea, so how do we perceive others that can have an application in terms of who gets jobs.

Juliana Schroeder, ’15: 02:01 But, it can also have applications in terms of conflict, in terms of humanization, all sorts of different aspects. And so, being able to do basic research here, and having the resources available in this study pool, the funding for that, it's just incredible.

Current Behavioral Science Students

Behavioral science students come to Chicago Booth from around the world, bringing a wide array of interests and perspectives. Their recent research has covered topics ranging from self-disclosures to coaching decisions in professional basketball. Our graduates begin their careers in a wide range of fields, from research and teaching at prestigious institutions such as Cornell University to providing analysis for the New York Yankees.

Current Students

Rafael Batista

Melissa Beswick 

Nicholas DiMaggio Ibitayo Fadayomi

Roman Gallardo

Cintia Hinojosa

Krin Irvine

Felicia Joy

Graelin Mandel

Danila Medvedev

Alexander Moore

Nicholas Owsley

Russell Roberts

Kristina Wald

Ugur (Umy) Yasar

Samantha Zaw

See a list of the current students in our Joint Psychology and Business Program .

Program Expectations and Requirements

The Stevens Program at Booth is a full-time program. Students generally complete the majority of coursework and examination requirements within the first two years of studies and begin work on their dissertation during the third year. For details, see General Examination Requirements by Area in the Stevens Program Guidebook below.

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National Research Council (US) Committee for Monitoring the Nation's Changing Needs for Biomedical, Behavioral, and Clinical Personnel. Advancing the Nation's Health Needs: NIH Research Training Programs. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2005.

Advancing the Nation's Health Needs: NIH Research Training Programs.

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3 Behavioral and Social Sciences Research

The behavioral and social sciences cover a wide spectrum of health-relevant research areas. One end of the spectrum has a focus on the individual, including such areas as psychology, behavioral and cognitive neuroscience, and cognitive science. Here the focus is on the individual's behavior, with a direct relevance for mental health and mental disorders and a strong relevance for major health problems such as obesity; drug, alcohol, and tobacco abuse; and propensity for violent behavior and crime. The other end of the spectrum has a focus on interpersonal, group, and societal behavior, including sociology, economics, education, and political science. Research in these sciences has an equally important role in identifying key factors that underlie the complex health problems besetting our society.

The behavioral and social sciences are far more complex and variable than some of the natural sciences; not only is there an almost uncountable number of factors affecting individual and social behavior, but these factors combine and interact in extremely complex and mutable ways. Partly for this reason and partly for historical and cultural reasons, research support and research training in these areas lag well behind those in other sciences. While the behavioral and social sciences have addressed fundamental health care question for decades, methods and tools developed in recent years have provided useful and effective answers to some of the nation's most pressing health care problems.

At the same time that these sciences have been maturing, society has come to realize the absolute necessity of their research findings for the understanding, treatment, and prevention of its health problems. As a result, the behavioral and social sciences have been called on for advice to an ever-increasing degree by government agencies. This is evidenced by the number and range of government-commissioned committees, panels, and reports assigned to the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education (DBASSE) of the National Research Council. In the past 10 years, there have been over 300 publications resulting from DBASSE assignments that cover a wide range of areas directly or indirectly related to health concerns, including children and families; education, employment, and training; the environment; health and behavior; human performance; international studies; law and justice; national statistics; and population and urban studies. These studies range in scope from the level of the individual to the level of society and cover the entire range of social and behavioral sciences and extend to related fields (such as ecology and criminology). 1

The social and behavioral sciences deal with many of the most complex and least predictable phenomena that affect people's health. Mental health, for example, is an important concern at the National Institutes of Health (NIH; particularly the National Institute of Mental Health, NIMH) as well as in the government and private sector generally. Yet mental health is only one part of a much larger picture because many of the most important health problems are determined and strongly affected by behavioral, social, and economic factors. At the level of the behavior of the individual, the behavioral and social sciences produce knowledge about health issues such as drug and alcohol abuse, obesity, violent behavior, smoking, maintenance of drug treatment regimens, stress management, ability to cope with illness, and health decision making. Moreover, there are many critical health issues that emerge at a larger scale. The economics of health care and its delivery critically determines which diseases and problems are attacked, what research is carried out, and which treatments are given. The government has recognized these factors with multimillion dollar investments in surveys, such as the Health and Retirement Survey, the National Longitudinal Survey, and the National Survey of Families and Households. The behavioral and social sciences provide critical insights and knowledge. This knowledge covers a vast array of issues concerning our ability and willingness to deal with disability and our willingness to expend income and assets for health purposes, such as:

• promoting well-being;
• distributing health care geographically, sociologically, and economically;
• using and misusing health care institutions;
• monitoring health providers' behavior;
• studying the psychological and social effects of morbidity and mortality;
• tracking the social and psychological effects on treatment and recovery;
• transferring assets and beliefs across generations;
• documenting social support mechanisms;
• measuring the economics of alternative health care systems;
• verifying the effects of approaches to care and bereavement; and
• making health decisions.

Societal, behavioral, and economic factors work together to produce such problems as drug abuse, smoking, alcohol abuse, anorexia/bulimia, and obesity. Once-treatable diseases are making a comeback in more virulent forms because reliable methods cannot be found to ensure that curative drugs are taken as prescribed. Social and sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, continue to be an increasing menace. Even crime and violence are rooted in elements that require the expertise of behavioral and social sciences research. It is now accepted that many diseases, historically considered mainly a matter for biomedical research, such as heart and lung disease, drug addiction, tuberculosis, and malaria, cannot be understood and treated without the benefit of behavioral and social research. When these far-reaching health implications of behavioral, social, and economic factors are added to the more direct implications of research for mental illnesses such as depression, schizophrenia, and various neurological illnesses, it is no surprise that the research demand in the behavioral and social sciences has grown rapidly in recent years.

Support for research in the behavioral and social sciences at NIH resides primarily in the NIMH, secondarily in the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHHD), and is scattered in other institutes (with the present exception of the National Institute of General Medicine. It should be noted that the primary mission of NIMH is research into the prevention and treatment of mental disorders, and the mission of NIA and NICHHD is research into the health problems of young and aging populations. Consequently, neither institute directly supports research into key factors underlying societal health problems, such as smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, obesity, and the like. A case could be made that research in the behavioral and social sciences needs to be augmented significantly by other NIH institutes and centers. Most NIH institutes would benefit from scientists knowledgeable in the techniques, methods, and findings of the behavioral and social sciences. In particular, empirical design and quantitative and statistical methodology that have been so effectively refined in the social and behavioral sciences would be useful. Thus at institutes and centers that do not presently have a direct focus on research in the behavioral and social sciences, at least some training needs to be directed toward researchers with this focus. In addition, some of the training given to researchers with other primary foci needs to be informed by appropriate training in the social and behavioral sciences, a point that is taken up directly in Chapter 8 .

• BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES RESEARCH WORKFORCE

The behavioral and social sciences workforce is as difficult to identify as the biomedical workforce but for different reasons. In particular, it is difficult to identify scientists who are doing basic health-related research, as opposed to those who are involved in clinical practice. Past studies of research training needs in the behavioral sciences generally defined the target workforce as Ph.D.s trained in anthropology, sociology, speech and hearing sciences, and psychology, with the exception of clinical, family, and school psychology. However, since professional organizations in psychology indicate that nonresearch-oriented doctorates are now receiving doctor of psychology (Psy.D.) degrees, the category of clinical psychology is included but not the other practice-oriented fields. Appendix C lists the fields included in the behavioral and social sciences. This inclusion is also supported by an experiment in which NIH was asked to identify whether the research topics for the theses of a sample of the Ph.D. population in the above-listed fields, including clinical psychology, would be considered for NIH funding. The results of this analysis showed that about 90 percent of the thesis topics could be funded and therefore a large portion of the clinical psychology Ph.D.s could pursue research careers. This may be an overestimate of the workforce, but it might provide a more accurate assessment. Whenever possible, the identification of those who do not participate in research will be addressed in the following analysis of the workforce. In particular, attempts were made to identify institutions with professional programs in clinical psychology and to exclude their doctorates from the analysis.

The critical role played by the behavioral and social sciences workforce is increasingly recognized as a key element in both the maintenance of good health and the treatment of disease. The research workforce that addresses the types of diseases and health problems described earlier in this chapter is much broader than the behavioral and social sciences as defined for this study. For example, even in the treatment of what are often considered biologically based diseases, behavior is a factor in getting patients to take their medicine or to participate in physical activities that would help or prevent their condition. These research areas have an interdisciplinary component with the life sciences, behavioral and social sciences, and even the physical sciences. Interdisciplinarity further complicates analysis of the workforce because people trained outside the medical field are doing research important to the medical community (e.g., an economist studying the public health system). However, it would be impossible to factor these researchers into the current workforce assessment.

Another complication is how students identify their research area when they receive their doctorates. The increasing tendency for some research areas in the biomedical and behavioral sciences to converge (neuroscience is the most notable example) may lead to the classification of some doctorates in the behavioral sciences as biomedical. This factor may lead to an undercount of doctorates in the behavioral sciences and an overcount in the biomedical sciences. These difficulties notwithstanding, an attempt has been made to identify doctoral fields for analysis and potential problems in the analyses. The behavioral and social sciences workforce will consist of Ph.D. graduates from universities in the United States in the fields listed in Appendix C and of foreign graduates seeking careers in science and engineering in this country. This definition of the behavioral and social sciences workforce will provide a general estimate of the number of investigators and an indication of the major trends affecting this workforce, such as changes in size, age, and composition.

• EDUCATIONAL TRENDS

The pool of college graduates in the behavioral and social sciences from which graduate programs would normally draw increased from about 74,000 in 1987 to almost 132,000 in 2001. In 1987 about 11 percent or 7,894 of these graduates matriculated to graduate programs in doctoral-granting institutions and in 2001 to about 6 percent or 8,305. The number of first-year graduate students was fairly constant during the late 1990s at about 8,500 and increased to 8,996 in 2002. This first-year enrollment resulted in a total full-time graduate enrollment of about 31,500 in 1987 and almost 40,000 in 2002. A portrait of the gender makeup of the graduate students (see Figure 3-1 ) shows a significant change from the late 1970s, when there were only a few more males than females, to 2002 when females outnumbered males by 2.5 to 1.

Graduate students in the behavioral and social sciences by gender, 1979–2002. SOURCE: National Science Foundation Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering.

The picture of support for graduate education at doctoral-granting institutions in the behavioral and social sciences is very different from that in the biomedical sciences (see Figure 3-2 ). Traditionally, about half of the graduate students are supported by their own funds or other sources, because external funding from traineeships is small and declining and teaching assistantships are the major source of support.

Graduate support in the behavioral and social sciences, 1979–2002. SOURCE: National Science Foundation Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering.

