Basic Mechanisms Influencing Behavioral Maintenance (R01)

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Purpose. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) issued by the NIH Basic Behavioral and Social Science Opportunity Network (OppNet) solicits research applications examining basic mechanisms of behavioral maintenance. The intent of this FOA is to advance research on basic processes and mechanisms involved in sustaining learned behavior over time and in the context of dynamic environmental influences and changing psychological and biological states. Maintenance of health behavior change is a critical problem in applied clinical research, and innovative strategies to address this problem require a better understanding of basic processes and mechanisms involved in long-term behavior maintenance. This FOA requests applications that will improve our understanding of how newly learned, effortful, and goal-directed behaviors transition to less effortful, automatic, and essentially non-goal-directed behaviors that are more easily maintained over time. A range of possible processes and mechanisms (e.g., neurobiological, cognitive, and environmental) may be proposed for study, and applicants are encouraged to study multiple mechanisms and their potential interactions. Regardless of mechanisms or processes of interest, however, applications should test how these mechanisms and processes facilitate or impede the transition from newly learned, effortful, and goal-directed behaviors to less effortful, automatic, and essentially non-goal-directed behaviors. A wide array of research proposals are potentially appropriate under this FOA, ranging from animal neurobehavioral models to human learning studies of social and environmental influences that facilitate or impede the transition to habitually maintained behaviors. Mechanism of Support. This FOA will utilize the R01 award mechanism. Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards. OppNet intends to commit approximately $3,750,000 in total costs (Direct plus Facilities and Administrative [F and A] costs) in FY 2011 to fund approximately 5 new grants in response to this FOA.

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