Full Text PA-97-065 SOCIAL COGNITION AND AGING NIH GUIDE, Volume 26, Number 19, June 6, 1997 PA NUMBER: PA-97-065 P.T. 34 Keywords: Aging/Gerontology Cognitive Development/Process National Institute on Aging PURPOSE The National Institute on Aging (NIA) invites qualified researchers to submit research and training grant applications on social cognition and aging. The social cognitive paradigm concerns the ways in which mental representations of social events, societal and cultural norms and personal characteristics influence behavior, reasoning, emotion and motivation. Specifically, the approach addresses attributions, self and social goals, mental representations of the self and others, and the role of social facilitation in decision-making, memory and judgment. Research suggests that complex cognitive functioning-involved in coping, everyday problem-solving and decision-making in health and social domains-depends not only on basic cognitive mechanisms, but also on socially-derived content and organization of existing knowledge structures as well as on socially-derived emotional and motivational influences on performance. The NIA encourages the application of social-cognitive approaches to research on middle-aged and older people. The ultimate goal of such research is to improve health maintenance and promotion, coping with age-related losses, social relationships, and adaptive functioning in daily life as people age. This announcement is coordinated with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), which supports a range of topics in social cognition, and with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), which supports applications about the normative cognitive, social, motivational and affective development of children from infancy through adolescence. (See INQUIRIES, below) HEALTHY PEOPLE 2000 The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease prevention objectives of Healthy People 2000, a PHS-led national activity for setting priority areas. This PA is related to the priority area of Diabetes and Chronic Disabling Conditions. Potential applicants may obtain a copy of Healthy People 2000 (Full Report: Stock No. 017-001-00474-0 or Summary Report: Stock No. 017-001-00473-1) through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325 (telephone 202-512-1800). ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS Applications may be submitted by foreign and domestic for-profit and non-profit organizations, public and private, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, laboratories, units of state and local governments, and eligible agencies of the Federal government. Foreign institutions are not eligible for the First Independent Research Support and Transition (FIRST) awards (R29). Racial/ethnic minority individuals, women, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply as principal investigators. MECHANISM OF SUPPORT The mechanisms of support will be the investigator-initiated research project grant (R01) and FIRST award (R29). Also see "Pilot Grants in the Behavioral and Social Science of Aging," NIH Guide to Grants and Contracts, Volume 26, Number 5, February 14, 1997. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The NIA seeks grant applications for the study of social cognition and aging that address one or more of the following: (A) age-related changes in knowledge structures/schemas, self representation, and defense mechanisms; (B) the effects of context (e.g., cultural, cohort, social situational) on cognitive performance and social reasoning as people age; (C) the interaction among aging, social cognition, emotion, and motivation; and (D) the effect of age-related changes in basic cognitive skills on social judgments.The following examples suggest areas that are appropriate for submissions. They are intended to be illustrative rather than exhaustive. A. AGE-RELATED CHANGES IN KNOWLEDGE STRUCTURES OR SCHEMAS A substantial literature exists on mental representations about the self and others, social scripts, stereotypes, implicit theories and the role of beliefs in health and illness. These knowledge structures play an important role in the interpretation of events, organization of new information, goal setting and motivation to act in specific ways. To date, however, relatively little empirical evidence exists on possible age differences in the elaboration, consistency and consequences of knowledge structures, or on the ways in which these knowledge structures influence thought and action as people age. 1. How do knowledge structures change as a function of development and changing environments in adulthood and aging? Are some types of social knowledge more likely to change than others? Do individuals' belief in a "just world" and needs for consistency change with aging? 2. How do individual differences in knowledge and beliefs facilitate adaptation in old age? How do age-related differences influence the interpretation of events, the motivation to engage in cognitive performance or specific behaviors (e.g., health-medical decisions)? How do social cognitive processes and schemas affect older people's conceptions of specific diseases? How do they affect health-related behaviors such as medication use? What methods aid in the restructuring of beliefs to encourage adaptive health practices as people age? 3. How do older adults mentally represent social problems (e.g., in terms of causal attributions, problem interpretation and importance)? What effects do such representations have on everyday problem solving? 4. How do stereotypic beliefs about aging and the elderly influence conceptions of self and others? Do individuals' stereotypes change with their own aging and, if so, with what effects? 5. How do social cognitive processes affect adaptation to cognitive and health-related changes with age without showing deteriorated performance in everyday functioning? Similarly, how do older people maintain a sense of well-being when age is associated with numerous threats to the self? 6. Do self-efficacy beliefs change with aging? Which age-related processes or conditions promote stability or change? How are self-efficacy beliefs accessed and modified? What are the mechanisms by which self-efficacy, once activated, influences behavior and do these mechanisms change with aging? (Viz. Sense of Control throughout the Life Course, NIH Guide to Grants and Contracts, vol. 18, no. 13, April 1, 1989.) B. CONTEXTUAL AND FUNCTIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON SOCIAL COGNITION AND AGING Multiple layers of social context-from the immediate environment of the individual to the larger sociocultural context-influence development and aging. In order to understand the individual in context, both the properties of context and the nature of the individual's representations of those properties need to be considered, especially as they both may change with aging. For example, how do age-related sociocultural and socio-contextual influences on self-representations and knowledge structures affect memory, decision-making, cognition, problem-solving and coping? 1. How do perceptions of problems, self-schemas, and defense mechanisms influence and are influenced by social interactions? Although most people discuss concerns with other people prior to making decisions and resolving problems, a meager amount of research examines decision-making as a social process in the middle and later years. 2. How does the social environment influence cognitive processing in old age? How do interactions with social partners enhance memory, e.g., collaborative memory? How do older individuals access and use information under particular kinds of situational/environmental demands? 3. Do causal attributions of social interactions change with age? Are these attributions predictive of changes in social behavior? Are there age differences in person perception? 4. Given that cultural transmission of sociocultural information to younger adults has been espoused as a prototypic cognitive task for older adults, how do social cognitive processes operate in the context of group processes, dyadic interactions, etc.? How do mismatches in social knowledge affect communication among older adults and health professionals, caregivers, financial advisers, etc.? 5. As people grow older, how do particular social roles and situations such as gender, birth cohort, culture, socio-economic status, ethnicity, etc. influence social knowledge? C. AGING, SOCIAL COGNITION, EMOTION, AND MOTIVATION Emotional states importantly influence cognitive performance, and social cognitive appraisals influence emotional experience. Similarly, important reciprocal relations exist between motivation and social cognition. On the one hand, various motivational factors may bias the (social) cognitive process, affecting its extent, depth and directionality. On the other hand, goals (fundamental motivational constructs) have important social cognitive components. They are formed, activated, and applied in the same way as are other cognitive structures. These issues could be relevant to aging. Although complex models illuminating these issues are emerging in the social and behavioral sciences, application to research of aging is infrequent. 1. What societal beliefs about emotion influence emotional experience in old age? To what extent do current cohorts of older adults anticipate negative experience in emotional arenas? What is the impact of age-related beliefs about emotion on social attitudes and behaviors? 2. Is the relationship between mood and memory altered with age? Does the relationship between arousal and performance vary across the adult life span? What is the role of social cognitive processes in these relationships? 3. Some evidence suggests that information processing becomes increasingly "emotional" with age. If so, how do such changes improve or impede social reasoning about, for example, medical decision-making or advice giving, interpersonal relationships? 4. What age-related qualitative and/or adaptive changes take place in emotional development and regulation? In contrast to the cognitive representation of emotions, what is the phenomenological experience of emotion (the current level of functioning of emotional experience) of the older adult? How do social cognitive processes affect this experience? 5. Does the lowering of energy resources presumably occurring during aging affect the individual's nondirectional cognitive motivations? For instance, is aging positively correlated with a rising need for cognitive closure? If so, is aging characterized by stereotyping, insufficient adjustment of initial opinions in light of new information, a preference for similarly minded others, etc? 6. Does aging affect the configuration of individual directional motivations? For instance, do achievement, or social dominance and power motivations decline, while affiliation motivation, and health concerns increase with aging? What effects might these have on various information-processing biases, such as attribution of (positive or negative) achievement vs. health-related outcomes? 7. How do goals and goal-setting processes differ, if at all, as people age? Do people's goals change qualitatively and/or quantitatively as they become older (e.g., more short term, more specific and concrete, less self-focused)? To what extent are the characteristics of goals in old age mediated by meta-cognitions about, e.g. the amount of time left for goal accomplishment? 