Research proposal selection
Research proposals are welcomed across the ESRC remit, but particularly in the following areas:
Child development and language development
Proposals within this theme should explore typical and atypical development and learning, from early infancy to adulthood through integration of experimental, neuropsychological, and computational methodologies. Training will be supported through expertise based in the Centre for Human Development and Learning (Lancaster), Max Planck Child Study Centre (Manchester) and Child Language Study Centre (Liverpool). In addition, the North West Language Group forms a cross-institutional language development forum which organizes bimonthly discussion meetings and an annual mini-conference.
Clinical and health psychology
This theme encourages research proposals that advance understanding of various psychopathologies through the development of relevant psychological models of disorder and formulation and evaluation of theoretically-driven treatment and interventions. Proposals should seek to improve human health by increasing our understanding of factors that influence both mental and physical health, and developing and evaluating novel psychological solutions to ill health in general that have a demonstrable application to health services.
Cognition and cognitive neuroscience
The term 'cognition' is commonly used to describe mental processes such as reasoning, remembering, recognising, perceiving and many other tasks which humans undertake with apparent ease but which are, in fact, highly complex. Cognitive neuroscience is the scientific discipline which has developed in order to study how these complex processes are implemented in the brain.
Proposals are invited within this theme in the following areas:
- Reasoning and decision making
- Memory and recollection
- Motivation, emotion and reward
- Time perception
- Face recognition
- Language processing (including spoken English, speech-reading and British Sign Language (BSL))
- Limb embodiment and embodied cognition
- Visual processing and the visual system
- Multisensory integration (e.g. how do vision and touch cooperate?)
- Cortical plasticity
- Embodied cognition
- Reasoning as we read
Social, forensic and individual political behaviour
As a social species our understanding of social psychology is critical to the study of human behaviour. Studying human behaviour in the real world makes psychological research relevant to a wider audience of stakeholders and this theme intends to deliver high quality research of real value. Investigative and forensic psychology is one area where research has a real impact on the criminal justice system. Similarly, political psychology helps us to understand how politics influence and is influenced by human behaviour. Applications that seek to make novel and substantive contributions in these fields are welcomed.
Interested applicants should read the application procedure information for further details on how to apply: