Black Social and Personality Psychologists Network (BSPN)

Within the scientific disciplines of Personality and Social Psychology, a very small proportion of scholars identify as Black. The Society for Personality and Social Psychology is the largest professional organization representing these disciplines. As of 2021, only 5% of the SPSP membership identified as Black. As a result, Black graduate students and early career scholars are less likely than their White peers (who make up 58% of the SPSP membership) to have ingroup role models and mentors. Many Black graduate students are the only one in their cohort, and sometimes, the only one in the entire academic department. Decades of social psychological research emphasizes that being a numerical minority can have negative consequences for performance, persistence, and general well-being. Creating community and providing exposure to ingroup mentors and role models are crucial interventions that can mitigate these negative effects. This project develops such community resources. The Black Social & Personality Psychologists Network (BSPN) provides community and resources for pre-doctoral, doctoral, and postdoctoral Black social and personality psychologists. The network runs an annual two-and-a-half-day Black Social & Personality Psychologists’ Retreat (BlaSPR) in connection with SPSP, an annual two-and-a-half-day writing retreat in connection with the Society for the Psychological Study for Social Issues (SPSSI), an annual job market bootcamp, monthly virtual lab meetings, and virtual writing sessions. Impact is measured through annual surveys that assess the programming participants attend, their sense of belonging and efficacy, and development of their academic accomplishments. BSPN produces a strong pipeline of scholars who will fill tenure-track faculty positions and serve as role models for future scientists, produce research that better and more accurately reflects the experiences of minority groups, and create more inclusive climates in higher education and the sciences. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.