8. How are age-related changes in motivation related to social preferences and social goals? What is the role of social motivation in social network composition? Are there motivated changes in qualitative aspects of social relationships? How are age-related changes in motivation related to qualitative differences in processing social information (e.g., interpretation of a problem situation)? D. NORMAL CHANGES IN BASIC COGNITIVE SKILLS AND SOCIAL COGNITION Many models of social cognition emphasize the importance of basic information processing skills in the construction of representations about social events. For example, the formation of impressions of others depends on the activation of appropriate categorical knowledge, the ability to attend to relevant aspects of behavior, the efficiency with which attributes are encoded and the integration of specific aspects of behavioral information into a coherent representation. Since the nature of representations in memory has a major impact on the types of decisions and judgments people make in reference to specific others or social events, an important issue concerns the extent to which normal (nonpathological) aging-related changes in basic cognitive skills influence the representation of social information and its subsequent use. 1. How is information about specific events represented in memory as people age? Do age-related changes in processing skills influence the type of information represented in memory and, subsequently, the types of decisions and judgments that are made about the event? 2. Are there age-related changes in the ability to access and/or use specific types of social information? 3. Do age-related changes in memory skills have an impact on the ability to acquire new or alter existing social knowledge? SELECTED BACKGROUND READINGS Abeles, R. P. (1987). Life-span perspectives and social psychology. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Bdckman, L. & Dixon, R. (1992). Psychological compensation: A theoretical framework. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 259-283. Baltes, M. & Carstensen, L. L. (1996). The process of successful ageing. Ageing and Society., 16, 397-422 Baltes, P. B. (1993). The aging mind: Potentials and limits. Gerontologist, 33, 580-594. Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Blanchard-Fields, F. & Abeles, R. (1996). Social cognition and aging. In J. E. Birren & K. W. Schaie (Eds.), Handbook of the psychology of aging (pp. 150- 161). San Diego: Academic Press. Blanchard-Fields, F. (1996). Social cognitive development in adulthood and aging. In F. Blanchard-Fields and T. M. Hess (Eds.), Perspectives on cognitive change in adulthood and aging (pp.454-487). New York: McGraw-Hill. Carstensen, L. L. (1995). Evidence for a life-span theory of socioemotional selectivity. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 4, 151-156. Cornelius, S. W. (1990). Aging and everyday cognitive abilities. In T. M. Hess (Ed.), Aging and cognition: Knowledge organization utilization (pp. 411-460). Amsterdam: North-Holland. Fiske, S. T. (1993). Social Cognition and social perception. Annual Review of Psychology, 44, 155-194. Fiske, S. T., & Taylor, S. E. (1991). Social cognition. New York: McGraw-Hill. Hess, T. M. (1994). Social cognition in adulthood: Aging-related changes in knowledge and processing mechanisms. Developmental Review, 14, 373-412. Labouvie-Vief, G. (1992) A neo-Piagetian perspective on adult cognitive development. In R. J. Sternberg & C.A. Berg (Eds.), Intellectual development (pp. 239-252). New York: Cambridge University Press. Markus, H., & Herzog, A. R. (1991). The role of the self-concept in aging. In K. W. Schaie (Ed.), Annual review of gerontology and geriatrics (Vol. 11). New York: Springer. Sternberg, R. (1990). Wisdom: Its nature, origins, and development. N. Y.: Cambridge University Press. Wyer, R. S., Jr., & Srull, T. K. (1989). Memory and cognition in its social context. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS It is the policy of the NIH that women and members of minority groups and their subpopulations must be included in all NIH supported biomedical and behavioral research projects involving human subjects, unless a clear and compelling rationale and justification is provided that inclusion is inappropriate with respect to the health of the subjects or the purpose of the research. This policy results from the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (Section 492B of Public Law 103-43). All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read the "NIH Guidelines for Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical Research," which have been published in the Federal Register, March 9, 1994 (FR 59 14508-14513) and reprinted in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, Volume 23, Number 11, March 18, 1994. Investigators may obtain copies of the policy from the program staff listed under INQUIRIES or from the Internet at http://www.med.nyu.edu. Program staff may also provide additional relevant information concerning the policy. APPLICATION PROCEDURES Applications are to be submitted on the grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 5/95) and will be accepted at the standard application deadlines as indicated in the application kit. Applications kits are available at most institutional offices of sponsored research and may be obtained from the Office of Extramural Outreach and Information Resources, National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7910, Bethesda, MD 20892-7910, telephone 301-710-0267, email: ASKNIH@odrockm1.od.nih.gov. The title and number of the program announcement must be typed in line 2 on the face page of the application. Applications for the FIRST award (R29) must include at least three sealed letters of reference attached to the face page of the original application. FIRST award (R29) applications submitted without the required number of reference letters will be considered incomplete and will be returned without review. FIRST Award applicants are reminded that they must follow "just-in-time" procedures (NIH Guide to Grants