Interdisciplinary research now receives a great deal of attention because of the rich, creative contributions it often generates. But a host of factors--institutional, interpersonal and intellectual--also make a daunting challenge of conducting research outside one's usual domain. This newly updated and revised edition of Interdisciplinary Research is a substantive and practical guide to the most effective avenues for collaborative and integrative research in the social, behavioral, and bio-medical sciences. It provides answers to questions such as what is the best way to conduct interdisciplinary research on topics related to human health, behavior, and development? Which are the most successful interdisciplinary research programs in these areas? How do you identify appropriate collaborators? How do you find dedicated funding streams? How do you overcome peer-review and publishing challenges? This is the only book that provides answers directly from researchers who have carried out successful interdisciplinary programs. The editors give a concise of account of the lessons that can be taken from the book, and then present a series of case studies that reveal the most successful interdisciplinary research programs. These programs provide a variety of models of how best to undertake interdisciplinary research. Each of the chapter authors has carried out innovative, collaborative programs, and all give compelling accounts of the benefits of interdisciplinary research and the central strategies required to achieve them.

Health Psychology, once subsumed under social psychology, has in recent years surpassed it to become one of the most dynamic, interesting areas in the field. One of the reasons for the rapid success of health psychology is that it provides an in-depth look at the influence of behaviour on the national obsessions of health and wellness. Health psychology has a wide scope, encompassing all influences on behaviour from emotion to overcrowded living situations. Because health psychology combines in-depth research in a variety of areas within the discipline, collaboration between these areas is especially important. Yet, health psychology faces a problem not uncommon to any highly interdisciplinary science: a lack of information on how to foster collaboration between areas. This unique volume will provide a solution to the problem of collaboration by articulating both the benefits of interdisciplinary exchange and the best strategies for working together. The contributors, including Richard Davidson, Michael Meaney, John Caccioppo, and Neil Schneiderman, have carried out the most innovative and successful collaborative research endeavors in major areas of health psychology. Their experience will provide much-needed guidance and inspiration for future collaborative research in the discipline. This volume will be of interest to researchers and students in health psychology, as well as to officers in universities, foundations, and government agencies seeking to develop programs that expand the boundaries of health psychology.