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.

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.

Welcome To The Big Leagues

So you got through the interview. What happens next? If you’re lucky, you might get a job offer – and we want you to be ready! In this episode we talk about the process of negotiating for your first job. How should you start preparing (you’re gonna start preparing, right?) Who do you negotiate with and what do they actually want? What kinds of things can you ask for, and how should you ask for them? How do you handle exploding deadlines (boo!) and multiple offers (yay!)? We share our experiences on how to approach this important step in launching your career.

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 25. It was recorded January 4, 2018.