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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): NSF Social Psychology Program (PD 98 1332)

What is this funding opportunity?

This is a discretionary grant opportunity from the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Social Psychology program, Funding Opportunity Number PD 98 1332. It sits within NSF's Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences portfolio and is associated with CFDA 47.075.

What is the main goal of the NSF Social Psychology program?

The program is designed to fund basic, theory-driven research that improves scientific understanding of human social behavior. The emphasis is on foundational knowledge and advancing social psychological theory.

Does the program fund applied research or program evaluation?

Based on the information provided, the program emphasizes foundational, basic research rather than applied work or program-evaluation projects. Proposals are expected to contribute to theory and basic understanding, not primarily to assess programs or produce immediate applied outcomes.

What kinds of topics are considered a fit for this opportunity?

The opportunity is broad within social psychology. Examples of supported areas include attitude formation and change, social cognition, personality processes as they relate to social behavior, interpersonal relationships, and group processes.

Are studies about identity, emotion, and social influence eligible topics?

Yes. The program explicitly highlights research on the self (such as identity, self-concept, and self-regulation), emotion in social contexts, social comparison, and social influence as examples of relevant subject matter.

Does the program support research on cultural variation?

Yes. The program explicitly welcomes research that examines cultural variation, including how social processes differ across societies.

Can proposals focus on social development across the life span?

Yes. The program welcomes research on social development across the life span, meaning studies can examine how social processes change from childhood through older adulthood.

Are psychophysiological or neurophysiological measures allowed in proposals?

Yes. The program includes work on the psychophysiological and neurophysiological bases of social behavior, indicating that proposals may incorporate biological or neuroscience-informed measures when they are used to advance basic social psychological theory.

Does NSF expect proposals to be theory-driven?

Yes. A key scientific merit criterion is that questions and hypotheses must be theoretically grounded. Projects should connect to and extend existing theory rather than simply describing a phenomenon.

Does the program require empirical evidence or testability?

Yes. The research must be rooted in empirical observation or be testable through empirical validation. In practice, this means the proposal should rely on data or a study design capable of generating data that can confirm or disconfirm the proposed ideas.

How important is the match between research questions and methods?

It is central to scientific merit. The program emphasizes that the research design needs to fit the questions being asked, with strong alignment among theory, hypotheses, methods, and analysis plans.

What kind of contribution are reviewers looking for?

The proposed work must advance basic understanding of social behavior. Reviewers will look for clear intellectual contributions that move the field forward in explanation, mechanism, or conceptual clarity.

What type of award is offered under this opportunity?

The opportunity is offered as a grant.

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No cost sharing or matching requirement is indicated in the information provided.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to any additional eligibility language in the full announcement.

Were there specific submission target dates for proposals?

The solicitation historically used target dates of January 15 and July 15 each year for full proposal submissions.

Is this Grants.gov listing still active?

The posting history shows an original posted date of March 6, 2009, and an archive date of August 14, 2022. This suggests the specific Grants.gov listing is no longer active, even if the NSF program area may continue under updated solicitations or program descriptions.

What should applicants do if the listing is archived but the program may still exist?

Based on the information provided, the archived status refers to the specific Grants.gov listing. The program area itself may continue under updated solicitations or program descriptions, so applicants may need to look for the most current NSF materials related to the Social Psychology program.

Who should be contacted for electronic announcement access issues?

For access issues related to the electronic announcement, the listing directs applicants to NSF's Grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.

What identifying numbers are associated with this opportunity?

The information provided lists Funding Opportunity Number PD 98 1332 and CFDA 47.075.