The fairly constant size of the graduate student population seen in Figure 3-1 is reflected in the number of doctoral degrees through 2000 (see Figure 3-3 ). However, over the period from 2000 to 2003, the number of doctorates declined by 368 or about 8.2 percent. From just a few hundred in 1970 the number of doctoral degrees granted to women grew to 2,908 in 2000 but declined slightly to 2,724 in 2003. The number of degrees granted to males dropped from a high of about 2,700 in the mid-1970s to a low of 1,411 in 2003. The decline in doctorates is a reflection of the graduate enrollment declines of the late 1990s, or the problem cited earlier with the classification of doctorates into closely related biomedical fields. On the one hand, the small increase in doctorates in 2003 may reflect the enrollment increases in the early 2000s and may predict a return to the degree production of the late 1990s in a few years. On the other hand, any increase may be temporary, since it may be a result of the national economic situation and will not continue into the future. Time to degree has increased by 3 years in total time and 2 years in registered time (see Appendix E ). These increases have been greater than in the biomedical sciences by about a half a year. Similarly, the median age at time of degree has increased to almost 33 and is one of the highest in science and engineering.

Doctorates granted in the behavioral and social sciences, 1970–2003. SOURCE: National Science Foundation Survey of Earned Doctorates, 2001.

Historically, behavioral and social sciences doctorates did not tend to go on to postdoctoral training, but this trend is changing. This fact by itself would tend to suggest that such doctorates could begin research careers earlier than biomedical doctorates, but such a trend is largely offset by the longer graduate training period. Recently, however, the fraction of doctorates planning on a postdoctoral appointment increased from about one-tenth in 1970 to more than one-third in 2003. Females are more likely to have additional research training since in recent years 15 percent of the females and 9.3 percent of the male doctorates have planned to pursue postdoctoral training. Another interesting aspect of the behavioral and social sciences doctoral population is the increased participation in postdoctoral training by individuals with degrees in clinical psychology (see Figure 3-4 ). This characteristic of clinical psychology doctorates also supports their inclusion in this assessment of personnel needs. For many years postdoctoral training was not considered essential, as was the case for other behavioral and social sciences fields, but in the early 1990s this changed and in recent years almost half of the behavioral and social sciences doctorates have planned to pursue postdoctoral training.

Doctorates planning postdoctoral training, 1970–2003. SOURCE: National Science Foundation Survey of Earned Doctorates, 2001.

The large and increasing number of female doctorates seeking postdoctoral training suggests a special concern in the behavioral and social sciences. The traditional responsibilities of women to bear children and care for their families may lead to times when highly skilled researchers need to work in a less traditional format or even be absent from the workforce. Given the rapid pace of science, NIH might consider addressing this situation not only with retraining programs but also special postdoctoral research grants to keep trained researchers in the workforce during periods in which personal priorities make it impossible to carry a full workload.

The proportion of doctorates facing potential immigration and visa difficulties is presently under 10 percent. An increasing proportion of doctorates in the biomedical sciences with temporary resident status and the problems that might occur if their residency status is jeopardized are not strongly seen in the behavioral and social sciences. Another positive development is the increase in minorities with doctorates. In the 1970s only 1 or 2 percent of the behavioral and social sciences doctorates went to minorities, but that has changed. In recent years, almost 15 percent of the doctorates have gone to minorities.

• EMPLOYMENT TRENDS

The behavioral and social sciences workforce grew steadily from 27,356 in 1973 to 99,145 in 2001. Most of the growth can be attributed to the increasing number of female doctorates (see Figure 3-5 ); while they are not a majority of the workforce, their numbers have increased at an average annual rate of 11 percent since the late 1980s. In this same time period, the growth in the number of male workers was only 2 percent. If the postdoctoral population is included in the workforce, the rates of growth have not changed since they comprise only a small part of the workforce. Figure 3-6 shows the number of postdoctoral appointments by employment sector and the rapid growth in appointments in recent years. However, the number of appointments declined from its high of 2,583 in 1997 to 2,093. This decline is similar to that in the biomedical sciences and may be due to higher stipends imposed by NIH because interest on the part of new doctorates in postdoctoral training remains high, as seen by the data in Appendix E .

Behavioral and social sciences workforce (excluding postdoctorates) by gender, 1973–2001. SOURCE: National Science Foundation Survey of Doctorate Recipients.

Trends in postdoctoral appointments by sector, 1973–2001. SOURCE: National Science Foundation Survey of Doctorate Recipients.

While the academic sector accounts for three-quarters of the appointments, as was the case for the biomedical sciences, there is stronger participation in the industrial sector. The other notable difference in postdoctoral training is the citizen/permanent resident and temporary resident ratio in academic institutions. In the biomedical sciences it is 1.4 to 1 with more temporary residents, compared to the behavioral and social sciences with a ratio of 3.6 to 1 with more citizens and permanent residents. It is possible that this difference reflects a divergence in technical training at virtually all levels of education between the U.S. and foreign systems. For example, the need for researchers with technical training (including laboratory training, instrumentation abilities, computational expertise, and mathematical and modeling skills) may have led to a large infusion of foreign researchers in the biomedical fields. If so, the increasing need for such types of training in the social and behavioral sciences may produce a tendency for a movement of the pattern seen in the social and behavioral sciences to that seen in the biomedical sciences.

The distribution of the nonpostdoctoral workforce in the behavioral and social sciences is very different from that in the biomedical sciences (see Figure 3-7 ). While academic employment is still the largest sector, industrial employment is growing at a rapid rate and almost equals that in educational institutions. The nonprofit sector is comparatively larger than in the biomedical sciences. By comparison, the workforce in the behavioral and social sciences is almost as large as the biomedical sciences, with growth at about the same rate, 6.2 percent for the biomedical sciences and 5.4 percent for the behavioral and social sciences. The age distribution for the workforce, excluding postdoctoral appointees, for 1985 is similar for both the behavioral and the biomedical sciences but differs in that the median age in 2001 was 2.5 years older for the behavioral and social sciences workforce (see Table 3-1 ).

Behavioral and social sciences workforce by sector of employment, 1973–2001. SOURCE: National Science Foundation Survey of Doctorate Recipients.

Median Age Cohort for the Biomedical Sciences and the Behavioral and Social Sciences .

Another way to look at the aging of the behavioral and social sciences workforce is to compare the age distribution over time; note that there will be significant retirement in the next 10 years from the 55 to 65 age group (see Figure 3-8 ).

Age distribution of the behavioral and social sciences workforce, 1985, 1993, and 2001. SOURCE: National Science Foundation Survey of Doctorate Recipients.

Academic employment in the behavioral and social sciences more than doubled from 1975 to 2001. Much of that growth was in nontenured positions and other academic categories, which together represent about one-third of the total academic staff in 2001. The size of the tenured and tenure-track staff has been almost constant since the late 1990s and grew by only 11 percent from 1989 to 1999 (see Figure 3-9 ).

Academic employment in the behavioral and social sciences, 1973–2001. SOURCE: National Science Foundation Survey of Doctorate Recipients.

Over the past 10 years two-thirds of the doctorates have been awarded to women. This is reflected in academic appointments, with about 60 percent of nontenured positions held by women ( Figure 3-10 ). Those in tenured positions are far below their 47 percent representation in the workforce, but over time this should change as more women in tenure-track positions receive tenure.

FIGURE 3-10

Percentage of women in academic positions, 1975–2001. SOURCE: National Science Foundation Survey of Doctorate Recipients.

The number of minorities in the behavioral and social sciences workforce increased dramatically from 520 in 1975 to 8,534 in 2001 (see Appendix E ). While the number has grown in recent years by about 15 percent per year and is greater than the 5 percent growth of the total workforce, they still remain a small percentage of the overall workforce. In 2001, underrepresented minorities comprised 8.6 percent of behavioral and social scientists, compared to 1.9 percent in 1973. There are, however, twice as many in the behavioral and social sciences workforce compared to the biomedical sciences workforce, which is about the same size overall.

• RESEARCH TRAINING AND THE NATIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE AWARD PROGRAM

In general, the National Research Service Award (NRSA) program plays a smaller role in research training in the behavioral and social sciences than in the basic biomedical fields. Comparing the number of awards in Table 3-2 with a similar table in Chapter 2 , the awards in the behavioral sciences are about one-tenth of those in the biomedical sciences. In terms of the percentage of students supported, less than 1 percent of the 40,000 graduate students in the behavioral and social sciences in 2002 had NRSA support. By comparison, about 9.3 percent of the biomedical sciences graduate students had NRSA support. It has been argued that much of the research in the behavioral and social sciences is not health related and that therefore, training in these research areas is not supportable under the NRSA program. The sample dissertation review, referred to at the beginning of this chapter, contradicts that reasoning because 90 percent of the reviewed dissertation abstracts were considered to be in areas fundable by NIH personnel.

National Research Service Award Predoctoral Trainee and Fellowship Support in the Behavioral and Social Sciences .

NIH's basic mission is to support health-related research, and NIH has historically tended to consider such research to lie primarily in the physical structure of the body and hence in biochemistry, genetics, and similar fields. Behavioral and social sciences research has traditionally been considered less relevant to the NIH mission. This may also be seen in the fact that NIH does not house an institute devoted to basic and applied research in the behavioral and social sciences. What research training there is in this area has tended to reside in NIMH, but NIMH has a mission to focus on mental disorders. Consequently, training in research-relevant areas for many other health problems with a social and behavioral component (such as smoking, obesity, drug abuse, violence, alcoholism) has lagged far behind society's needs. There may be added concerns for research training in the behavioral and social sciences by NIMH due to a recent decision by this institute to shift research funding to areas deemed to have more relevance to public health issues, such as neurological diseases and major mental disorders. 2

Thus, research training in the behavioral and social sciences is not supported through a dedicated NIH institute or center but instead through the coordination of training and research by the Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research (OBSSR) in the Office of the Director. In recent years NIMH has supported a majority of the predoctoral trainees and fellows, followed by NICHHD, the NIA, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). A review of the 1,972 T32 3 training grants in 2002 showed that 98 were primarily in the behavioral and social sciences and about 150 others had some behavioral aspects to the training. Table 3-3 shows the distribution of the 98 awards across the NIH institutes and centers. Only 8 of the 21 institutes that could support T32 training made awards. NIMH far outnumbers the other institutes and centers for making these awards. If the institutes and centers with awards that contain behavioral aspects were included, this number would increase to 11 with the addition of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

T32 Training Grants in the Behavioral and Social Sciences, 2002 .

The institutes and centers listed in Table 3-3 are the principal supporters of behavioral and social sciences research and training, with combined expenditures of $1.7 billion in 2001. Another 14 institutes and centers also provided $295 million in support in 2001. While NCI is a major supporter of behavioral and social sciences research, it provides little NRSA program training support in this area. NCI has used the R25T training mechanism to support training programs focusing on behavioral, prevention, control, and population sciences. In 2004, NCI made six awards under this mechanism to support behavioral science training.

A particularly notable omission from the list of institutes that support training in the behavioral and social sciences is the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). A few behavioral and social sciences doctoral students receive NIGMS training support, but only under institutional NRSA training grants that are focused on biomedical or clinical training. At one time NIGMS did support behavioral training but now claims that such training falls outside its mission. NIGMS has resisted calls from Congress to develop collaborations with other institutes and centers at NIH to support behavioral research. 4

Institutes and centers tend to support training in the behavioral and social sciences that is directed at particular subfields and often do not require interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary aspects generally found in training grants in the biomedical or clinical sciences. In order to encourage interdisciplinarity, it should not be forgotten that training support in the behavioral and social sciences promotes outreach and collaboration with other sciences.

