Dolores Archaeological Program Technical Reports, DAP-002: The Dolores Archaeological Program Research Design

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation original Dolores Cultural Resources Mitigation Program Request for Proposals specified development and submission of a research design as a requisite for potential contractors. The University of Colorado submitted a preliminary research design as part of its formal mitigation proposal to the bureau; this design underwent extensive revision in the fall of 1978 and spring of 1979. The document consists of 5 major elements or prob l em domains; these are economy and adaptation, paleodemography, social organization and settlement patterns, extraregional relationships and culture process. Each problem domain is presented as a structure of inquiry to address the major generalized questions. The problem domains as a whole are logically consistent and incorporate specific methodological guidance developed by the project staff. As the design is a structure of inquiry, it is not intended to answer all questions; rather, effort will be concentrated on those questions for which adequate data sets are available . The ultimate goals are to produce a reconstruction of synchronic prehistoric cultures and to develop and test a processual model using the research design as a methodological foundation.