and Contracts, Volume 25, March 29, 1996). The completed original application and five legible copies must delivered to: DIVISION OF RESEARCH GRANTS NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH 6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, SUITE 1040, MSC 7710 BETHESDA, MD 20892-7710 BETHESDA, MD 20817 (For Express/Courier Service) Receipt dates for new Research Project Grants and FIRST Awards applications are February 1, June 1, and October 1 of each year. REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS Applications will be assigned on the basis of established Public Health Service referral guidelines. Applications will be reviewed for scientific and technical merit by study sections of the Division of Research Grants, NIH, in accordance with the standard NIH peer review procedures. As part of the initial merit review, all applications will receive a written critique and undergo a process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific merit, generally the top half of applications under review, will be discussed, assigned a priority score, and receive a second level review by the appropriate national advisory council or board. REVIEW CRITERIA * Scientific, technical, or medical significance and originality of proposed research; * Appropriateness and adequacy of the experimental approach and methodology proposed to carry out the research; * Qualifications and research experience of the Principal Investigator and staff, particularly, but not exclusively, in the area of the proposed research; * Availability of the resources necessary to perform the research; * Appropriateness of the proposed budget and duration in relation to the proposed research; * Adequacy of plans to include both genders and minorities and their subgroups as appropriate for the scientific goals of the research. Plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects will also be evaluated. * The initial review group will also examine the provisions for the protection of human and animal subjects, the safety of the research environment. AWARD CRITERIA Applications will compete for available funds with all other approved applications assigned to that Institute/Center (IC). The following will be considered in making funding decisions: Quality of the proposed project as determined by peer review, availability of funds, and program priority. INQUIRIES Inquiries are encouraged. The opportunity to clarify any issues or questions from potential applicants is welcome. Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to: Jared Jobe, Ph.D. Behavioral and Social Research National Institute on Aging 7201 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 533 MSC 9205 Bethesda, MD 20892-9205 Telephone: (301) 496-3137 FAX: (301) 402-0051 Email: Jared_Jobe@nih.gov Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to: Mr. Joseph Ellis Grants and Contracts Management Office National Institute on Aging 7201 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 2N212, MSC 9205 Bethesda, MD 20892-9205 Telephone: (301) 496-1472 FAX: (301) 402-3672 Email: Joseph_Ellis@nih.gov The NIMH supports research on a range of topics in social cognition (e.g., attitude accessibility, persuasion, stereotyping, self and social identity, stigma about mental disorders) across the life-span in normative, at-risk, and mentally ill populations. Inquiries about NIMH's sponsorship of these activities may be directed to: Della M. Hann, Ph.D. Division of Neuroscience and Behavioral Sciences National Institute of Mental Health 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 11C-16 Rockville, MD 20857 Telephone: (301) 443-3942 FAX: (301) 443-4822 Email: dhann@nih.gov The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) is interested in the topics of this Program Announcement (PA) as they pertain to children's and adolescents' development. More specifically, NICHD is interested in supporting meritorious applications in the following areas: (a) Normative age-related changes in knowledge structure; (b) Contextual and functional perspectives on the normative development of social cognition; (c) The interaction of social cognition, emotion and motivation during childhood and adolescence and (d) Developmental changes in cognitive skills and social cognition. Inquiries about NICHD's support for research in social cognition may be directed to: Sarah L. Friedman, Ph.D. Center for Research for Mothers and Children, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Building 61E, Room 4B05 Bethesda, MD 20892 Telephone: (301) 496-9849 FAX: (301) 480-7773 Email: FriedmaS@HD01.NICHD.NIH.GOV AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 93.866, Aging Research, No. 93.399, Cancer Control Research, No. 93.393, Cancer Cause and Prevention Research, No. 93.396, Cancer Biology Research, No 93.399, Cancer Treatment Research, No. 93.361, Nursing Research, and No. 93.242, Mental Health Research. Awards are made under authorization of the Public Health Service Act, Title IV, Part A (Public Law 78-410, as amended by Public Law 99-158, 42 USC 241 and 285) and administered under PHS grants policies and Federal Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Part 74. This program is not subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency review. The PHS strongly encourages all grant and contract recipients to provide a smoke-free workplace and promote the non-use of all tobacco products. In addition, Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking in certain facilities (or in some cases, any portion of a facility) in which regular or routine education, library, day care, health care or early childhood development services are provided to children. This is consistent with the PHS mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of the American people. .
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