4. Circa 1928
Margaret Mead made a simple study
about aborigines in Polynesia
Her dissertation into the Question of Cultural Stability in Polynesia
brought anthropology to the public's interest and pioneered areas of study dealing
with culture versus biology in the formation of societies and the "complexities of
being human."
5. Circa 1955
Noah Chomsky made a simple
inquiry into why children easily
learn a new language.
Transformational Analysis
Linguistics: Chomsky introduced transformational grammar, a theory which changed conceptions about how
children acquire language and the construction of language and grammars, with significant implications for the
field of cognitive psychology. He "contributed substantially to a major methodological shift in the human
sciences, turning away from the prevailing empiricism of the middle of the twentieth century: behaviorism in
psychology, structuralism in linguistics and positivism in philosophy."
6. Smart research problems are those questions that
give you the gut feeling that you are doing
something new…
7. After your PH.D dissertation, you know you have something new to say…
8. What is the easiest way to
write a research question?
9. Trust
Trust that you can find answers and
And that the answers are worth
Looking for