The lack of support notwithstanding, efforts are being made by OBSSR to foster interdisciplinarity by highlighting research that joins the behavioral and social sciences with other health sciences. In July 2002, OBSSR held a workshop on interdisciplinary training in the behavioral, social, and biomedical sciences. It addressed a variety of issues, including the type and level of training, barriers that prevent investigators from doing interdisciplinary research, relevant fields for interdisciplinary training, and what fraction of the NIH training portfolio should support interdisciplinary training. More recently a working group for the NIH Advisory Council to the Director in a draft report recommended that OBSSR coordinate transinstitute basic research initiatives, and designate a home at NIH to foster basic behavioral and social sciences research that is not linked to the mission of the categorical institutes and centers. 5

The M.D./Ph.D. programs, particularly the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at NIGMS, foster interdisciplinarity. The MSTP was recently expanded to include Ph.D. study in the computer sciences, social and behavioral sciences, economics, epidemiology, public health, bioengineering, biostatistics, and bioethics. However, only a few institutions have students pursuing dual degrees with a Ph.D. in the behavioral and social sciences. The areas of computer science, biostatistics, and bioinformatics seem to be more attractive. Some institutions with well-established programs have expressed difficulty in developing a unified M.D./Ph.D. program with their behavioral and social sciences departments. Generally, the MSTP programs are housed in a biomedical sciences department or a medical school, and as such students are more likely to pursue biomedical research paths.

As shown in Figure 3-2 , less than one-quarter of the graduate student population in doctoral-granting institutions in the behavioral and social sciences is supported by fellowships, traineeships, and research grants. While one of the missions of the National Science Foundation (NSF) is the support of the behavioral and social sciences, NSF support is only about one-tenth the total federal support and less than one-third of the support provided by NIH (see Figure 3-11 ).

FIGURE 3-11

Funding sources for graduate education in the behavioral and social sciences, 1979–2002. SOURCE: National Science Foundation Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering.

It should be noted that total graduate support has declined since the 1970s and early 1980s, mainly due to reductions by the non-NIH part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The current number of graduate students supported by NIH is about the same as in the 1970s. However, the proportion with NIH support has declined due to an increase in the total number of graduate students. In proportion to the total number of graduate students, NIH support has declined since the 1970s. The form of support has also changed over time. In the 1970s and early 1980s, NIH supported mainly graduate fellowships and traineeships, but by the 1990s its support shifted to research grants. Consequently, by 2001 over two-thirds of the support provided by NIH was in the form of research grants, and in 2002 it grew again by about 15 percent (see Figure 3-12 ).

FIGURE 3-12

Graduate student support by NIH, 1979–2002. SOURCE: National Science Foundation Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering.

As is the case at the predoctoral level, NRSA program support of postdoctoral training in the behavioral and social sciences is a fraction, between 10 and 15 percent, of that in the biomedical sciences (see Table 3-4 ). The decline in the number of postdoctoral positions supported by the NRSA program is similar to that in the biomedical sciences. This may be due to similar reasons: the higher stipend levels and the eligibility of individuals for NRSA support. There are no data on general postdoctoral support from NIH, but the picture for postdoctoral training support from all federal sources also shows growth in research grant support and the decline in trainee and fellowship support (see Figure 3-13 ). NIH's efforts to shift research training in the behavioral and social sciences from the predoctoral to the postdoctoral level in the late 1970s and 1980s can be seen by comparing predoctoral support level in Figure 3-12 and postdoctoral support in Figure 3-13 .

National Research Service Award Postdoctoral Trainee and Fellowship Support in the Behavioral and Social Sciences .

FIGURE 3-13

Academic postdoctoral support in the behavioral and social sciences, 1979–2002. SOURCE: National Science Foundation Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering.

The discussion in Chapter 2 of an outcomes analysis for NRSA- and non-NRSA-supported researchers at the predoctoral and postdoctoral levels presented a case for reversing the trend toward more training on research grants. For the behavioral and social sciences, the same conclusions cannot be drawn. The most recent assessment of the career outcomes of NRSA predoctoral trainees and fellows in the behavioral and social sciences did not yield results that were clear-cut evidence. NRSA trainees and fellows, particularly those who received support at the start of graduate school, completed their Ph.D.s faster than other students, but there was no clear difference with regard to employment or research productivity. These findings should be interpreted with caution though since the number of trainees supported under the NRSA program is smaller in the behavioral and social sciences, and the sample used to assess the outcomes is also smaller and more prone to error.

• RESEARCH LABOR FORCE PROJECTIONS

As mentioned earlier in this chapter, individuals with doctorates in clinical psychology are considered part of the research workforce and as such may tend to overestimate the size of the actual workforce. Another uncertain component of the workforce are foreign-trained researchers now in the United States. Characterizing this component has proven problematic for the other two broad fields but is less so in the behavioral and social sciences since they appear to make up a small fraction of the population. The 1990 U.S. Census data estimate this group at about 3 percent of the workforce, and data from the U.S. Department of Education Survey of Postsecondary Faculty place the faculty percentage a little lower, at about 2 percent. In either case the numbers are small and will not have a significant effect on the projections. Table 3-5 shows the change in this workforce for U.S.-educated Ph.D.s over the past decade. A comparison of this workforce with that in the other broad fields shows a similar unemployment rate for those seeking employment and a rate for those not seeking employment similar to the biomedical sciences. As expected, the proportion of postdoctoral positions is lower than in the biomedical sciences and similar to that in the clinical sciences.

Potential Workforce in the Behavioral and Social Sciences by Employment Status, 1991–2001 .

A life-table estimate of the science and engineering workforce in the behavioral and social sciences for the next 10 years is less problematic, since the variability introduced by the foreign doctorates is much less. The following is a short summary of the findings from the life-table analysis; full details can be found in the Appendix D .

Graduates from U.S. Ph.D. programs will be the major contributor to the future workforce in the behavioral and social sciences, but since that population has shown little or no growth in the past, the projected growth and that of the workforce will be small. Table 3-6 shows the results of the multistate life-table analysis for the period from 2001 to 2011 under the median scenarios.

Projected Workforce by Status for the Median Scenario, 2001–2011 .

The projected median growth scenario for Ph.D. graduates increases from 4,221 in 2001 to only 4,619 in 2011, or about 0.5 percent per year. The inflow of foreign-trained Ph.D.s is only about 100 per year. Given this and the slow growth in the number of doctorates for U.S. institutions, the employed workforce is projected to grow from 102,193 in 2001 to 119,840 in 2011. This translates into about a 17 percent growth in the workforce and an annual growth rate of about 1.5 percent. This is the lowest growth rate of the three broad fields. The other segments of the workforce, except for postdoctoral appointments, are projected to decline over the same 10-year period. Postdoctoral appointments in the behavioral and social sciences have increased over the past decade, and this is projected to continue, with about one-third more doctorates in postdoctoral positions in 2011 than in 2001. Unemployment is projected to remain low and even decline to about 0.4 percent of the potential workforce in 2011.

In assessing the overall picture for the behavioral and social sciences, the situation is similar to that for the biomedical sciences—namely, unemployment is low and the number of Ph.D.s entering the job market in the future is consonant with reasonable expectations about job availability. Appendix D discusses the uncertainties in the workforce model used to generate this conclusion. Based on this limited model, the status quo appears appropriate. However, all of these conclusions need to be placed in a broader context, which will be discussed in Chapter 10 .

Finally, the NRSA program plays a special role in setting standards and attracting people to specific fields. This is vital for the health of the training system. A marked difference in training in the behavioral and social sciences relative to the biomedical sciences is in the concentration of support in a single institute, the NIMH. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the subject matter and its general importance to the health of the nation, this does not seem desirable. A better distribution of training support across all NIH institutes and centers (including NIGMS) would be preferable. A specific recommendation in this regard is made in Chapter 5 , but this issue also merits mention here.

• RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommendation 3-1: This committee recommends that the total number of NRSA program positions in the behavioral and social sciences should remain at least at the 2003 level. Furthermore, the committee recommends that training levels after 2003 be commensurate with the rise in the total extramural research funding in the biomedical, clinical, and behavioral and social sciences.

Data on the number of predoctoral and postdoctoral traineeships in the behavioral and social sciences are incomplete after 2000. 6 In 2000 there were 434 predoctoral trainees and 240 postdoctoral trainees. There was an 8.5 percent increase in the total number of predoctoral NRSA positions from 2000 to 2003 and an 8.4 percent increase in postdoctoral NRSA training positions. Assuming these increases also held for the behavioral and social sciences, approximately 471 predoctoral and 260 postdoctoral NRSA training slots would have been filled in the behavioral and social sciences in 2003. Fellowship data are probably more current, since these awards are made to individuals in specific training areas, and the predoctoral and postdoctoral awards in 2002 were 194 and 111, respectively. This level of predoctoral support was probably also true for 2003, since there was little change in the total number of NRSA fellowships from 2002 to 2003. Therefore, the total number of individuals in the behavioral and social sciences supported by the NRSA mechanism in 2003 is about 665 at the predoctoral level. This is only a small fraction of the total support for graduate students. Much more comes from institutional support through teaching assistantships and self-support. Similarly, postdoctoral support is more likely to come from research grants and other forms of institutional support (see Figure 3-13 ).

The recommendation links the training level in the behavioral and social sciences to extramural research support across NIH, since all of the three broad fields for which NRSA training is available are becoming more interdisciplinary and training is needed to meet this trend. While NIH currently classifies research grants into a single area of research, it is also quick to recognize that the research may involve many fields and that expertise is needed in these fields to carry out the research.

The relatively low unemployment among Ph.D.s in the behavioral and social sciences suggests that having 2003 serve as a baseline for NRSA program support and having increases based on increases in extramural research support are both justified.

The discussion following Recommendation 2-1 with regard to the quality of the NRSA program and the relative balance of biomedical training to the workforce also applies to the behavioral and social sciences.

Recommendation 3-2: This committee recommends that each NIH institute and center incorporate the behavioral and social sciences into its training portfolio, including institutes and centers that have not emphasized these disciplines in the past.

The behavioral and social sciences are critical for the understanding, prevention, and treatment of most major health problems. For historical rather than rational reasons, most training has been centered in just a few NIH institutes and centers. In the case of NIGMS, Congress specifically instructed that the behavioral and social sciences be included, but this has not been done as of 2004. The result is that health decisions that arise in many institutes and centers are made without sufficient input from scientists and decision makers who have knowledge of and training in the techniques of the behavioral and social sciences.

