Schenk, P.M. orcid.org/0000-0002-5239-1977, West, R. orcid.org/0000-0001-6398-0921, Castro, O. orcid.org/0000-0001-5332-3557 et al. (10 more authors) (2024) An ontological framework for organising and describing behaviours: The Human Behaviour Ontology [version 1; peer review: 3 approved with reservations]. Wellcome Open Research, 9. 237. ISSN 2398-502X
Abstract
Background
Human behaviours have been classified in areas such as health, occupation and sustainability. We aimed to develop a more broadly applicable framework for behaviours to facilitate integrating evidence across domains.
Methods
The Human Behaviour Ontology (HBO), a part of the Behaviour Change Intervention Ontology (BCIO), was developed by: (1) specifying the ontology’s scope, (2) identifying candidate classes from existing classifications, (3) refining the ontology by applying it to code behaviours in relevant literature, (4) conducting a stakeholder review with behavioural and ontology experts, (5) testing the inter-rater reliability of its use in annotating research reports, (6) finalising classes and adding relations between classes, and (7) publishing the ontology’s computer-readable version.
Results
A class labelled ‘individual human behaviour’ was defined as “A bodily process of a human that involves co-ordinated contraction of striated muscles controlled by the brain.” In Steps 1-4, the ontology’s initial version was developed, with 128 classes. The inter-rater reliability for applying this version in annotations was 0.63 for researchers familiar with it and, after minor adjustments to the ontology and annotation guidance, 0.74 for researchers unfamiliar with it. Following Steps 5-6, the ontology was published with 177 classes, including 128 individual human behaviour classes organised under upper-level classes relating to (1) experiences (e.g., playing), (2) expressive (e.g., laughing), (3) harm (e.g., self-injury behaviour), (4) health (e.g., undergoing vaccination), (5) life-function (e.g., breathing behaviour), (6) interacting with materials (e.g., consumption), (7) bodily care (e.g., washing), (8) position (e.g., walking), and (9) social environments (e.g., communication). The remaining 49 classes included: ‘individual human behaviour pattern’ for repeated behaviours, ‘population behaviour’, ‘population behaviour pattern’, behavioural attributes (e.g., impulsiveness), and abstinence from behaviour. Relations were also defined to represent timings, locations, participants, mental processes, functions, goals, and outcomes.
Conclusions
The HBO potentially provides a coherent framework for describing human behaviours.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024 Schenk PM et al. This is an open access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | Public Health; Health Sciences; Mental health; Good Health and Well Being |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Psychology (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 29 Jan 2025 15:43 |
Last Modified: | 29 Jan 2025 15:43 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | F1000 Research Ltd |
Identification Number: | 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.21252.1 |
Related URLs: | |
Sustainable Development Goals: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:222435 |
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