This research report describes an analysis of the ways state legislative policy makers in Arizona, California, and Oregon engage in the process of turning political interests and pressures into public policies. The purpose is to provide insights into the overall processes of social science utilization within state legislatures, using a behavioral orientation. The report is presented in six chapters. Chapter I offers background information and an overview of the study. Chapter II explains the variations of decision-making behavior and social science utilization as occurring in four distinct stages. Chapter III examines three approaches to studying how decision making within the system is controlled, and chooses the role-orientation model as most useful for this study. Chapter IV reviews technical issues relating to the design, sampling, and methods of data collection and analysis, as well as an assessment of limitations on validity and reliability. Chapter V presents data analysis and findings in four areas: origins of legislative orientations, linkage between orientation and the stages of workflow, relationship between orientation and workflow involvement, and the impact of social science on the formation of legislative policies. Chapter VI identifies five conclusions and makes recommendations for the improvement of legislative operations, the improvement of social science utilization, and further legislative research. (CK)