As people continue to debate what to call the next century—the
zeros, the naughts, the "double o's"—behavioral researchers have
settled on a name for at least the first decade. The "Decade of
Behavior," an initiative involving more than 30 professional
societies representing the behavioral and social sciences, began
Jan. 1 as a means to focus these sciences on meeting many of
society's most pressing problems. At press time, a bipartisan
group of 10 senators had signed a letter asking President
Clinton to make it official and name 2000-2010 the Decade of
Behavior. But even without the president's endorsement, the
Decade will begin, says Richard McCarty, PhD, executive director
of APA's Science Directorate. The National Advisory Committee
for the Decade of Behavior, which includes representatives from
psychology, sociology, geography, anthropology, political
science, economics and public health, has gained support for the
initiative from 17 federal funding agencies. The Decade
initiative will focus on five main