Developing Interfield Nomological Nets

As behavioral research has expanded in Information Systems and other scientific fields, researchers are recognizing that construct proliferation increases the difficulty in identifying the nomological networks of constructs pertaining to any given research question. An Inter-Nomological Network uses semantic analysis to systematically identify, categorize, and predict relationships among the constructs that define the combined cognitive interest of behavioral scientific fields. Researchers can thereby identify concentrations in behavioral research around similar phenomena related to human experiences that transcend field boundaries, and that may in fact have common cognitive underpinnings. Interfield theory development is supported by discovery of nomological relationships between scientific fields. Preliminary results demonstrating confirmatory, exploratory, and interfield research applications are presented.