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Subject: Re: [TGF] Evidence Explained Discussion - Fundamentals of EvidenceAnalysis - Basic Issues (1.1)
Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2010 09:24:01 -0700
> Discussion: Section 1.1: Analysis and Mindset
>
> The rest of this chapter goes into deeper detail on the points brought up in this particular section. However, to start the discussion, what are your personal insights to the mindset you bring to your research? Does your mindset change when doing personal research vs. client research? How does your mindset effect your analysis? What do you think is important for doing analysis?
>
First, thank you, Michele!
It's been interesting reading the responses. I see glimmers of myself
in most.
My mindset is fairly simplistic. I've used it pretty much all my life
since reaching some "age of reason" (@9 - 10 yrs old). Before that I
don't have memories thinking about how I knew what I thought I knew.
<g>
What do I know? How do I know it? What don't I know?
Those are the questions I bring to every aspect of my research (or
reading or discussing an article with others). Closely associated,
probably just another way of working towards the same goal of
understanding, is the question "What does something *mean*?" -- clearly
affecting my ability to answer the three questions above.
These four questions fairly completely describe the mindset I bring to
my research.
I have formed other opinions regarding specific research strategies or
what I think is needed to "convince" myself that a particular statement
might be "true," based upon my limited research experience and prior
experience from non-genealogical endeavors, but each was formed based
upon my desire to answer the above questions. And the strategies may
very well change as I gain more experience with actual sources.
I only do personal research, so can't speak to differences between
client & personal.
Regarding how my mindset affects my analysis, I worry about "losing" all
the qualifiers...jumping from "I think such and such is so and this is
why" to "such and such is so." I'm still trying to figure out a
workable process (for me) that would inhibit me from those memory
losses, but would also allow me to build findings.
Another way my mindset affects my analysis is that I focus a lot of
attention on "context" in my efforts to answer the question of what
something means. trying to identify reliable sources for historical
contexts and the contexts of historical records, etc. My list of "what
don't I know" seems to expand exponentially. <g>
Regarding Michele's question "What do you think is important for doing
analysis?":
My answer would include:
-a research objective
-knowing and having access to the sources relevant to that time and
place
-systematic recording and evaluation of observations
-critical thinking skills, logic, objectivity
-concise, clear descriptions of the above, in written form, for oneself
and/or others
That's about it!
Linda
____________
Linda Gardner
Massachusetts
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