The University of São Paulo Twin Panel (Painel USP de Gêmeos), based at the Institute of Psychology of the University of São Paulo, started formally in 2017. Our registry is new, but in only two years of formal existence, it comprises a volunteer sample of 4826 registered individuals (98% twins and 2% higher-order multiples), recruited at the University of São Paulo and by social media campaigns. Our main aim is to conduct and promote research with twins on psychological processes and behavior. The University of São Paulo is the largest higher education and research institution in South America, and the Painel USP de Gêmeos has great potential for fostering research on twin-related issues from a psychological perspective in Brazil and South America.

The Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) at the National Institutes of Health opened in 1995 to facilitate the advancement of research on social and behavioral influences on health. The establishment of the OBSSR coincided with the ascendancy of molecular biology, with its emphasis on more reductionistic influences on health. This greater emphasis on genetic aspects of health has the potential to produce a widening chasm between biomedical research and social, behavioral, and psychological research. We discuss the chasm between sociobehavioral and biomedical research during what might be considered the era of molecular biology and propose the concept of levels of analysis as a unifying framework for research in the health sciences, using research on hypertension in African Americans as a representative example. We also argue for the primacy of psychophysiological research in bridging the chasm and furthering a multilevel perspective and summarize some of the activities of the OBSSR that are relevant to this perspective.

This article seeks to stimulate thought on the philosophy behind agricultural research. Pragmatism is identified as a philosophical basis for studying environmental issues that focus on human behavior. The ways in which this approach is applicable to the study of alternative agriculture are illuminated. “Behavioral pragmatists” differ from “behavioral positivists” in their aim, focus, process, and approach to research. I describe the main goals of the pragmatic behavioral approach: accepting a systems approach to study the interrelationships between humans and the environment; gaining understanding through human experiences; viewing problems as whole complex “problematic situations”; and promoting social activism and appropriate policy formulation. Combining qualitative and quantitative methods is often most effective. Pragmatism allows for holistic analysis that incorporates numerous factors that influence human uses of the environment. A specific example shows how behavioral pragmatism is effective in research on alternative agriculture.