Formation Processes and Biases in Big Data

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Establishing the Science of Paleolithic Archaeology: The Legacy of Harold Dibble (1951–2018) Part II" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Much of Harold Dibble’s career was focused on the formation processes of the archaeological record. Initially, formation theory encompassed both natural and cultural formation processes; however, in the last few decades most scholars have focused on natural biases in the formation of the archaeological record. Dibble’s methods, from the quantification of lithics to the spatial mapping of artifacts to the use of controlled flaking experiments, always aimed to examine both natural and cultural formation processes to understand their impact on archaeological aggregates. This paper examines the impact that cultural formation processes have on archaeological datasets. In the twenty-first century, we’ve seen a growing trend toward “big data” approaches that aim to aggregate a diverse range of evidence and speak to larger cultural narratives in the past. While natural biases are often accounted for, cultural formation processes are not as well understood. Through an investigation into the zooarchaeological record, it is shown that “big data” (quantification across sites and periods) should first examine the formation processes of our archaeological aggregates and understand various biases (spatial, cultural, conceptual) in our data prior to putting together a “big picture” narrative.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Establishing the Science of Paleolithic Archaeology: The Legacy of Harold Dibble (1951–2018) Part II   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37190.0