This proposal supports the continuation and extension of the highly successful program of Summer Institutes in Social and Personality Psychology. Scheduled every two years, the SISPP brings together approximately 80 graduate students in social and personality psychology from graduate programs throughout North America and abroad for an advanced two-week intensive training program, led by the best scholars in the field. Supported by NSF, the first five SISPPs (2003 through 2011) have been highly successful in its goals of providing advanced training in theory and methodology. Evaluations of the first five SISPPs indicate that they were exceptionally strong in both intellectual merit and broader impacts. Participating in SISPP has significantly facilitated the scholarly careers of several cohorts of new social and personality psychologists, offering unique training and collaborative experiences.
SISPP is designed to provide promising young scholars with intensive experience and instruction into cutting-edge theories, research, and methods. Preference is given to students who do not have access to this expertise at their home institutions. In order to make valued contributions, young scholars must have access to the increasingly specialized knowledge and technical complexity that marks the best research programs. The SISPP program is carefully designed to provide instruction in research domains and methodological innovations that represent the field's most promising areas. It offers an intensive and intimate intellectual experience. Thus participation in SISPP significantly enhances the training of young scholars and stimulates significant and innovative research.