A sample of reports directly relevant to health concerns include: Educating Children with Autism ( National Research Council, 2001a ); Informing America's Policy on Illegal Drugs: What We Don't Know Keeps Hurting Us ( National Research Council, 2001b ); Preventing HIV Transmission: The Role of Sterile Needles and Bleach ( National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, 1995 ). Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children ( National Research Council, 1998a ); Protecting Youth at Work: Health, Safety, and Development of Working Children and Adolescents in the United States ( National Research Council, 1998b ); Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility ( National Research Council, 2004b ); Understanding Risk: Informing Decisions in a Democratic Society ( National Research Council, 1996a ); Understanding Violence Against Women ( National Research Council, 1996b ); Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Review of the Evidence ( National Research Council, 1999 ).

Agres, T. 2002 .

See Appendix B for a complete explanation of awards.

Statement from the NIGMS justifying its 2003 budget request: “The Institute's research training programs mirror the areas of science that fall within the mission of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. Except for a few fields of inquiry, behavioral studies largely fall outside of the Institute's research mission, and are instead deemed to be within the missions of other institutes at the National Institutes of Health.” Also see http://www.psychologicalscience.org/advocacy/issues/nigms_observer.cfm .

Draft Report of the Working Group of the NIH Advisory Committee to the Director on Research Opportunities in the Basic Behavioral and Social Sciences, http://obssr.od.nih.gov/Activities/Basic%20Beh%20Report_complete.pdf , December 2, 2004.

Data on the number of NRSA trainees in the behavioral and social sciences are incomplete after 2000 since educational institutions report on the number of students trained in a field. The information is returned to NIH as much as 2 years after training, and the information was last processed in February 2003.

• Cite this Page National Research Council (US) Committee for Monitoring the Nation's Changing Needs for Biomedical, Behavioral, and Clinical Personnel. Advancing the Nation's Health Needs: NIH Research Training Programs. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2005. 3, Behavioral and Social Sciences Research.
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Explore the complex ways in which people make decisions and interact with one another. Behavioral science research at Chicago Booth draws on theory and methods from cognitive and social psychology, economics, and other related fields.

As a behavioral science PhD student at Chicago Booth, you’ll study human behavior in a wide range of contexts, including processes of negotiation, power and influence, and motivation and self-control.

You will have the flexibility to focus your doctoral studies in behavioral science on the research topics that most interest you. You can also augment your studies with work in economics, policy and intervention, psychology, marketing, finance, sociology, public policy, and other disciplines at Booth and across the university.

Some students earn a joint degree in psychology and business , a joint program between Booth’s behavioral science program and the Department of Psychology in the Division of the Social Sciences at the University of Chicago. Students must be admitted to the behavioral science dissertation area and apply for the joint program within their first two years in the Stevens Doctoral Program.

Our Distinguished Behavioral Science Faculty

Chicago Booth behavioral science faculty are thought leaders in their fields who have changed the way we evaluate economic judgment and decision-making. These world-renowned scholars, including a Nobel laureate, will serve as mentors during your time at Chicago Booth and beyond.

Shereen Chaudhry

Assistant Professor of Behavioral Science and Neubauer Family Faculty Fellow

Joshua Dean

Assistant Professor of Behavioral Science and Economics

Nicholas Epley

John Templeton Keller Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science and Neubauer Family Faculty Fellow

Ayelet Fishbach

Jeffrey Breakenridge Keller Professor of Behavioral Science and Marketing and IBM Corporation Faculty Scholar

Reid Hastie

Ralph and Dorothy Keller Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science

Professor of Behavioral Science and Economics and Vasilou Faculty Scholar

Joshua Conrad Jackson

Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of Behavioral Science

Erika Kirgios

Assistant Professor of Behavioral Science and Biehler Junior Faculty Fellow

Assistant Professor of Behavioral Science

Emma Levine

Associate Professor of Behavioral Science and Charles E. Merrill Faculty Scholar

Ann L. McGill

Sears Roebuck Professor of General Management, Marketing and Behavioral Science

Sendhil Mullainathan

Roman Family University Professor of Computation and Behavioral Science

Associate Professor of Behavioral Science

Devin G. Pope

Steven G. Rothmeier Professor of Behavioral Science and Economics and Robert King Steel Faculty Fellow

Jane L. Risen

H.G.B. Alexander Professor of Behavioral Science and John E. Jeuck Faculty Fellow

Thomas Talhelm

Richard H. Thaler

Charles R. Walgreen Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science and Economics

Alexander Todorov

Leon Carroll Marshall Professor of Behavioral Science and Richard Rosett Faculty Fellow

Bernd Wittenbrink

Robert S. Hamada Professor of Behavioral Science

John P. and Lillian A. Gould Professor of Behavioral Science

Alumni Success

Graduates of the Behavioral Science PhD Program go on to successful careers in a wide range of fields in academia and industry, including positions in some of the world’s most influential institutions of higher education.

David Munguia Gomez, PhD '23

Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior Yale School of Management, Yale University David Munguia Gomez studies decisions about allocating rewards and opportunities, such as college admission and employment. His research interests encompass ethics and decision-making, merit, fairness, and organizational behavior. His dissertation area is in behavioral science.

Annabelle Roberts, PhD '22

Assistant Professor of Marketing McCombs School of Business , The University of Texas at Austin Annabelle studies judgment and decision making in the context of consumer behavior, with a focus on motivation and self-control. In her research, she explores what leads people to make more patient decisions and feel more patient while waiting. Her dissertation area is in behavioral science.

Diag Davenport, PhD '22

Incoming Assistant Professor Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley Previously: Presidential Post-Doctoral Scholar at the School of Public and International Affair, Princeton University Diag Davenport studies applied microeconomics and human+algorithm decisions. His dissertation area is in behavioral science.

Spotlight on PhD Research

Chicago Booth Review frequently highlights the work of current PhD students, faculty, and alumni in behavioral science.

Why Do We Say Less When a Black Child Goes Missing?

In this episode of the Chicago Booth Review Podcast, Ayelet Fishbach, a professor of behavioral science at Chicago Booth, chats about her recent paper on “surprised elaboration.”

Defeating Bias Through AI

By understanding how people think and operate, algorithms could help us defeat bias instead of empowering it, Diag Davenport, PhD ’22, suggests. “The endgame is changing how people think, changing how institutions operate.”

Why Keeping Up with the Joneses is Problematic

“When you look to other people, you infer they’re wealthy because you see them spending a lot of money on something,” Chicago Booth PhD student, Rafael Batista says.

Even When Algorithms Outperform Humans, People Often Reject Them

Further research from Dietvorst and Booth PhD student Soaham Bharti suggests that people may not be averse to algorithms per se but rather are willing to take risks in pursuit of exceptional accuracy.

We've Been Underestimating Discrimination

University of Pennsylvania’s J. Aislinn Bohren, Brown’s Peter Hull, and Chicago Booth’s Alex Imas are among the economists who are proposing new approaches to measuring discrimination that take systemic factors into account.

Humanity Is Carried on the Voice

Research by Chicago Booth’s Nicholas Epley and others, including Juliana Schroeder, MA ’12, MBA ’14, PhD ’15, indicates that the presence of someone’s voice is an important part of conveying their humanity.

A Network of Support

Doctoral students at Booth have access to the resources of several high-powered research centers that offer funding for student work, host conferences, and foster a strong research community, as well as weekly workshops.

Center for Decision Research Positioned at the forefront of the rapidly developing field of behavioral science, the CDR is devoted to building a richer understanding of human behavior and experience.

Research Workshops Keep up to date with the latest behavioral science work through the Center for Decision Research's weekly workshop series. Faculty, students, and invited guests meet to discuss their work on the behavioral implications of decision and judgment models.

Inside the Student Experience

Juliana Schroeder, PhD ’15, talks about her research into how people convey their mental capacity to others.

Video Transcript

Juliana Schroeder, ’15: 00:11 I was always interested in the way that we interact with those around us, and the way that we judge them, and how we make decisions, but I was interested in it from sort of a really broad social science perspective, both psychology and economics, and then, when I came to Chicago Booth, I met Nick Epley right away who's a professor here, and he got me really interested in this specific topic. This is research about how people convey their mental capacity to others. Most people think that if someone can see them, they might appear smarter.

Juliana Schroeder, ’15: 00:46 We don't find any evidence of that. We find that it carries through the voice. We think that being able to hear someone's voice, being able to hear them speak is humanizing in some way. It kind of conveys their mental capacities. We've been looking at what are the paralinguistic cues that mediate the fact, and it seems that variance and pitch is important. There could be boundary conditions to this effect. There might be certain accents that convey less intelligence, so we're looking at the Southern drawl, for example. That is one in particular in the U.S. that seems to be associated with less intelligence

Juliana Schroeder, ’15: 01:22 There might be other ways of speaking and aspects in someone's speech, like vocal fray, that could convey less intelligence as well. Working with Nick Epley on this project has been a really fantastic experience. He has been so supportive. We would meet every single week and discuss ideas. I feel extremely lucky to be at Chicago Booth. It's been such an incredible place with incredible resources to do research. When I do research, I think about what would be an interesting psychological idea, so how do we perceive others that can have an application in terms of who gets jobs.

Juliana Schroeder, ’15: 02:01 But, it can also have applications in terms of conflict, in terms of humanization, all sorts of different aspects. And so, being able to do basic research here, and having the resources available in this study pool, the funding for that, it's just incredible.

Current Behavioral Science Students

Behavioral science students come to Chicago Booth from around the world, bringing a wide array of interests and perspectives. Their recent research has covered topics ranging from self-disclosures to coaching decisions in professional basketball. Our graduates begin their careers in a wide range of fields, from research and teaching at prestigious institutions such as Cornell University to providing analysis for the New York Yankees.

Current Students

Rafael Batista

Melissa Beswick 

Nicholas DiMaggio Ibitayo Fadayomi

Roman Gallardo

Cintia Hinojosa

Krin Irvine

Felicia Joy

Graelin Mandel

Danila Medvedev

Alexander Moore

Nicholas Owsley

Russell Roberts

Kristina Wald

Ugur (Umy) Yasar

Samantha Zaw

See a list of the current students in our Joint Psychology and Business Program .

Program Expectations and Requirements

The Stevens Program at Booth is a full-time program. Students generally complete the majority of coursework and examination requirements within the first two years of studies and begin work on their dissertation during the third year. For details, see General Examination Requirements by Area in the Stevens Program Guidebook below.

Download the 2023-2024 Guidebook!

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• A Research Guide
• Research Paper Topics
• 35 Human Behavior Research Topics & Questions

35 Human Behavior Research Topics & Questions

Useful information: Does a research paper need a thesis ?

