Political psychology is a thriving field of inquiry with roots in political science and connections to a range of other social sciences. Political psychologists attempt to understand the psychological underpinnings, roots, and consequences of political behavior. Some of this work attempts to understand political phenomena by applying and enhancing theories developed through research done in psychological laboratories. Findings regarding mediation and moderation of real-world effects have often led to extensions and revisions of political and psychological theories. Other political psychology involves the development of completely new theory to provide psychological accounts of political phenomena, thus contributing to basic understanding of how the mind works in the important context of politics.
In light of the vitality of the field and growing graduate student interest, the idea of establishing a summer training institute in political psychology was developed. The Summer Institute in Political Psychology (SIPP) is a 3-week program designed to advance the research capabilities of graduate students from around the world studying political science, psychology, and other social sciences. The Summer Institute has aimed to enrich the graduate training of participants by offering a broad and intensified complement to the classroom training that is usually available at graduate institutions. By bringing together a large set of faculty offering lectures on a diverse set of topics, SIPP exposed graduate students to (1) a broad range of research literature in political psychology, (b) the research styles and approaches of an array of scholars working in political psychology, and (c) training in the varied set of research methods employed by political psychologists, as well as (d) creating inter-disciplinary networks among the participants to support their on-going research efforts and cement their long-term commitments to social science scholarship.
One of the best ways to enhance research productivity in political psychology over the long term is to recruit and train talented, energetic, and motivated cohorts of scholars to join the field. SIPP does just this and thus enhances the vitality of political psychology's contributions to social science literatures.
Political psychology is a thriving field of inquiry with roots in political science and connections to a range of other social sciences. Political psychologists attempt to understand the psychological underpinnings, roots, and consequences of political behavior. The knowledge gained through research in political psychology is valuable to practitioners in the public sector, in NGOs, and in academia who seek to improve the conduct of politics around the world. Some of the work by political psychologists attempts to understand political phenomena by applying and enhancing theories developed through research done in psychological laboratories. Findings regarding mediation and moderation of real-world effects have often led to extensions and revisions of political and psychological theories. Other political psychology involves the development of completely new theory to provide psychological accounts of political phenomena, thus contributing to basic understanding of how the mind works in the important context of politics. During each summer from 2010 to 2012, Stanford University hosted the Summer Institute in Political Psychology, continuing a tradition launched at Ohio State University (OSU) in 1991. Each summer, participants have come to Stanford for three weeks of intensive training to supplement their other educational experiences. Participants have primarily been graduate students, but they also included an undergraduates, professors, and professionals from governments in the US and abroad. Students came from political science, psychology, sociology, economics, history, and other fields. The Summer Institute has enriched the graduate training experiences of participants by offering a broad and intensified training experience to complement the classroom training that is usually available at graduate institutions. By bringing together a large set of faculty offering lectures on a diverse set of topics, SIPP exposed graduate students to (a) a broad range of research literature in political psychology, (b) the research styles and approaches of an array of scholars working in political psychology, and (c) training in the varied set of research methods employed by political psychologists, as well as (d) creating inter-disciplinary networks among the participants to support their on-going research efforts and cement their long-term commitments to social science. The SIPP instructors have included a wide range of distinguished faculty from Stanford, from other colleges and universities in the US, and from abroad. Each year’s participants wrote evaluations at the end of the summer and indicated very high levels of satisfaction with the educational experiences they received. No doubt, one of the best ways to enhance research productivity in political psychology over the long term is to recruit and train talented, energetic, and motivated cohorts of scholars to join the field. Because of the importance of political psychology’s contributions to academia and the conduct of politics outside of academia, NSF’s investment in feeding this pipeline for the future via a modest grant to SIPP has been well worthwhile.
