Behavioural sciences

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from Behavioral science)
Jump to: navigation, search

Behavioural science is the systematic analysis and investigation of human and animal behaviour through controlled and naturalistic observation, and disciplined scientific experimentation. It attempts to accomplish legitimate, objective conclusions through rigorous formulations and observation.[1] Examples of behavioural sciences include psychology, psychobiology, criminology and cognitive science.

Difference between behavioural sciences and social sciences[edit]


Behavioural sciences abstract empirical data to investigate the decision processes and communication strategies within and between organisms in a social system. This involves fields like psychology, social neuroscience and cognitive science.

In contrast, social sciences provide a perceptive framework to study the processes of a social system through impacts of social organisation on structural adjustment of the individual and of groups. They typically include fields like sociology, economics, public health, anthropology, demography and political science.[1]

Obviously, however, many subfields of these disciplines cross the boundaries of behavioral and social. For example, political psychology and behavioral economics use behavioral approaches, despite the predominant focus on systemic and institutional factors in the broader fields of political science and economics.

Categories of behavioral sciences[edit]

Behavioral sciences can be divided into two academic fields: neural (information sciences) and social (relational sciences).

Information processing sciences deal with information processing of stimuli from the social environment by cognitive entities, to engage in decision making, social judgment and social perception for individual functioning and survival of organism in a social environment. Psychology, cognitive science, psychobiology, neural networks, social cognition, social psychology, semantic networks, ethology and social neuroscience are classified as information processing sciences.

On the other hand, relational sciences deals with relationships, interaction, communication networks, associations and relational strategies or dynamics among organisms or cognitive entities in a social system. sociological social psychology, social networks, dynamic network analysis, agent-based model and microsimulation are classifed as relational sciences.

See also[edit]


  1. ^ a b Klemke, E. D., Hollinger, R., and Kline, A. D., (1980), Introduction to the book in 'Introductory Readings in the Philosophy of Science': Buffalo, New York, Prometheus Books p 11-12

Selected bibliography[edit]