Beyond Feelings

CHAPTER 17 Conducting Inquiry
supported by photographic evidence is that an announcement of
Obama’s birth appeared in a Hawaiian newspaper at that time. In order
for Obama’s parents to have faked the announcement, they would have
had to foresee the possibility of his candidacy forty-seven years later! Because
that is impossible to imagine, the birth announcement poses a strong
argument against the “Birther” assertion.
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As you review your answers to these questions and decide on the
reliability of your information sources, keep in mind that even honest,
conscientious people can make mistakes. Distinguish carefully between
sources that happen to be mistaken on an issue and those whose mistakes
are so numerous or egregious that they suggest dishonesty or the
habit of carelessness.
For an excellent slide presentation on evaluating web sites, created by
Jane Alexander and Marsha Ann Tate, go to: http://muse.widener.edu/
~tltr/How_to_Evaluate_9.htm. (Also see “Bibliography on Evaluating
Web Information” at: http://eagle.lib.vt.edu/help/instruct/evaluate/
evalbiblio.html.
Keeping Focused
All of this may suggest long, monotonous, time- and energy-consuming
research little different from that required for a doctoral dissertation. But
that is a misconception. With a little practice, it is possible to use quickly
and efficiently all the reference sources mentioned. Even books needn’t
be waded through page by page to find something useful. In mere seconds
you can turn to the index (usually at the end) and look for the
several headings your issue might be found under; then turn to the
appropriate pages and read only those pages. If the book has no index, you
can turn to the table of contents, read the chapter titles, decide which
chapters seem most relevant, and then scan them.
Efficiency can be more difficult to achieve in Internet searches because
distractions often are more frequent and tempting. Make a special effort to
discipline your Internet searches, focusing your attention on relevant
material only and resisting the temptation to wander.
How Much Inquiry Is Enough?
It would seem that deciding when an inquiry is complete should be
easy. More often than not, however, it is not easy at all. One insight can
make a great difference. A single new fact can upset a mountain of evidence.
For example, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, most social psychologists
probably would have agreed that crowded living conditions