Methodologies of informed intuition: the role of informed intuition and intuitive openness perspectives on politics

Knott, Eleanor ORCID: 0000-0002-9131-3939 (2024) Methodologies of informed intuition: the role of informed intuition and intuitive openness perspectives on politics. Perspectives on Politics. ISSN 1537-5927 (In Press)

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Abstract

In political science, positivist scholars often approach intuition cautiously as something best avoided or improved by methodological training. Meanwhile, interpretive scholars typically laud “hunches” as necessary guiding logics. This article introduces the novel concept of informed intuition, drawing on understandings of intuition in cognitive psychology and organizational behavior that emphasize the importance of learning and feedback in developing and using intuition. Many political scientists agree that they use intuition privately but rarely acknowledge it in published works. As such, the article argues for harnessing, acknowledging, recognizing, and legitimizing the role of informed intuition across methodological and epistemic divides. Specifically, the article demonstrates the importance of acknowledging the role of informed intuition regarding (1) the logics of research (inductive, deductive, or abductive), and (2) case selection. In doing so, the article aligns with discussions of transparency to argue that researchers should also consider demonstrating intuitive openness to enhance research integrity.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2024 The Author(s)
Divisions:	Methodology
Date Deposited:	25 Nov 2024 10:48
Last Modified:	12 Dec 2024 04:35
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/126160

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