Habits and Rehabilitation: Promoting Participation

American Occupational Therapy Assn, Bethesda MD

Investigators

Abstract

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The aim of this proposal is to request funding for the third interdisciplinary, Gordon-style conference on the nature of habit - a key aspect of human action - and its relevance to rehabilitation. Habit-Ill, Habits and Rehabilitation: Promoting Participation, is sponsored by the American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF). The purpose of this series of conferences is to develop an interdisciplinary body of knowledge on habit with application to rehabilitation. Conference series goals are to 1) review and stimulate interdisciplinary research on habit; 2) promote a synthesis of knowledge on habit across the social, behavioral, and biological sciences; 3) increase the application of habit theory and research to problems in rehabilitation; and 4) socialize beginning scientists/scholars into interdisciplinary research around the construct of habit. Specific objectives of Habit-Ill are 1) to examine existing theory on habit in order to engage attendees in directing research to the role of habit in rehabilitation; 2) to promote interdisciplinary research within and across social, behavioral and biological domains around the construct of habit; 3) to identify needs for alternative methods and measurements required by application of habit theory to rehabilitation challenges related to participation; and 4) to recognize and support the work of new scholars and engage them in interdisciplinary research. Habit-l and Habit-ll were innovative and stimulating conferences that demonstrated the complexity of the habit construct and developed an understanding of the interrelationship of habits of individuals with the environment. At these conferences, scholars from multiple disciplines discussed different perspectives on habit and possible applications to rehabilitation. Habit-Ill will yield advances in the understanding of habit/rehabilitation relationships with improved research, interventions, and policy as likely outcomes. The conference is scheduled for February 3-7, 2006, at the Asilomar Conference Center, Pacific Grove, CA. [unreadable] [unreadable]