Connecting the dots
Connecting the dots is seeing meaningful connections between observations, events, and data.
Definition
This is a practical concept related to pattern analysis. It helps to move from individual facts to a picture of a mechanism, but requires caution: not every similarity is a relationship. Connecting the dots well requires data, time, and a willingness to reject an attractive but weak hypothesis.
Key ideas
Missing key ideas.
Practice and life
Collect at least five observations before naming a pattern. For each one, write down whether it is a fact, an interpretation, or a hypothesis.
Common misunderstanding
It is a mistake to see a pattern where there is coincidence. It is also a mistake to ignore repeated signals because each one seems small.
Questions for self-reflection
No questions for self-reflection.
Sources
No sources.