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The Uses of “Inaccurate” Data: A Methodological Critique and Applications of Alaska Native Data
Author(s) -
McNabb Steven L.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
american anthropologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1548-1433
pISSN - 0002-7294
DOI - 10.1525/aa.1990.92.1.02a00080
Subject(s) - triangulation , scrutiny , interpretation (philosophy) , data collection , computer science , order (exchange) , epistemology , data science , sociology , geography , social science , cartography , law , political science , philosophy , finance , economics , programming language
The ramifications of a current debate about informant accuracy are shown to extend well beyond informant accuracy per se, since they invite scrutiny of fundamental epistemological assumptions. Accuracy is analyzed as a complex concept that must be evaluated along several dimensions, suggesting that multiple standards of “accuracy” require multiple methods of data collection and interpretation known generally as triangulation. Alaska Native data collected by several disparate means are briefly analyzed in order to illustrate how triangulation works.