The Relevance of Social Science Research

The field of social science encompasses the many aspects of individual and social behavior. Research in this field addresses how social patterns of behavior affect a population's overall health status--both physical and mental--and predicts the likelihood of diseases or disorders within a population.
Through understanding the principles underlying behavioral and social processes, practical applications can be used to improve health outcomes within a population.

Identification

• Social science is a field that studies the many aspects of human society. Anthropology, psychology, linguistics, economics and political science are some of the areas that fall within social science studies, according to the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research. Research in this field uses an assortment of tools and techniques to gather data and formulate theories on individual and group patterns and behaviors. Its relevance lies in a clearer understanding of the principles underlying human behavior and social function and the ability to predict certain outcomes.

Function

• A society's overall health and well-being can be influenced by the behavioral and social patterns that prevail, according to the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research. Social science research works to formulate theoretical frameworks based on accumulated data. Research approaches use basic fundamental procedures---like surveys, questionnaires and direct observation--along with practical applications that assess health outcomes and risk factors. Practical applications may be carried out within hospital, clinical or laboratory settings with a focus on how behavioral and social influences affect existing risk factors. Risk factors are any influences that cause damage to health. Also of interest are protective factors, which are influences that work to protect health.

Social Processes

• Social processes within small groups, organizations, communities and populations are areas of study within social science research, according to the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research. Individual patterns of behavior in terms of how a person perceives situations and how she interacts with her environment is also an area of interest. Interactions between different types of groups and individuals help in determining the sociocultural factors and psychological processes that create a society's way of life. Also at issue are how environmental factors affect behavioral patterns and how a population interacts with them.

Biopsychosocial Processes

• Social science research techniques are designed to identify the behavioral and social risks associated with health conditions and the onset and course of illness, according to the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research. Ultimately, researchers look to identify relationships between biological factors and behavioral-social conditions. These associations make up the biopsychosocial processes affecting a society's or population's health status. Information gathered from treatment outcomes research can also provide data on how biopsychosocial processes affect the types of illness prevalent within a population.

Potential

• Social science research findings are used to improve upon existing methods and techniques within the field, as well as within the biomedical and behavioral fields, according to the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research. Research findings incorporate a "big picture" perspective in terms of how the whole affects its parts, and vice versa. Through ongoing data collection and analysis, researchers attempt to develop frameworks for predicting health outcomes for a population. These frameworks can then be used to develop practical applications that influence existing risk and protective factors.