Creativity and Rigor

In this episode we explore the relationship between creativity and rigor. Some psychologists have commented that they at odds, others have suggested that you can pursue one independent of the other. We examine the argument that expecting research to be rigorous gets in the way of creativity. What makes a scientific idea creative, and how is that different from creativity in other domains? Can people be creative in the ways they try to be rigorous? Are creative ideas more prestigious than rigorous methods? Have cheap ideas given a bad name to scientific creativity, and have bad criticisms given a bad name to rigor? Also: A letter about whether people requesting data from published articles should have to preregister.

• Simine on Circle of Willis
• John Pfaff on Tatter
• Charting the future of social psychology on stormy seas: Winners, losers, and recommendations by Roy Baumeister
• Daryl Bem interviewed at Slate
• A guide for reviewers: Editorial hardball in the 70s by Richard Nisbett
• The anticreativity letters: Advice from a senior tempter to a junior tempter by Richard Nisbett
• A perspectivist approach to theory construction by William McGuire
• Implications of the credibility revolution for productivity, creativity, and progress by Simine Vazire

The Black Goat is hosted by Sanjay Srivastava, Alexa Tullett, and Simine Vazire. Find us on the web at www.theblackgoatpodcast.com, on Twitter at @blackgoatpod, or on Facebook at facebook.com/blackgoatpod/. You can email us at letters@theblackgoatpodcast.com. You can subscribe to us on iTunes.

Our theme music is Peak Beak by Doctor Turtle, available on freemusicarchive.org under a Creative Commons noncommercial attribution license.

This is episode 26. It was recorded January 19, 2018.