Watching scientists = they changed their experiments based on their discussions
Kevin Dunbard, a psychologist at McGill University, studied scientists to understand how they made their discoveries. In the early 1990s, he decided to take a new approach to scientific discovery. Instead of reading biographies and asking scientists how they made their discoveries, he decided to simply watch them as they worked. He set up cameras in their labs and recorded as much as possible. In addition to that, he also interviewed them about the advancement of their research. Dunbard found that scientists changed their strategy and tried a new experience based on their discussion with other scientists. More importantly, Dunbard discovered that the best ideas emerged during regular lab meetings. Dozens of researchers would gather and informally present and discuss their latest work. The “distributed reasoning,” where several scientists come together to understand and solve a problem, distinguished the successful scientists from the others. Innovation did not come from the microscope but rather from the conference table
Weiss, Rick. “Researchers Go from A to B to Discovery.” Washington Post, January 26, 1998
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