• When human behaviour became human?
• What traits we consider typically human we can meet in animals?
• Nature versus nurture. To what extentthe natural behaviour can be corrected?
• The phenomenon of “Mowgli kids” and their behavior
• The stages of human development and their impact on behaviour patterns
• The impact of the family or parental substitutes on behaviour
• Mating rituals or chivalrous romance? How do people court their love interests?
• Habits and their development
• How advertising uses our typical behaviour patterns?
• The importance of happiness
• Games and behaviour. Why do we like to play so much?
• Cults and sects. How do people get involved?
• The psychology of the crowd. What happens to person inside the crowd?
• Does natural morality exist or is it a social construct?
• Sex, gender and behaviour
• Is it good or bad?
• The typical responses to danger: run, fight, hide. Are they hardwired into us?
• Nonverbal communication: is it international?
• Depression and its impact on human behaviour
• Do LGBTQ+ people have typical behavioural patterns?
• The impact of social media and Internet on behaviour
• Porn and sexual attractions
• What is bipolar disorder in terms of behaviour?
• Social hierarchy and behaviour
• Are behavioural patterns connected to self-esteem?
• Elderly people and changes in their behaviour
• Drugs that change behaviour
• IQ and EQ and their impact on behaviour
• Religion and behavioural norms
• Culture clash and behaviour of people of mixed origins
• Correcting dysfunctional behaviour
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• Artificially created social groups and their behaviour
• Trauma, PTSD and behaviour
• Defensive behaviour

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Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.

Assessing Visual Analysis Skills with Board-Certified Behavior Analysts , Marina Forsythe

Determining the Utilization of Trial-Based Functional Analyses in a Clinical Setting , Cayla Thomas

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Pre-Session Pairing and Instructional Fading Prior to Instruction , Claudia Aguayo

Trial-based Measurements as an Index of Response Strength , Vasily Belichenko

A Comparison of Positive and Negative Reinforcement to Decrease Disruptive Behavior During Medical Demands , Rachel Commodario

Comparing Operant Discrimination Training and Response Contingent Pairing for Eliciting Vocalizations , Jade Grimes

The Effectiveness of a Skills Assessment Sequence on Evaluating Independent Handwriting , Rebecca Mischuck

A Comparison of Models in Video Modeling to Teach Vocal Skills , Caroline Phan

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Refining the Stimulus Pairing Observation Procedure for Tact and Listener Responding , Jennifer Brennan

Comparing the Effects of Feedback Types on Caregiver Training of Hispanic Parents , Natasha Cintron

Effectiveness of Visual Prompts on Correct Disposal of Trash and Recyclable Materials , Ronni Hemstreet

An Analysis of the Effects of Extinction Relative to Baseline Measures Including and Excluding Consumption Time , Kelti Keister

Assessing the Interference of Stereotypy During Unmastered Academic Tasks , Taylor LaBour

Investigating Maintaining Variables of Physical Activity , Michelle Loaiza

Evaluation of a Vocal Mand Assessment and Vocal Mand Training Procedures: A Systematic Replication , Toni O'Connell

Noncontingent Reinforcement in the Treatment of Attention Maintained Problem Behavior: Schedule Thinning Within Extended Sessions , Kelly O'Donnell

A Functional Analysis of Physical Activity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder , Nicole Ramirez

Behavioral Skills Training to Teach Online Safety Responses to Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder , John Zinicola

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Assessing TAGteach Methodology to Improve Oral Reading Fluency in English Learners , Luz G. Cabrera

Evaluating the Diverted Attention Condition in a Trial-Based Functional Analysis , Kyle Frank

An Experimental Analysis of Voice Volume for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder , Arturo Garcia

Assessing Controlling Stimuli for Safety Responses in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder , Andrea Giraldo

A Functional Analysis of Physical Activity in Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities , Alexandra Knerr

Validity Analysis of a Modified Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF) Assessment: Preliminary Analysis , Christina Marie Sheppard

Assessing Displacement and Magnitude Effects on Relative Preferences of Edible and High-tech Leisure Items , Morgan Smith

Teaching Safe Dog-Greeting Skills with Parents and Children , Ashley Torres

Resurgence of Caregiver and Therapist Responses: The Recurrence of Unwanted Responses Under a Negative Reinforcement Context , Gabrielle Wiggins

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Varying Inter-Stimulus and Inter-Trial Intervals During Stimulus-Stimulus Pairing: A Translational Extension of Autoshaping , Patricia Eberhardt

Evaluating Correspondence Between Preference Assessments Requiring Motor and Vocal Responses , Marie Gilbert

Increasing Variable Play in Children with Autism Using a Lag Schedule and Stimulus Fading , Amelia Nelson

Using Video-Based Training to Teach Students the Conservative Dual-Criteria Method , Chandler Pelfrey

A Model for the Treatment of Food Selectivity , Angie Van Arsdale

An Evaluation of Differential Positive Reinforcement without Extinction for Escape-Maintained Problem Behavior , Sabrina Veilleux

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Using Response Card Technology to Reduce Disruptive Behavior in the College Classroom , Meera Aggarwal

Teaching Children with ASD Intraverbal Responses About the Past , Jeanne Gonzalez

A Comparison of Traditional and Culturally Sensitive Parent Training of Functional Communication Training , Adriana Rodriguez

Assessment and Treatment of Behavior Maintained by Automatic Reinforcement , Nicolette Yatros

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Generalized Reinforcement Effects on Manding: A Replication , Christina Rose Greco

Evaluating Preference Stability Among Individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease , Sabrine Maali

Functional Analysis and Treatment of Self-Injurious Feather Plucking in a Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) , Kristen L. Morris

Evaluating TAGteach as a Training Procedure for Novice-to-Advanced Fastpitch Softball Pitchers , Breanna Sniffen

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5 Research Topics for Applied Behavior Analysis Students

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Whether you are in an ABA program right now or would like to be soon, it may be time to start thinking about research topics for your thesis or dissertation. All higher-level ABA courses will require students to have substantial independent research experience, which includes setting up a research experiment or trial, taking data, analyzing data, and suggesting next steps. And this also includes writing a professional paper either to turn in or submit to a scientific journal. 

Overall, there will be quite a bit of research and writing that occurs in an ABA program. 

If you’re currently in a program, read about these five research topic examples that might pique your curiosity.

1. Industrial Safety

In one classic study from 1987 , researchers examined how creating a token economy might increase safety at dangerous industrial sites. The study rewarded pit-mine workers when they and their colleagues avoided incidents that resulted in personal injury or equipment damage. They also rewarded workers who took extra steps to ensure the safety of others and report incidents. By using applied behavior analysis to incentivize self-motivated conduct modification, the researchers created improvements that persisted for years.

Behavior-Based Safety (BBS) “is an approach to occupational risk management that uses the science of behavior to increase safe behavior and reduce workplace injuries.”

Successful applications of BBS programs adhere to the following key principles ( Geller, 2005) :

• Focus interventions on specific, observable behaviors.
• Look for external factors to understand and improve behavior.
• Use signals to direct behaviors, and use consequences to motivate workers.
• Focus on positive consequences (not a punishment) to motivate behavior.
• Use a science-based approach to test and improve BBS interventions.
• Don’t let scientific theory limit the possibilities for improving BBS interventions.
• Design interventions while considering the feelings and attitudes of workers within the organization.

The field of BBS can always improve, and your contribution to it through research can help. Consider choosing industrial safety and ABA as one of your research topics.  

2. Autism Spectrum

Advocates also note that there remains a small but significant portion of autism sufferers who don’t respond to conventional techniques. There’s an ongoing need to study alternative methods and explore why certain approaches don’t work with some individuals. ABA techniques and their relation to autism-spectrum disorders will continue to pose important research questions for some time.

Not only can you conduct your own research (legally and ethically), and study other works of scientific literature, but you can be in the middle of it all like the professionals at the Marcus Autism Center do.

The center at Marcus is one of the most highly-regarded in the field of autism in the United States. They have a behavioral analysis research lab where clinician-researchers with expertise in applied behavior analysis. 

According to their site: 

“Although this work continues, the Behavior Analysis Research Lab recently expanded its research focus to include randomized clinical trials of behavioral interventions for core symptoms of autism, as well as co-occurring conditions or behaviors, such as elopement (e.g., wandering or running away) and encopresis (e.g., toileting concerns). Our goal is to disseminate the types of interventions and outcomes that can be achieved using ABA-based interventions to broader audiences by studying them in larger group designs.”

Depending on where you live, there may be experiential research opportunities for you as a student to dive into, such as the positions they have open at Marcus. 

3. Animal and Human Intelligence

For example, researchers note that in 2010, dogs bit 4.5 million Americans annually, with 20 percent of bites needing medical intervention. They further suggest that ABA can provide a valid framework for understanding why such bites occur and preventing them. Similarly, studies that examine why rats may be able to detect tuberculosis or how service dogs help people involve learning about these creatures’ behaviors. 

AAB, or Applied Animal Behavior , is an example of an organization that conducts research, supports animal behaviorists, and promotes the well-being of all animals that work in an applied setting. 

The Animal Behavior Society is another example, which is the leading professional organization in the United States that studies animal behavior. They say that animal behaviorists can be educated in a variety of disciplines, including psychology biology, zoology, or animal science. 

There is definitely room for more research in the field of animal behavior and its impact on humans. 

4. Criminology

One study showed a potential correlation between allowing high-risk students to choose their schools and their likelihood of criminal involvement. While school choice didn’t affect academic achievement, it generally lowered the risk that people would commit crimes later in life. 

Criminologists, behavioral psychologists, and forensic psychologists are all hired to work with local law enforcement and even the FBI to determine the motives of criminals along with the societal impacts, generational changes and other trends that might help be more proactive in the future. Mostly, they investigate why people commit crimes.

If you have ever watched a forensics TV show like Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) then you have a good idea of what their job entails. Between criminal profiling, working directly with a team, and investigating and solving cases is what it’s all about. 

Experts on applied behavior analysis state: 

“Its value to law enforcement investigations and criminal rehabilitation efforts make it an essential tool for any forensic psychologist. Research shows that successful application of applied forensic behavior analysis can lead to lower recidivism rates in convicts and a higher success rate in apprehending criminal suspects.”

Applied behavior analysis students who research these fields could play big roles in advancing societal knowledge.

5. Education

ABA is all around in education––you just cannot escape it! Everything, even academics, revolves around behavior . Whether it is on the county level or the classroom, there are FBAs, BIPs, data collection, positive reinforcement, consequences, token economies, trial and error, behavioral interventions, and much more. 

And teachers aren’t the only staff privy to ABA. School social workers, school counselors, behavioral specialists, and paraprofessionals all have access to ABA and can implement strategies based on individual student needs. 

Education techniques rely heavily on applied behavior analysis. Instructors may be tasked with giving consequences to students or devising custom lessons, and these tasks often involve understanding how to incentivize appropriate behavior while motivating learners.

Like other kinds of ABA, applied education research also provides the opportunity for internships and postgraduate residency programs. Because many of this field’s modern foundations lie in education, classroom-based research is a natural fit for students who want to apply their discoveries.

Research Topics for Applied Behavior Analysis Students: Conclusion

Applied behavior analysis is complex, but studying it is extremely rewarding. This field provides students at all educational levels with ample opportunities to contribute to scientific knowledge and better people’s lives in the process. There are almost too many fields to choose from in terms of where you want to lean. Think about your interests, what you have access to in your surrounding area (unless you are willing to move), and consider what type of research will help you move forward in your educational career and beyond. There are ABA programs and careers out there waiting for each of you! 

Brittany Cerny

Master of Education (M.Ed.) | Northeastern State University

Behavior and Learning Disorders | Georgia State University

Updated December 2021

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Behavioral Science Research Paper Topics

Erin schreiner.

