The NIH Science of Behavior Change Program: Transforming the science through a focus on mechanisms of change
Section snippets
The science of behavior change program
In 2008, a team of behavioral scientists working at institutes and centers across the NIH began to meet and discuss what the main impediments to a unified science of behavior change really were. Guided by research advances and expert-recommendations from their respective fields, the team identified three main divisions within the science that had reinforced silos in the field. First, insights from basic science, including emerging transdisciplinary domains of behavioral science, were rarely
The SOBC target classes
An organizing principal for the current phase of SOBC is the identification of three broad classes of intervention targets that are conceptually distinct from each other but highly relevant to understanding the mechanisms by which behavior is changed. Three target classes of Self-regulation, Stress Resilience and Stress Reactivity, and Interpersonal and Social Processes were identified during the first phase of SOBC as being both central to behavior change and ready to contribute to an
Conclusion
Multiple high-profile analyses conducted over decades have shown that human behavior accounts for a large proportion of variance in preventable premature deaths in the United States—to such an extent that the United States is at a disadvantage compared to other developed countries (National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, 2013). Yet science has not yet delivered a unified understanding of basic mechanisms of behavior change across a broad range of health-related behaviors, limiting
Disclaimer
The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not represent the official views of the NIH or federal government.
References (64)
- et al.
The behavioral- and neuro-economic process of temporal discounting: A candidate behavioral marker of addiction
Neuropharmacology
(2014) The variable nature of cognitive control: A dual mechanisms framework
Trends in Cognitive Sciences
(2012)- et al.
Enduring effects of a computer-assisted training program for cognitive behavioral therapy: A six-month follow-up of CBT4CBT
Drug Alcohol Depend.
(2009 Feb 1) - et al.
Emotion dysregulation and dyadic conflict in depressed and typical adolescents: Evaluating concordance across psychophysiological and observational measures
Biological Psychology
(2014) - et al.
A meta-analysis of the convergent validity of self-control measures
Journal of Research on Personality
(2011) - et al.
Dynamical systems modeling of physiological coregulation in dyadic interactions
International Journal of Psychophysiology
(2013) - et al.
Individual differences in prefrontal cortex function and the transition from drug use to drug dependence
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
(2010) - et al.
Close relationships, inflammation, and health
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
(2010) - et al.
Stress revisited: A critical evaluation of the stress concept
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
(2011) Measuring self-regulation in a physically active context: Psychometric analyses of scores derived from an observer-rated measure of self-regulation
Mental Health and Physical Activity
(2013)
Physiological stress reactivity and recovery: Conceptual siblings separated at birth?
Journal of Psychosomatic Research
Future directions in emotion dysregulation and youth psychopathology
Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology
Annual Research Review: Positive adjustment to adversity–trajectories of minimal-impact resilience and emergent resilience
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
Computer-assisted delivery of cognitive-behavioral therapy: Efficacy and durability of CBT4CBT among cocaine-dependent individuals maintained on methadone
The American Journal of Psychiatry
Full coverage for preventive medications after myocardial infarction
The New England Journal of Medicine
Lending a hand: Social regulation of the neural response to threat
Psychological Science
Measurement and reliability of response inhibition
Frontiers in Psychology
Aging: Empirical contribution. A longitudinal analysis of personality disorder dimensions and personality traits in a community sample of older adults: Perspectives from selves and informants
Journal of Personality Disorders
A systematic review of adherence with medications for diabetes
Diabetes Care
From ideas to efficacy: The ORBIT model for developing behavioral treatments for chronic diseases
Health Psychology
Long-term effects of lifestyle intervention or metformin on diabetes development and microvascular complications over 15-year follow-up: The Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study
The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology
From early attachment to engagement with learning in school: The role of self-regulation and persistence
Developmental Psychology
Unpacking self-control
Child Development Perspectives
Cochrane review: Behavioural and cognitive-behavioural group-based parenting programmes for early-onset conduct problems in children aged 3 to 12 years (Review)
Evidence-based Child Health
Individual differences in two emotion regulation processes: Implications for affect, relationships, and wellbeing
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Type 2 diabetes mellitus and psychological stress - a modifiable risk factor
Nature Reviews Endocrinology
Choice impulsivity: Definitions, measurement issues, and clinical implications
Personality Disorders
Neuroscience of self and self-regulation
Annual Review of Psychology
Predicting risky choices from brain activity patterns
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Empirically supported family-based treatments for conduct disorder and delinquency in adolescents
Journal of Marital and Family Therapy
Adherence with statin therapy in elderly patients with and without acute coronary syndromes
Journal of the American Medical Association
Application of ecological momentary assessment to the study of marital adjustment and social interactions during daily life
Journal of Family Psychology
Cited by (246)
Towards a qualitative theory of the interruption of eating behavior change
2024, Journal of Theoretical BiologyExploring mechanisms of improvement in the Active Brains intervention for older adults with chronic pain and early cognitive decline
2024, Archives of Gerontology and GeriatricsSystem-level approaches to perinatal depression
2024, The Lancet Public HealthOn the importance of identifying mechanisms and active ingredients of psychological treatments
2023, Behaviour Research and Therapy