Abstract
This chapter shows with examples how archaeologists can craft generalizations about discovery processes. The key is to appreciate that many discoveries are founded on the people–artifact interactions that yield new effects and discovery claims. The archaeologist can make comparisons among discoveries to discern patterns in apparatus and interactions that are susceptible to generalization. Accordingly, this chapter sets forth several generalizations about apparatus-intensive discovery processes: accident and serendipity, trial and error, trial and assess, employing a discovery machine, technology transfer, and taking the next step. Although many students of science are familiar with instances of these discovery processes, they had not been previously concerned about generalizing the people–artifact interactions involved.
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Notes
- 1.
The Leyden jar case study is adapted from Schiffer, Hollenback, and Bell (2003:44–47).
- 2.
The Faraday case study is adapted from Schiffer (2008:50–51).
- 3.
The electrolytic cell discussion has been distilled from Schiffer (2008, chapter 8).
- 4.
The three-phase model is an abridgment of a six-phase model (Schiffer, Hollenback, and Bell 2003:176–180).
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Schiffer, M.B. (2013). Discovery Processes: Trial Models. In: The Archaeology of Science. Manuals in Archaeological Method, Theory and Technique, vol 9. Springer, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-00077-0_13
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