Students of behavioral science study the common -- and not so common -- ways in which humans behave. This topic has many applications in industries ranging from advertising to law enforcement. If seeking a topic upon which to compose a behavioral science research paper, consider the many industries to which the science can be applied as well as what segments of this complex study interest you the most.

Explore this article

• Behavioral Science in Law Enforcement
• Advertising and Consumer Buying Behavior
• Behavior Modification in Children
• Science Behind Cult Behavior
• Rewards and Punishments

1 Behavioral Science in Law Enforcement

Understanding how humans are likely to behave can be useful to those in law enforcement. Individuals in this industry use behavioral science for everything from establishing motive to criminal profiling. In your research paper, explore the specific uses of this subject in law enforcement, gathering information on how police officers and others in the industry are trained in the field as well as what careers specialized in behavioral science could find within law enforcement.

2 Advertising and Consumer Buying Behavior

Because advertisers want to influence human behavior, they often use knowledge of behavioral science when creating advertising campaigns. Gather information on ways in which buying behaviors can be influenced by effective advertising. Also, relate common advertising principles to principles of behavioral science, explaining how each practice is effective in accomplishing the desired task.

3 Behavior Modification in Children

Behavioral science doesn't only deal with the behaviors of adults, but also with the ways in which children act. Research the ways in which parents and other caregivers can modify children's behaviors, encouraging positive behaviors and extinguishing negative ones. In one section of your paper, discuss how behaviors of children differ from those of adults as well as how behavior modification would be different if the individual was trying to modify adult, not child, behavior.

4 Science Behind Cult Behavior

To many, cult behavior seems almost incomprehensible; however, there are many behavioral science-related reasons why someone may be prone to falling into a cult. Explore the studies that have been performed regarding cults, as well as why clannish behavior may prove popular. Relate cult behavior to the need for belonging, explaining how a cult could provide this place to fit in for an individual who felt that he did not have other forms of acceptance. In addition, discuss what factors may make someone more prone to falling into a cult than others.

5 Rewards and Punishments

Research the concept of rewards and punishments for your paper. Gather information on how punishment if an effective action deterrent and rewards are effective in promoting behavior. Include information on planned punishments, like workplace sanctions, as well as naturally occurring punishments, like gaining weight as the result of lack of exercise. Describe how humans feel when administered a reward or punishment to show how both could effectively influence human behavior.

About the Author

Erin Schreiner is a freelance writer and teacher who holds a bachelor's degree from Bowling Green State University. She has been actively freelancing since 2008. Schreiner previously worked for a London-based freelance firm. Her work appears on eHow, Trails.com and RedEnvelope. She currently teaches writing to middle school students in Ohio and works on her writing craft regularly.

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Tittiger, Allison Tittiger. "Generalized Effects of Paraeducator-Implemented Least-to-Most Prompting Procedures." The Ohio State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1523383001091937.

Ivy, Jonathan. "Manipulating Motivating Operations Within and Across Classes of Reinforcers: Are There Differential Effects?" The Ohio State University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1311431966.

Unison-Pace, Wendy J. "Investigating generational differences of perceived uncivilized behaviors between students and faculty in nursing education." Thesis, Capella University, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3745096.

This quantitative study, completed in a mid-Atlantic coastal state, examined generational differences in nursing education related to perceptions of incivility. For this study, the Incivility in Nursing Education-Revised (INE-R) survey was administered to determine the behaviors nursing students and nursing faculty identified as being uncivil in nursing education and to determine participants’ generational cohorts. Participants’ generations were identified by birth year, allowing participants to be placed in a precise generational cohort without regard to those born on the cusp of a generation. Social exchange theory guided this study. This theory explains human behavior in terms of an exchange of mutually similar behaviors based on perceptions of personal, cultural, and environmental life experiences that occurred during an individual’s generation. Findings indicate factors differed among the generational cohorts, particularly between millennials and other generations. No significant difference was found between nursing faculty and nursing students’ perceptions of what was considered uncivilized behaviors. Implications for nursing educators are discussed and suggestions for future research identified. Learning the extent to which incivility is perceived differently by nursing faculty and students based on specific generational issues of each cohort could be used to conduct further research in nursing education.

Sabbag, Michael Fred. "A behavioral approach to suggestion systems." Scholarly Commons, 1992. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/2955.

Feicht, Kimberly Jane. "Sexual abuse prevention for developmentally disabled women." Scholarly Commons, 1993. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/2773.

Hill, Dawn Marie. "Garnering public acceptance of restoration options in midwestern ecosystems via education dissemination." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/292077.

Sneesby, Karen R. "Parent and Adolescent Education in Relation to Adolescent Sexual Attitudes and Behavior." DigitalCommons@USU, 1986. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/2295.

Rodgers, Sarah. ""Do I Have to Do It This Way?"| A Look at How Expert-Led Trainings Can Affect Paraeducators' Job Performance and Job Satisfaction." Thesis, Trinity Christian College, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10811685.

The project will consider how paraprofessionals are trained for their jobs and how this can affect how they feel about their place of employment. Paraprofessionals are called upon to provide service and care to individuals who need extra assistance. However, in order to properly perform specific parts of their jobs, they need to have proper trainings that explain how to execute these responsibilities. This project will examine how paraprofessionals are trained for their job by comparing the checklist of training required by one school’s HR department along with what is actually occurring within the classrooms they work in on a daily basis and how these trainings can affect job satisfaction based upon self-disclosure. Some of these responsibilities include taking proper academic data and behavioral data, implementing specific strategies such as when to offer an individual a break, and knowing when to give a consequence such as implementing classroom management strategies.

In this study, paraprofessionals will use rating scales to evaluate themselves and how they feel about their skills for particular tasks they complete on a daily basis such as helping students with toileting, following and implementing behavior plans, using sensory strategies, and modeling communication through the use of a communication device as well as their overall job perceptions. In addition, experts will be rating the paraprofessionals within their field of expertise, which means the Speech and Language Pathologist will rate the paraprofessionals’ performance in using communication strategies, the Occupational Therapist will rate the paraprofessionals’ use of OT/sensory strategies, the Behavior Therapist will rate the accuracy of behavior data and implementing behavior strategies, and the classroom teacher will rate the accuracy of academic data and pushing the students to become more independent within the classroom. Each expert will then lead a paraprofessional training session and provide tips and strategies that the paraprofessionals can then use when their students. Once all the trainings are completed, the paraprofessionals will rate themselves again and the experts will rate the paraprofessionals’ performance. These ratings will then be compared to the ratings conducted at the beginning of the project to determine if the trainings had any effect on the paraprofessionals’ job performance and job perceptions.

Ryan, Taylor Elden. "The Effects of a Token Economy on Tootling and Prosocial Behavior of Kindergarten Students in Three General Education Classrooms." The Ohio State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1429608669.

Willke, Carolyn. "The Effects of Differential Observing Responses on the Acquisition of Observational Learning." The Ohio State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1429737046.

Amadi, Chelsea Jean. "Effects of a Student and Peer-Focused Intervention on Social Skills, Interactions and Play for Students with Autism and Significant Cognitive Impairment at Recess." The Ohio State University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1586512067273871.

Yaffe, Donna M. "Hostility and Type A beliefs: Relationships to emotional and physical reactivity among coaches." Scholarly Commons, 1992. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/2930.

Hogan, Terry. "Race Matters: Administrators Perspectives on Affirmative Action in Higher Education." ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/7300.

Wortmann, Joseph James. "The effects of differential verbal feedback given to collegiate volleyball players practicing the skill of passing." Scholarly Commons, 1998. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/2617.

Russ, Laura Beth. "The Effects of Peer Reporting as Positive and Negative Reinforcements of Classroom Behavior." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1235092236.

Westerman, Jeffrey Joseph. "Domain specific refusal skill training with adolescents: Assessing generalization as a function of the number of domains trained." Scholarly Commons, 1995. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/2802.

Pellack, Kaylee. "Bouncing Toward Concentration| Using Alternative Seating When Completing a Given Task For Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder." Thesis, Trinity Christian College, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10813971.

This research study was done to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative seating for a student with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder when completing a given task. The aim of this study was to note the difference in task completion duration when given the alternative form of seating. Research was done through observation and data collection over a four-week timeframe at a public school in Olympia Fields, Illinois. This elementary school serves a population of both general education students and special education students. The study looks at a special education kindergarten student who is placed in the general education setting for a majority of his school day. During the study, data was collected in the special education room during the students’ resource minutes in the morning half of the school day. The aim of the study was to observe the effects of the use of a standard classroom chair to the use of a Kids Stay-N-Play Ball when performing task completion. Data from the five-week period was analyzed as well as interviews with the staff and student, and field notes from the researcher. This study found that the implementation of a yoga ball as alternative seating with a student diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was beneficial during academic instruction. There was both a decrease in task completion duration and a decrease in maladaptive behaviors for the student being directly observed. Based on the data collection, observations, and interviews, the use of alternative seating showed an increase in time-on-task as well.

Darley, Sharon Delores. "Comparing Three Forms of External Structure for the Ability to Increase Executive Functioning in Preschoolers on the Autism Spectrum." Thesis, Piedmont College, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10196536.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a noted deficit in executive function which concurrently employs multiple systems in the brain to complete complex tasks. Executive function skills begin developing around the age of four years and continue developing throughout life, potentially impacting the entire life span of an individual. Service providers need cost effective and efficient strategies to address executive functioning disorders in preschoolers with ASD in typical educational settings by school personnel. Using a multiple baseline design across behaviors, this research compares the use of Power Cards, video modeling, and Social Stories™ to: 1) teach early executive function behaviors; 2) generalize behaviors to a Pre-Kindergarten setting; and 3) maintain the behaviors after one and two months following the withdrawal of intervention materials. Results indicate all three strategies were effective in increasing executive function behaviors, although the strength of the strategies varied among the five preschoolers who participated. Three of five students were able to generalize the behaviors when instructed utilizing Power Cards and video modeling, while two of five were able to generalize to the new setting after instruction using Social Stories™. Maintenance results proved to stratify the efficacy of the strategies showing four of five students maintained above intervention levels after instruction using Social Stories™, three of five maintained utilizing video modeling and zero of five students maintained following the Power Card strategy.

Karhoff, Leticia. "The Impact of a Self-Regulation Program on Problem Behaviors of One Elementary Student." Thesis, Minot State University, 2017. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10284147.

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of a self-regulation curriculum, the Zones of Regulation (Kuypers & Winner, 2011), on the problem behaviors of an elementary male student in a rural public school setting. This single subject study used an ABAB design in which baseline data was collected during Phase 1 (one week), the Zones of Regulation Curriculum was implemented during Phase 2 (two weeks), the Zones of Regulation Curriculum was withdrawn during Phase 3 (one week), and then re-implemented during Phase 4 (two weeks). The data collected were the number of problem behaviors displayed by the subject each day during the study. Problem behaviors were defined as talking out of turn, non-participation in instructional activities, off-task in the classroom, non-compliance, aggression, verbal offense, lying, and defiance. Results indicated that the overall frequency of problem behaviors increased during the study; however, specific types of behaviors decreased while other types of types of behaviors increased. Implications for practitioners based on these results are discussed.

