When working with images or artifacts two of the most important strategies are observing and inferring. Observing is a process of noticing things through the five senses. For most historical and archeological work, vision is the most important sense. Sometimes special tools like microscopes or thermometers enhance what we can observe through our senses. Observing can also be improved by taking the time to focus on small parts of an artifact or image, then moving slowly to observe other parts. Observing can also be enhanced by working with other people who might notice unique things. Observing is a vital skill, especially when working with artifacts, photographs, paintings, or other traces from the past.
Inferring is the process of using observations, combined with accurate background knowledge, to reach logical conclusions. Some people think that inferences are just educated guesses, and that any inference is just as good as any other. But criteria exist for evaluating the strength of an inference. The best inferences are usually the simplest conclusions that explain all the observations and ties in accurate background knowledge. Inferring happens in all aspects of our lives. For instance, a person might make an inference based on a person’s facial expression or body language during a conversation. In history, inferences help us analyze traditional written texts and as well as artifacts, photographs, paintings, or other evidence.
Observing and Inferring Example
The inquiry related to the Ancestral Pueblo found here gives students an opportunity to engage in observing and inferring. For example, one of the resources in the archive is an image of Hovenweep Castle. To use this artifact as evidence of the daily life of the Ancestral Pueblo, one of the recommended questions for this inquiry, a student might first observe that the structures are made from red stones that could be found nearby, the stones are all roughly the same size and shape, the structures are tall, there are several buildings near each other, and some are square and others are round. From these observations a student might infer that the people who built these structures planned to live there permanently, they intentionally shaped the stones used in construction, they must have had a nearby supply of water and a reliable food supply, several families lived together, and these structures were two or more stories tall. These are all simple conclusions that explain what is observed.
The inference that these structures were used to hold domesticated rabbits is not as strong of an inference because it is not as simple of an explanation of what is observed. And it does not explain all the things that were observed. For instance, why would people build a structure that is as tall as these are to hold rabbits? The response, "to prevent their enemies from stealing their rabbits” further complicates the explanation. Simple inferences are better.