Subjective vs. Objective Research

• Subjective Information | (Back to Top)
  definition paraphrased from Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language 2nd college ed.

  affected by a particular state of mind;	results from the feelings of the subject
  emphasizing the ideas, thoughts or feelings of the writer	not just rigidly reflecting reality

  Always examine the qualifications of the person imparting information.
  Is their argument logical
  Do they have an agenda?
  What's the difference between an answer and the answer?
  
  Edgar Allen Poe's first biographer was a rival writer. Was Poe an alcoholic?
  Who killed the two princes in the tower, Henry VII or Richard III?
  If all the Tudor rules in England beheaded hundreds of people, why is Mary Tudor the only one with the nickname Bloody Mary
  Leprosy causes blindness.
  How many versions of Microsoft's Encarta are there?
  Do you know what a vanity press is? How is this different from a web page?
  See Evaluating a Source for more information.

• Propaganda

  If you want an excellent example of someone with an agenda read Animal Farm
  When I was in grade school we were told:
      the Russians planted trees along their highways so we couldn't see beyond the road.
      we were also told to protect ourselves from the auto bomb by hiding under our desk
  
  Have you ever deleted information while using a computer? Easy isn't it?
  How many of you have used a graphic program, such as Photoshop and learned how to erase someone from a photograph?

• Objective Information | (Back to Top)
  

  "without bias or prejudice; detached; impersonal" (Webster's, p.980)
  Objective research has no agenda. It reports facts which are substantiated.

• Your mind is like a garbage can | (Back to Top)
  

  You are constantly being exposed to information.
  Some of you are learning.
  Try and think of your mind as a recycling plant.
  Some information you keep and use forever
  Some information you use for a while
  Some information you never look at
  Some information you recycle to someone else
  Some information you recycle and you don't care to whom

• Learning is Constant | (Back to Top)
  

  speaking, walking, riding a bike, etc.
  

• Remembering is Sporadic | (Back to Top)
  

  If you have no sensation in your fingers, can you remember a stove burner is hot?
  To blink your eyes if they have dust in them?

• Memory - short and long term | (Back to Top)
  

  How long will you remember the information you learned for your mid-term last week?
  If you don't remember it, did you learn it, do you know it?

• Knowledge requires knowing | (Back to Top)
  

  How important is retention to knowledge?

• Who controls the knowledge | (Back to Top)
  

  If you use logic and question your sources, you can.

• Sometimes you have to Sit Still & Concentrate | (Back to Top)
  

  The MTV generation expects constant stimulation.
  You were raised with constant video and audio
  You are used to frequent image changes.
  If TV wants you to forget what you saw in January so you can watch it again in July, does this influence how long you retain information?
  What does this do to your memory?
  People with the best memory come from an oral culture.

• The Educated Person | (Back to Top)
  

  Some of the most educated people I know never went to a university.

Last Updated 4/20/04 contact the Drama Library drama@lib.washington.edu

© 2002 Liz Fugate