Whiting, Christine A. "Instilling Hope| Showing Individuals with New Disabilities Between the Ages of 18 and 24 that Suicide is Not the Answer." Thesis, University of Arkansas, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10111663.

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore what can be done to mitigate the onset of a disability for young adults aged 18-24 in order to prevent suicidal thoughts or actions. Research suggests that many factors play into suicidal ideation for this young population, including lost hope, lack of coping mechanisms, lack of financial security and bullying. The goal of this research is to determine what rehabilitation professionals can do differently that will hopefully eradicate suicide for this group.

Haws, R. Kelly. "A Descriptive Study of the Use of an Education-Sposored Suicide Riskline." DigitalCommons@USU, 1991. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/2414.

Hudson, Malinda Starr. "The Perceived Impact of Alternative Specialized Education Services on Former Teen Mothers." ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/6905.

Weeks, Susan Mace, and David Farmer. "Institutional Collaboration to Accelerate Interprofessional Education." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2017. https://dc.etsu.edu/ijhse/vol4/iss1/2.

Carter, Bruce Jerome. "An ANOVA Analysis of Education Inequities Using Participation and Representation in Education Systems." ScholarWorks, 2017. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/4274.

Day, Kari C. "CPA Perceptions of Human Skills for Professional Competency Development Needs." Thesis, Northcentral University, 2017. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10264862.

This study addressed CPA perceptions about the need for human skill competencies as professional development. The problem was identified as the undetermined assessment of state level CPA perceptions about human skill competencies as developmental needs. CPAs and education providers may be impacted by this problem. The purpose of this study was to produce an assessment of training needs from local CPAs using a non-experimental, quantitative research method. The theoretical framework was derived from a thematic funnel of industry, university, and the CPA profession. The conceptual framework focused on an organization of Rhode Island CPAs as the population. Data analysis was used with question one to determine a ranked order of perceived developmental need for nine human skill competencies. Data analysis was used for questions two and three to determine whether age anfnd gender groups differed among CPA perceptions regarding these competencies. The research design included nonparametric descriptive statistical and causal-comparative analysis applied to the nine human skill competencies for local CPAs. An online survey was used to gather data. Ranked results indicated low to moderate developmental need, and causal-comparative results indicated gaps in human skills of communication and change management for gender and age groups respectively. Recommendations were made to repeat this study using other CPA populations to compare results, to add qualitative components, and to test actual human skills compared to self-perceived competency levels.

Christopherson, Cynthia R. "Mothers' Preferences Regarding Sex Education in the Home." DigitalCommons@USU, 1990. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/2343.

Pyle, April Delilah. "ADHD focused homework intervention." Scholarly Commons, 2009. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/2793.

Westerman, Carole Elizabeth. "HIV/AIDS intervention and skills training with the chronic mentally ill." Scholarly Commons, 1995. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/2803.

Haberlin, Alayna T. "An Examination of Behavioral History Effects on Preference for Choice in Elementary Students." The Ohio State University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1282061359.

Jones, Marvin E. "Validity Studies of the Leiter International Performance Scale for an International Middle School Population." Scholarly Commons, 1985. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/3100.

Ouyang, Congrong Ouyang. "Factors Related to the Financial Obligations of U.S. Homeowner and Renter Households." The Ohio State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1565699662132046.

Heitz, Sarah Lindsey. "A Mindfulness Approach to Help Teachers And Staff Provide Support to High School Students| A Self-Instructional Curriculum." Thesis, California State University, Long Beach, 2017. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10261874.

A Mindfulness Approach to Help Teachers and Staff Provide Support to High School Students is a self-instructional curriculum with the goal of providing a reference guide that can be used to demonstrate to students the care that they need and deserve. Research shows that students’ academic success and emotional well-being improve when students experience positive interactions with high school personnel. This self-instructional PowerPoint design aims to: (a) accommodate high school personnel’s busy schedules; (b) facilitate learning at their own pace; (c) navigate between sections that are beneficial for their needs; and (d) provide a user friendly application of mindfulness in a high school setting. The content includes: definitions, rationale, vignettes, and resources to enhance this learning opportunity.

Currier, Michelle. "Correctional Academic Education: A Qualitative Inquiry of Quality, Value, and Effectiveness." Diss., NSUWorks, 2018. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cahss_jhs_etd/7.

Kramer-Jefferson, Kathryn R. "Behavior Intervention Teams| Examining Interventions with Community College Students Threatening Self-Harm." Thesis, Frostburg State University, 2017. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10608638.

Effective in 2011, The Department of Justice implemented a change to the direct threat standard, which is part of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This change removed the threat of harm to self from the direct threat standard and potentially limits the actions that colleges can take when working with and responding to students who threaten self-harm. This study sought to determine how this change influenced the work of behavior intervention teams when responding to community college students who threaten self-harm. Higher numbers of students are arriving on college campuses with significant mental health challenges, especially community colleges that typically have open enrollment policies and attract at-risk students. Many behavior intervention teams were formed in the aftermath of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University shootings in April 2007, some through state mandates, and others as best practices. This multiple-case study gathered information from community college behavior intervention teams regarding these changes, as well as their current procedures when responding to this student population. The intent of this research study was to provide guidance and contribute to best practices among community colleges, when responding to and intervening with students threatening self-harm.

Bartoszuk, Karin, Cecelia McIntosh, and Brian Maxson. "Integration and Synergy of Research and Graduate Education in Science, Humanities, and Social Science." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2014. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/6174.

Cecchettini, Paul David. "Cognitive-behavioral therapy with depressed, involuntarily confined mentally retarded individuals." Scholarly Commons, 1993. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/2764.

Rawls, Meagan. "The Relationship Between Mother's Level of Education and Parent Involvement." VCU Scholars Compass, 2013. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/3152.

Johnson, Anna M. "Developing Competence During Supervision| Perceptions of Addiction Counselor Trainees." Thesis, Capella University, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10974987.

The research topic is the development of competence as perceived by addiction counselor trainees during supervision. Researchers explored the topic of competence in the fields of social work, psychology, medicine, and professional counseling. Researchers explored competence as it related to multicultural counseling, medical understanding, and specific counseling techniques. Addiction counselor training includes an understanding the 12 core functions within addiction counseling, and the American Society of Addiction Medicine’s six dimensions of addiction counseling. However, a gap in the research indicated the need to understand the development of competence within addiction counselor training given the different dynamics of addiction counseling preparation. The following research question was used to guide the research project: How do addiction counselor trainees describe the development of competence during supervision? A generic qualitative approach was used to understand the perceptions of addiction counselor trainees. Participants were 10 addiction counselor trainees in two Midwestern states. The sample included seven female and three males of which seven participants were Caucasian, one was Native American, one was African, and one was Hispanic. Nine of ten completed their Master’s degree while one completed an Associate’s degree. The data analysis method used after coding the raw data was thematic analysis. The following themes arose from the coding process once analyzed: (a) prior personal and professional experience, (b) consortium training, (c) academic preparation, (d) supervision, and (e) emotional intelligence. The participants believed the development of competence resulted from personal and professional experience, exposure to and active involvement in addiction services during training, academic preparation in college, active use of supervision during training, and the degree of personal emotional intelligence. While most addiction licensing boards identify the importance of academic preparation, training hours, and competency based testing procedures, none have identified the use of prior personal and professional experience and the degree of emotional intelligence. Further exploration in the utilization of emotional intelligence testing during addiction counselor training is indicated for future research based on the findings of this dissertation.

Juvancic-Heltzel, Judith A. "The Effect of Variety on the Reinforcing Value and Amount of Physical Activity in Children, Younger Adults and Older Adults." Kent State University / OhioLINK, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1269479851.

Young, Henry. "Perceived Lack of Teacher Empathy and Remedial Classroom Conflicts." NSUWorks, 2016. http://nsuworks.nova.edu/shss_dcar_etd/44.

Hunsaker, T. Wayne. "The Self-Perceived Need for Parent Education by Divorced Parents." DigitalCommons@USU, 1987. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/2700.

Bucher, Laura. "The Impact of Music on Behavior in High-Risk Students." Wittenberg University Honors Theses / OhioLINK, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wuhonors1617189583713576.

Rhoad, Randy. "The Relationship Among Subtest Scores on the Structure of Intellect-Learning Abilities Test, Teacher Assigned Grades & Standardized Measures of Achievement for a Population of Gifted Students." TopSCHOLAR®, 1986. https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/2758.

Thomas, Erica M. "Yoga and breathing and relaxation techniques used during the school day and their effects on school-aged children." Thesis, Wayne State University, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=1564287.

Physical activity during the school day is becoming more important as the health of our children stays below optimal levels. Yoga has been shown to increase physical activity levels and decrease stress. This study, guided by the Social Cognitive Theory's idea of reciprocal determinism, sought to determine the effects of a Yoga Calm ® certified classroom teacher incorporating yoga poses, breathing and relaxation techniques and games into every school day. Quantitative data were analyzed using a series of paired and independent t-tests, and self-reports revealed students receiving yoga decreased scores in stress and fighting, but increased scores in anger. Qualitative data were coded for themes and revealed the student's behavior improved, in particular an increase in focus and attention, and students were less fidgety. Yoga participation and use of breathing techniques increased at home and school, particularly when nervous, afraid, to prevent fighting, decrease anger, and to calm students down.

Tarr, Christopher W. "The Effects of Physical Exercise on Stereotypic Behaviors in Autism| A Meta-Analysis." Thesis, Slippery Rock University, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10984780.

The prevalence rate of children with autism has been on the rise for the past 20 years. A hallmark characteristic of this disorder is the presence of stereotypic behaviors. Children who engage in stereotypic behaviors experience difficulties in effectively interacting with their surrounding environment. Both consequence-based and antecedent based interventions have been successful in decreasing these interfering behaviors. The performance of physical exercise has shown positive results as both a consequence based and antecedent based intervention in reducing stereotypic behaviors. The current investigation conducted a meta-analysis on the effects of physical exercise on stereotypic behaviors in individuals with autism. This study was able to run this meta-analysis using both aggregate score studies and single subject design studies. This study identified 10 research articles that met all of the inclusion criteria. The 10 articles were coded according to sixteen primary moderators and four peripheral moderators. The 10 articles produced an overall large effect size of d = -.456. This large effect size demonstrated that physical exercise is effective in decreasing stereotypic behaviors in individuals with autism. However, no significant statistical difference was observed within any of the primary and peripheral moderators. The lack of significant statistical difference within any of the moderators lead the current investigator to conclude that the effect of physical exercise on stereotypic behaviors in individuals with autism may not be impacted by external factors. Further research is needed to determine the internal neurobiological effects of physical exercise on stereotypic behaviors in individuals with autism.

Garner, Joshua W. "Evaluating the Effects of Timed Practice on Reading Endurance: A Comparison of One-Minute and Three-Minute Practice Conditions." The Ohio State University, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1363782691.

