BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF SCHOLARS IN PSYCHOLOGY OF AGING

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The program has been designed to further increase the national capacity for conducting high quality .aging research, thereby enhancing the health status of older adults. Thirty psychology faculty will receive advanced training in research methodology in order to build a community of college teachers committed to developing an active research agenda and to integrating teaching and research in aging. Specific objectives include: 1) increasing psychology faculty's knowledge, skills, and motivation for pursuing an ongoing program of aging research, 2) providing participants an opportunity to interact intensively with senior investigators and to promote the development of networking relationships among them, 3) increasing participants' awareness of grant support available for exploring new directions in aging research and providing them extended opportunities to interact with NIA program staff, 4) increasing the number of strong research proposals that participants submit to the National Institute on Aging. Program design includes an initial two-week institute, ongoing consultation regarding proposal development, a February working session, and a summer follow-up institute. Topics covered include: Research Design & Analysis (K. Warner Schaie); Issues in Conducting Field Studies (Neil Charness); Evaluation of Interventions (Margaret Gatz); Assessing Older Adults (M. Powell Lawton); Conducting Research with African American Elders (Keith Whitfield); and Seeking Grant Support (NIA Staff). In order to promote dissemination of program content and outcomes, faculty will be invited to contribute to a special theme issue of Educational Gerontology focusing on methodological issues in aging research. The program will be promoted through a collaborative liaison with the American Psychological Association, through a linkage with the Resource Center for Minority Aging Research, through contacts with other professional organizations, and through networking activities of past participants and visiting professors.