3 ms·

Praise tends to cause people to seek association with those being praised, and those who are praised the most tend to be insiders with lots of friends in the fi

Praise tends to cause people to seek association with those being praised, and those who are praised the most tend to be insiders with lots of friends in the field. This effectively does the same thing, causing people to shun outsiders and instead try to attach themselves to those who are already the most prominent members of the field. I don't think that it really encourages research to create an environment that makes people uncomfortable voicing criticism of those with the greatest power and influence.

kenjackson 4y ago
They won’t be shunned. That’s the point. In the other model they would be. But in this model people will actively seek out breakthroughs to get praise. Everyone says they want constructive feedback. But most people actively avoid it. If I told you as a young scientist you can go into a field where you will never get praised, just criticized or Vice versa where do you think even most of the top young scientists would go? No one wants to have their career be “I think I did good work, but pretty much everyone just found issues so it never really made traction”.
- jasonhansel 4y ago
  If I asked someone whether they wanted to go into a field where they would never feel able to criticize people, do you think they would want to join? Suppose, for instance, that somebody in HCI proposed a new system that would be horribly inaccessible to people with disabilities, to the point that widespread adoption would cause actual harm. Wouldn't it be best for society if the rest of the field felt empowered to criticize their work? Furthermore, people often feel pressured to praise the works of their friends and colleagues; in doing so, they elevate the most connected members of the field above those doing breakthrough research.

3 ms·

Praise tends to cause people to seek association with those being praised, and those who are praised the most tend to be insiders with lots of friends in the fi

by jasonhansel 4y ago

kenjackson 4y ago
They won’t be shunned. That’s the point. In the other model they would be. But in this model people will actively seek out breakthroughs to get praise. Everyone says they want constructive feedback. But most people actively avoid it. If I told you as a young scientist you can go into a field where you will never get praised, just criticized or Vice versa where do you think even most of the top young scientists would go? No one wants to have their career be “I think I did good work, but pretty much everyone just found issues so it never really made traction”.
- jasonhansel 4y ago
  If I asked someone whether they wanted to go into a field where they would never feel able to criticize people, do you think they would want to join? Suppose, for instance, that somebody in HCI proposed a new system that would be horribly inaccessible to people with disabilities, to the point that widespread adoption would cause actual harm. Wouldn't it be best for society if the rest of the field felt empowered to criticize their work? Furthermore, people often feel pressured to praise the works of their friends and colleagues; in doing so, they elevate the most connected members of the field above those doing breakthrough research.