Methodical thinking

Methodical thinking is at the core of social scientific theory and research.

“Doing methodical inquiry involves being very clear about what you know for certain, what assumptions you’re making, and what you don’t know. Distinguishing between facts, assumptions, and unknowns might seem easy to do at first, but, as you begin making sharp distinctions among them, this process can become more complicated.” (Sears and Cairns, p. 10)

Examine the following photos and make a list for each photo answering these questions:

1. What do you know about the image for certain (in other words, what facts about it can you name)?
2. What do you not know but can reasonably assume, based on the facts that you have?
3. What do you not know but might want to find out in order to better understand the photo?