The following article was reprinted from Psychological Science Agenda (Vol. 13, No. 6; November/December 2000), with permission of the American Psychological Association (APA) Science Directorate

Decade of Behavior Officially Launched at Capitol Hill Event

In a setting reminiscent of the pomp and grandeur of times past, a group of politicians, policy makers, and interested citizens joined with scientists and representatives from scientific and professional groups in a high-tech celebration. The occasion was the formal launch of the Decade of Behavior, the initiative you have watched grow in scope and definition over the last 2 years. Its goal, to highlight how behavioral and social sciences research will help address the challenges facing our society now and in the future, came a little closer to realization as politicians and policy makers listened and learned.

The sense of a new era of cooperation and communication between science and the public, and between science and policy, was echoed in remarks made to celebrate the opening. Rep. David Price (D-NC) commented: "There is a lot going on... in the social sciences, and it has a tremendous potential for human betterment, to contribute to good public policy and to enlightened attitudes on the part of our citizenry... By understanding behavior, we hope that we can improve human behavior and that society will benefit." 

After reading congratulatory remarks from President Bill Clinton, Price continued: "I invite your cooperation and collaboration in future years, as we attempt to hold up our end of the bargain here in the Congress and in the federal government and to make the Decade of Behavior all that it can be for our country and its people."

This call was repeated by Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA), who said: "What this Decade of Behavior is about is giving social science away... taking the information that you develop in your research... clinical work... applied work... consulting, and bringing it to the governmental process, to inform governmental decision-making. That's what is so exciting about the Decade of Behavior. I personally believe that if we can apply what we have learned in the behavioral sciences... we can save this nation billions of dollars over the coming decade, if we apply ourselves well, if we do good research, and if we apply that research to public policy. And if we do that, we'll have performed a great service to this great country."

It was not hard to be infected with the sense of optimism about the potential of behavioral and social sciences to meet this challenge. Thirteen research exhibits, presented in engaging and interactive displays, showcased leading behavioral and social scientists whose research addresses each of the five major themes of the initiative-improving health, increasing safety, improving education, increasing prosperity and promoting democracy. These included:

Health: Healthy adolescent lifestyles; Prospective studies of risk factors for adverse birth outcomes and the mechanisms by which risk factors operate; How social networks of both patients and medical providers influence illness and occupational careers; Multidisciplinary research on smoking cessation and nicotine dependence in African Americans and how these patterns differ from those of other racial and ethnic groups.

Safety: A school-based intervention designed to reduce violence among inner city children; Human factors research to design a safe and efficient air traffic control system.

Education: Applications of basic research on mathematical abilities to the design of instructional materials for teachers; An interactive demonstration of a program to infuse classrooms with scientific thinking.

Prosperity: Understanding the interrelationships between socioeconomic status, health, and economic behavior as they affect retirement; Applying animation to illustrate how principles of economics from complex markets affect individual economic decisions.

Democracy: A demonstration of how digital decision simulations can inform about criminal sentencing in the research laboratory and in the classroom; Cross-cultural research on the development of civic behavior in children.

There was cause for celebration among the 16 distinguished behavioral and social scientists who serve as the National Advisory Committee to the Decade and provide leadership for the initiative. They saw the initiative that they and Science Executive Director Richard McCarty began 2 years ago come to fruition. 

Now that the launch event is past history, the Decade will begin its work in earnest-this includes a multifaceted public education campaign about the importance and relevance of behavioral and social science research findings, programs to increase interaction and collaboration across the behavioral and social sciences, and efforts to translate research findings into the public policy arena.

Many projects and events are planned over the next several years. For more information about the Decade of Behavior, log onto www.decadeofbehavior.org.