About the Award
In order for our science to encompass the full range of human experience, SPSP seeks researchers from around the world to participate in its activities. The goal of this award is to serve as an incubator for testing creative ideas that would help build connections and communication across of the world.
Specifically, we invite proposals from applicants based in countries or world regions currently underrepresented in SPSP to create an event associated with SPSP’s annual convention. Award selection criteria will focus primarily on contribution to enhancing international diversity and representation, taking into account the countries and world regions currently represented in personality and social psychology (e.g., among authors of publications, and attendees at the annual SPSP meeting in the previous 5 years).
The awardee will receive up to a maximum of 1,500 USD to support the proposed activities at the conference (e.g., technology for hosting virtual meetings, registration and membership fees for invited attendees) and for any necessary preparatory work leading up to the conference (e.g., organizing researchers in the underrepresented region(s)). Recipients of this award will work with members of the international committee to maximize the proposed activities’ impact. After the annual convention, the awardee is expected to prepare a summary of the activity and any information that would be helpful to those planning similar events in the future.
The event organizer will receive complimentary registration and membership with SPSP as well.
Examples
Please note: These examples were written before the decision to make the 2021 meeting all on-line, instead of the usual in-person format. We hope to receive applications that meet the challenge of, and make use of the opportunities provided by, the on-line format in creative ways.
One example of an activity that this award is designed to support is a live-streaming of a special session taking place at the conference (e.g., via iPads mounted on tripods), organized by the awardee, designed to facilitate communication and possible future collaboration between conference attendees and those in a world region(s). Well before arriving at the conference, the awardee will have planned a gathering of psychology researchers interested in connecting with SPSP, at a venue or venues in the region(s) where the live streaming will be shown during the conference. The gathering in turn will be live streamed to the session taking place at SPSP, to facilitate a two-way communication (e.g., Q&A, presentation by a researcher at the session in the proposed region(s) shown at the SPSP conference). Furthermore, a part of the session may be designed to explicitly facilitate collaboration between the attendees at SPSP and those from the proposed region(s).
A second example is a virtual workshop to help share information, such as publication processes, with researchers in underrepresented regions. The organizer of such a workshop would make announcements and preparations months ahead of the conference to encourage people from underrepresented regions to participate in the workshop. During the annual SPSP conference, there could be a webinar where participants share information with each other. Experienced researchers with relevant expertise will be invited to the session, and share their knowledge in response to questions from the participants.
These are provided as examples of the types of activities that this award may fund. It is hoped, however, that the award will foster many other innovative ideas for activities that scholars in under-represented regions would find helpful, while also building stronger ties with the SPSP community.
Selection Process
Members of the SPSP International Committee will review the applications. The main selection criteria will be the proposed program’s ability to increase communication and collaboration between SPSP members and researchers in under-represented countries.
