Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 16, 2026
10:26
Problem-Solving Before Instruction PS-I: A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities
Published on: September 11, 2021
4.5K
Different personal propensities among scientists relate to deeper vs. broader knowledge contributions
Thomas S Bateman1, Andrew M Hess2
1McIntire School of Commerce, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904; and tsb3c@virginia.edu.
Summary
Scientists' personal traits influence research depth and breadth. Competitiveness drives depth, while conscientiousness and learning goals favor breadth, impacting scientific knowledge contributions.
Area of Science:
- Psychology of Science
- Bibliometrics
- Research Impact
Background:
- Scientific contributions can be characterized by depth (specialized knowledge) and breadth (interdisciplinary scope).
- Understanding the link between scientists' personal dispositions and their publication patterns is crucial for advancing scientific knowledge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how individual scientists' personal dispositions predict the depth versus breadth of their published research contributions.
- To test the hypothesis that broader studies are perceived as riskier and less attractive than deeper studies.
Main Methods:
- Study 1: Survey assessing scientists' perceptions of hypothetical deeper versus broader research studies.
- Study 2: Correlating questionnaire measures of medical researchers' dispositions with bibliometric data on their publication's topical coverage over 10 years.
Main Results:
- Competitiveness positively predicted research depth; conscientiousness negatively predicted breadth.
- Learning goal orientation predicted breadth, while performance goal orientation predicted depth.
- Openness to experience positively influenced both depth and breadth; exploratory work behavior favored breadth over depth.
Conclusions:
- Personal dispositions significantly and differentially shape the depth and breadth of scientific contributions.
- This research provides a nuanced understanding of how individual traits influence the landscape of scientific knowledge production.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:23Implicit Personality Theories
682
Implicit personality theory explains how individuals make assumptions about the relationships between personality traits, behaviors, and character types. When people learn that someone possesses a particular trait, they tend to infer the presence of other related characteristics, forming a cohesive impression. This cognitive shortcut plays a crucial role in social interactions and interpersonal judgments.Central Traits and Their InfluenceSolomon Asch's seminal 1946 study highlighted the power...
682
01:14Fundamental Attribution Error
14.1K
According to some social psychologists, people tend to overemphasize internal factors as explanations—or attributions—for the behavior of other people. They tend to assume that the behavior of another person is a trait of that person, and to underestimate the power of the situation on the behavior of others. They tend to fail to recognize when the behavior of another is due to situational variables, and thus to the person’s state. This erroneous assumption is...
14.1K
01:30Biological Influences on Intelligence
704
Intelligence is often thought to be linked to brain size, but the relationship is more complex than that. While brain size does correlate modestly with some abilities, like verbal skills, the connection is weaker for others, such as spatial reasoning. Other factors, like brain structure, also play crucial roles. For instance, despite Einstein's smaller-than-average brain, his parietal cortex, which is involved in spatial reasoning, was 15% wider, suggesting that neural density might matter...
704
01:23Factors Influencing Attraction III: Similarity
994
The similarity hypothesis suggests that individuals are more likely to form relationships with others who share similar attitudes, beliefs, values, and interests. This concept has been widely studied in social psychology, demonstrating that perceived similarity fosters interpersonal attraction. In an experiment supporting this hypothesis, participants were presented with fabricated information indicating that strangers held attitudes similar to their own. The results showed that participants...
994
01:29Environmental Influences on Intelligence
1.2K
Despite the strong genetic influence on traits like intelligence, environmental factors significantly shape outcomes. For example, while over 90% of height variation is due to genetic differences, environmental factors such as nutrition also have a notable impact. Similarly, for intelligence, changes in a child's surroundings can significantly alter their IQ. Research shows that enriched environments boost children's academic success and help them develop key cognitive skills. Children...
1.2K
01:29Theory of Attribution II: Kelley's Covariation Theory
1.0K
Attribution theory plays a crucial role in social psychology, helping to explain how individuals interpret the causes of behavior. One prominent model within this field is Harold Kelley's covariation theory, which provides a systematic approach to determining whether internal traits or external circumstances drive a person's actions. The model posits that individuals rely on three key types of information—consensus, consistency, and distinctiveness—to make these judgments.Consensus:...
1.0K