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B -- FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH IN BAHAVIORAL SCIENCE Due 091395. POC Director, RACO: Dr. Michael Drillings (Topics 1 and 4) (703) 274-8641; Dr. George Lawton (Topics 3 and 5) (703) 274-5590; Dr. Joseph Psotka (Topics 2, 3 (VR), and 5) (703) 274-5572; International Research Programs (all applicants from outside U.S.): Contact Dr. Michael Strub, Chief, European Science Coordination Office, 44-171-514-4903, London, UK. E-mail addresses: Drillings@alexandria-emh2.army.mil; Lawton@alexandria-emh2.army.mil; Psotka@alexandria-emh2.army.mil; MStrub@army.ehis.navy.mil; and/or U.S. ARI, Attn: PERI-BR (6.1); 5001 Eisenhower Ave, Rm 6N50; Alexandria, VA 22333-5600. For hand deliveries between 8:00 A.M. and 3:30 P.M., call 274-8721 or 274-5572/90 from the lobby. Faxed proposals will not be accepted. U.S. ARMY RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES BASIC RESEARCH PROGRAM. I. The Research and Advanced Concepts Office (RACO) of the U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI) solicits new proposals for its Fiscal Year 1996 contract program of fundamental research in behavioral science. A portion of available funding is earmarked for meritorious proposals from minority institutions and historically Black colleges and universities. The purpose of this research is to add new, fundamental knowledge to behavioral science subdisciplines and discover generalizable principles. Novel and state-of-the-art approaches to difficult problems are especially welcome, as are integrated programmatic efforts to develop and test theory. Investigations which focus on physiological or chemical mechanisms or psychopathology cannot be considered by this agency. Similarly, no consideration can be given to applied research projects. However, support for basic science does depend on the judgment that its research findings will have the potential to feed into development of new behavioral technologies. Those capable of improving the effectiveness of Army personnel and their units. II. Scientific Problems for Basic Research. The areas listed below are of high relevance to the Army: 1. Leadership. ARI is interested in assessing the impact of leadership on crew, team, and unit performance; developing measures of leadership; and better understanding the development of leadership. The research should contribute to an eventual understanding of leadership and organizational dynamics within amilitary context. 2. Implications of digital information. As the Army modernizes, increasing quantities of digital information about the location of vehicles and personnel and the status of resources become available on the battlefield. Soldiers must be able to integrate novel visual displays and auditory information via networked computers to communicate and make decisions. Moreover, these skills must often be used with minimal recent practice. ARI seeks creative fundamental research in spatial abilities and aptitude, training, information processing, and decision making relevant to these issues. 3. New Issues in Training. The Army increasingly uses distributed interactive simulation (DIS) and virtual reality in training. A reduction in the size of the active Army causes a greater reliance on reserve component forces and requires soldiers to adjust quickly to different conditions (i.e., peacekeeper vs. warrior). Research is sought on the development of methods to train skills faster, to have skills retained over long periods without practice, for skills to transfer from the training environment to the actual task more effectively, and for training to improve cognitive flexibility. (We recognize that some responses to this topic may include research in virtual reality. Because of limitations in funds and to reduce the duration of research projects, ARI will not be able to support fully the building of virtual reality environments. Offerors must be able to show either that they have such a facility, have accessto such a facility, or do not require such a facility, have access to such a facility, or do not require such a facility). 4. Social Structures Affecting Army Performance. Although RACO maintains a large program in this area, creative ideas are sought for: understanding elements of the Army culture in terms of sociological conceptions and their influence on morale,recruitment, reenlistment, performance and discipline; developing a model of the Army culture, relating it to other armies and to civilian society; and understanding how major societal issues influence the Army. 5. Occupational Analysis. Research is needed to better understand officer and enlisted classification structures to improve manpower selection, classification and assignment, training and education, and proficiency evaluation. Quantitative, psychometric, neural net, and expert system models are needed to understand and improve the methods experts use to create tasks, task clusters, and job clusters. III. Time, Personnel, and Other Features of the Research. Normally, research programs can range from 1 to 3 years. However, short-term efforts with modest budgets are particulary encouraged this year. These proposals may include an option for further research that will be exercised by ARI if early results are promising. Short-term, small-scale efforts in high-risk/high-gain areas are also welcome. Finally, investigators are encouraged to conduct their basic research in realistic contexts, where appropriate. Bothsingle-investigator and collaborative research efforts are acceptable, as are multidisciplinary approaches to a central problem. Collaborative efforts may involve researchers at a single institution or in cooperating institutions. Offerors with questions about the appropriateness of their planned research, may e-mail or call the relevant program manager prior to the deadlines. IV. Application Procedures. Proposals should include an abstract and be sufficiently detailed to be responsive to the criteria, described below, for evaluation. The formal proposal must include institutional endorsement, signature of the proposed principal investigator, time frames for all phases of the project, and detailed accounts of proposed work and budget. The technical section of the formal proposal must be no greater than 25 pages in length. Five copies must be submitted. They will be reviewed by scientific peers according to the following criteria (in order of importance): (1) Importance of the research to ARI's mission and Army concerns. (2) Scientific significance of the issue and originality (3) Technical merit, appropriateness, and feasibility of the proposed approach. (4) The qualifications, capabilities, and experience of the proposed principal investigator and key personnel; and institutional resources and facilities. Moreover, successful proposals must have budgets that are both affordable and realistic for the proposed effort. The evaluation of budget is subordinate to the technical evaluation. V. Concept papers. ARI invites potential offerors who are unsure of the relevance of their topics to submit concept papers. Concept papers are optional, but if submitted must be less than 5 pages, concisely address the proposed research, and should contain only an approximate total budget projection. Please enclose an e-mail address and a telephone number where you can be reached. Because of the short duration before the first deadline for formal proposals, concept papers should only be used by those Offerors who are seeking to meet the second deadline for formal proposals. Two copies of each concept paper must be submitted by 21 November 1995. VI. Deadlines. To be considered for early funding, formal proposals must be received no later than 3:30 P.M., 13 September 1995. For consideration for later funding, proposals must be received no later than 3:30 P.M., 31 January 1996. The lag between proposal deadline dates and actual contract award cannot be expected to be less than six months. Investigators should take this into consideration when projecting start dates and budgets. (180)

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