Skiba, Lindsay M. "Assessment of Disordered Eating Behaviors in College-Aged Female Health and Human Services Majors." Kent State University / OhioLINK, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1351865179.

Berg, Richard. "Exploring the Relationship of Project Leadership Style to Organization Success Factors." Thesis, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, 2017. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10281193.

This research examines the relationship of leadership styles to career success using the Multi-Factor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ). The objective of this research was to identify how the selection and practice of appropriate project leadership styles benefited the leader based on five assessed success criteria. Participants include 159 students from a Midwestern University in leadership programs with leadership experience. Transformational leaders were identified as being more beneficial to leaders as supported through the comparison of MLQ results to career success factors. Statistical significance in transformational leaders found a stronger preference to each of the five assessed success factors when compared to transactional or passive-avoidant leaders. Of worthy discussion is the instrument’s standard utilization of parametric data treatment in the presentation of medians and p-values. Results using medians verses means to determine data relationships found a stronger preference when comparing transactional leadership to each success factor when compared to transformational or passive-avoidant leaders.

Horn-Charnesky, Frances Malcolm. "Experience Versus Education: Empathy in Substance Use Disorder Counselors." ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/6903.

Ganivet, Fernando. "A study of the state-of-the-art in journalism education in the Miami-Dade county public schools." FIU Digital Commons, 1998. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/3451.

Home > ETD > Behavioral Sciences > ETDM_BEHSC

Behavioral Sciences Master's Theses

Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.

Determinants and outcomes of women empowerment: The case of Filipino women entrepreneurs , Mylene M. Sulat

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Health-seeking behaviors, its facilitators and barriers, and the sense-making of health and well-being among trans Filipinos: An intersectional phenomenology of health , Luis Emmanuel A. Abesamis

The role of digital inclusion on the work success of financial advisors in a selected insurance company during the pandemic , Alessandra Nicole J. Alvarez

Compounding disaster risk experiences and resilience among residents in a rural coastal community: Does culture determine people's risks? , Anne Claire S. Simpao

Transformational leadership, job satisfaction and turnover intention: The mediating role of organizational commitment among call center agents in Metro Manila, Philippines , Redmund Joseph D. Tocle

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Determinants of risky alcohol use and its association with risky sexual behaviors and mental health status among Filipino men having sex with men in Metro Manila , Rowalt C. Alibudbud

Experiences of risks in the workplace and work-life balance amidst the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of death care workers , Michelle Monique Lao Cobb

Sustainable eating lifestyle of selected young urban professionals in Metro Manila: Meaning, relevance, and signification , Lounelle J. Godinez

Adherence to exclusive breastfeeding practices among career women in Metro Manila , Mary Ruth S. Llobrera

Lifestyle behaviors of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) night shift workers in Metro Manila, Philippines , Arlyn B. Napeñas

Period poverty among adolescent girls from the City of Manila, Philippines: Determinants and Impacts on their wellbeing , Janice V. Tapil

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Developing a Great Thesis Topic Sentence

• Your thesis topic should reflect that you understand an issue that is worth investigating.
• Ensure that you have clear research objectives and are aware of the findings or results that will be meaningful for your project. 
• Be also clear if your research will be qualitative or quantitative so that your research roadmap is correct from the start.
• We can offer help with topic development for your Master's or Ph.D. or even undergraduate research project.

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01. - Develop a Relevant Research Topic.

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02. - Defend & have your Topic Approved.

If possible, review or have your topic approved by your supervisor or senior research advisor so that you do not start and later stall midway.

03. - You can now Start your Research Process.

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Best Behavioral Science Research Topics for a Thesis Paper

Examples of interesting behavioral sciences research topics.

The field of behavioral sciences covers a vast range of topics related to human behavior and the societal systems in which we operate. Here are eight intriguing research topics within this domain, each with its unique potential for further study and understanding:

✓ Nature vs. Nurture in Human Development:   This classic debate in psychology and biology examines the extent to which human behavior is shaped by genetic factors versus environmental influences. Research in this area might include twin studies, gene mapping, or the study of adoptive families to distinguish between inherited traits and learned behavior. ✓ The Psychological Impact of Social Media:   With the pervasive role that social media plays in modern life, researchers are keen to explore its psychological impact. Topics might include the influence of social media on self-esteem, the spread of misinformation, or the addictive properties of scrolling through feeds. ✓ Behavioral Economics and Decision-Making:   Traditional economics assumes rational behavior, but behavioral economics suggests otherwise. Research here could focus on how emotions, cognitive errors, or social pressures affect financial choices, such as saving, investing, and spending. ✓ Cognitive Biases in Legal Judgments:   This topic explains how cognitive biases like stereotyping, confirmation bias, or hindsight bias can affect legal outcomes. Research may involve mock trials, real-world case analyses, or even neuroscientific approaches to understanding how judges, jurors, and lawyers make decisions. ✓ Impact of Childhood Trauma on Adult Behavior:   There is a growing body of evidence linking adverse childhood experiences to a variety of adult behaviors and health outcomes. Research could explore the mechanisms through which trauma influences adult life, from interpersonal relationships to job performance and mental health. ✓ Cultural Influences on Behavior:   Understanding how culture shapes behavior can offer important insights into societal dynamics and individual identity. This is one of the most current behavioral science sample topic for research that one may select and be sure to stand out. Research could involve cross-cultural studies examining social norms, customs, and traditions, or how these factors influence everything from work ethics to emotional expression. ✓ The Role of Dopamine in Reward and Motivation:   This topic in neurobehavioral research explores how neurochemicals like dopamine affect our motivation to seek rewards, whether it's food, social interaction, or achievements. These insights could inform treatments for conditions like depression or addiction. ✓ Influence of Political Polarization on Public Behavior:   The recent increase in political polarization has led to notable shifts in public behavior and opinion. Researchers may study how this division affects voting patterns, social interactions, or even the spread of misinformation. Each of these behavioral science research topics not only poses complex questions but also offers a multidisciplinary approach, combining insights from psychology, sociology, economics, and other fields to create a comprehensive understanding of human behavior.

Why Choose Us to Help You with Crafting Research Project Topics

Embarking on a research project is a journey that requires meticulous planning, foresight, and a well-defined roadmap. One of the most crucial phases of this journey is the selection of a thesis topic. The right topic not only engages your interest but also determines the scope and success of your research. This is where we come in to help. Choosing a research topic may seem straightforward, but the plethora of choices often makes it overwhelming. We help by narrowing down these choices to a list of viable options that are tailored to your interests and academic requirements. We understand the significance of having a thesis topic that is not just relevant but also academically rigorous and up-to-date. To help achieve this, our team is constantly abreast of current trends and emerging research fields to help you make an informed decision. We also help by assessing the feasibility of your prospective research topics. A  thesis topic may be intriguing but impractical due to various constraints, such as resources, time, or data availability. Our experts will help you identify such challenges early on, thereby saving you from unforeseen roadblocks that could derail your project. Another way we help is by offering continuous support throughout your research journey. Crafting a research topic is just the first step. As you get deeper into your research, new questions and challenges are bound to arise. To help you navigate these, our team provides ongoing guidance, from conceptualization to completion. This ensures that you remain aligned with your initial objectives, thus maintaining the integrity of your research. Our approach is designed to help foster an environment where your creativity can flourish while still meeting stringent academic criteria. By choosing us to help with your research project topics, you not only benefit from our expertise but also gain a committed partner who will help you navigate the complex landscape of academic research. So why take this journey alone when we can help make it smoother, more manageable, and ultimately more successful? When you choose us, we  help create a research project topic  that stands out.

Finding the ideal topic for a thesis in behavioral science can be a daunting task, but our specialized assistance aims to streamline this process. We offer expert guidance, grounded in academic rigor, to help you pinpoint topics that are not only compelling but also contribute meaningfully to the field. With our support, your thesis topic won't just meet academic standards it will set new ones. Choose us for a strong start to your scholarly journey.

Formulating Behavioral Science Topics - Research Title Samples

We offer help with crafting unique project titles & topics.

In today's academic and professional landscape, the title and topic of your behavioral science project serve as the gateway to its substance. In essence, it's the first impression that either invites or dissuades the audience from engaging further. This is why we offer specialized help with crafting unique project titles and topics , a service designed to optimize this critical first impression. While a common mistake is to underestimate the significance of a project title, it plays an undeniably important role in capturing attention and setting the stage for the ensuing content. Our help aims to tackle this issue by providing a tailored approach to generating not only eye-catching but also deeply relevant titles and topics. Many people may not realize the rigorous research and nuanced thought processes that go into creating a fitting title. We can help bridge this gap by employing our expertise in diverse fields, which allows us to craft titles that perfectly align with your area of research or project focus. The help we offer is not a one-size-fits-all solution; it's a collaborative effort that involves understanding the scope, scale, and intricacies of your project. Such bespoke assistance can be particularly beneficial for students, researchers, and professionals who may already have a lot on their plate and could use specialized help to enhance their project's impact. Furthermore, we understand that titles and topics need to resonate not just with experts but also with a broader audience, and our help extends to ensuring this wide appeal. Lastly, seeking help for something as foundational as your project's title can set a strong precedent for the quality that follows.

Latest Quantitative Behavioral Science Research Title Samples

Behavioral science is a growing field that seeks to understand human behavior through an interdisciplinary lens, often incorporating quantitative methodologies for more robust findings. The following is a list of recent behavioral science  topics;

1. The Influence of Financial Incentives on Exercise Commitment: A Randomized Controlled Trial This study aims to utilize a randomized controlled trial design to quantitatively measure how different levels of financial incentives influence the frequency and duration of exercise routines among a sample of adults.

2. Emotional Intelligence and Workplace Productivity: A Quantitative Analysis Leveraging psychometric tests to measure emotional intelligence and productivity metrics, this research intends to quantitatively establish the correlation between emotional intelligence levels and workplace productivity.

3. Behavioral Nudging for Nutritional Choices: A Supermarket Experiment Conducting an experimental study in a supermarket setting, researchers would employ shelf labels and discounts to "nudge" consumer choices toward healthier options. Sales data will be analyzed quantitatively to measure the impact of these nudges.

4. Social Media's Quantitative Impact on Adolescent Self-Esteem: A Longitudinal Study This longitudinal study would use surveys and self-reporting metrics to quantitatively assess the impact of time spent on social media platforms on the self-esteem of adolescents over a specific timeframe.

5. Applying Behavioral Economics to Retirement Savings: A Quantitative Assessment This research would quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of various behavioral economic interventions, such as auto-enrollment and default options, on increasing participation rates and financial contributions to retirement savings plans.

6. Decision-Making Under Stress: A Quantitative Study on Police Shootings Using available data and possibly simulations, researchers would quantitatively analyze how stress and other factors affect the decision-making processes involved in police shootings.

Our service is designed to alleviate the stress and uncertainty that often accompany the formulation of a quantitative research title about behavioral sciences. We offer a range of expertly crafted title samples and personalized assistance to ensure your research is both relevant and groundbreaking. When you opt for our help, you're setting the stage for academic success, empowering your research journey from the very first step. Choose us to turn your research vision into reality.

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