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Updated: Jan 25, 2026

The Use of the Puzzle Box as a Means of Assessing the Efficacy of Environmental Enrichment
Published on: December 29, 2014
Scientific progress is like doing a puzzle, not building a wall
Alexa M Tullett1, Simine Vazire2
1Department of Psychology,University of Alabama,Tuscaloosa,AL 35487-0348.alexa.tullett@gmail.comhttp://alexatullett.com.
Abstract:
We contest the "building a wall" analogy of scientific progress. We argue that this analogy unfairly privileges original research (which is perceived as laying bricks and, therefore, constructive) over replication research (which is perceived as testing and removing bricks and, therefore, destructive). We propose an alternative analogy for scientific progress: solving a jigsaw puzzle.
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