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Introduction
There is no universal common usage of or accepted general meaning for Anecdotal evidence. "Anecdotal evidence" is an informal account of information from the teller's personal knowledge and experience, of information the teller has learned informally by hearsay or of information claimed to have existed which never has or whose existence cannot be verified independently of the teller. It may comprise any of or any combination of factual, fictional, true or false information. Examples of include:-
- "non-scientific observations or studies, which do not provide proof but may assist research efforts"
- this excludes evidence other than "scientific" even if from careful study:-
- "Report of clinical experiences based in individual cases"
- this is the "witness testimony" type eg. a consultant clinician's experience treating numerous patients
- "describes information that is not based on facts or careful study"
- this covers evidence based neither on facts nor study and covers anything irrespective of reliability
- "from personal interviews, public hearings, and surveys." and "from the sense of anecdote `unpublished narratives or details of history'"".
- these are very different categories of evidence
- "Information passed along by word-of-mouth but not documented scientifically"
- this covers oral information only and but excludes it from being "anecdotal" only if documented scientifically
Common Feature
The feature common to all forms of "anecdotal evidence" is that the ability to test its reliability by objective independent assessment may be in doubt. This is in turn a consequence of either the informal way the information is imparted or the manner in which it has been documented or both. The term is often used in relation to the claimed existence of evidence for which there is an absence of documentation. This leaves verification dependent on the acceptability of the credibility of the party laying claim to its existence.
Anecdote & Witness Evidence
Witness testimony is a common form of evidence in law and law has mechanisms to test witness evidence for reliability. Legal processes for the taking and assessment of evidence are usually formal. "Anecdotal evidence" is not therefore a category of evidence normally taken into account in or found in most developed legal judicial systems and there is therefore no place in law for a legal category of "anecdotal evidence".
Scientific method tends to demand a narrow range of evidence collected in controlled conditions so that sources of bias, for example, can be identified, eliminated or allowed for. Science consequently tends to exclude witness testimony as inherently unreliable, having tended not to develop and therefore lacking the means to test witness evidence. This has lead to the use of the term "anecdotal evidence" by scientists for any form of witness testimony. A similar approach is commonly adopted in medicine. This has lead to the exclusion and devaluation of witness evidence in these fields.
Whilst the term "anecdotal evidence" is used commonly in medicine, science and statistical methods in relation to statements like "My grandmother lived to 95, smoked constantly, and didn't die of lung cancer" such a statement is witness testimony by the teller. It is also evidence for the propositions that smoking does not cause lung cancer in some individuals or that the grandmother had lung cancer (diagnosed or not) but died from some other cause. Accordingly, in the absence of further evidence, it falls short of being proof.
Witness testimony can be tested and assessed for reliability. Examples of approaches to testing and assessment include the use of questioning, evidence of other witnesses, documents, video and forensic evidence.
Where a court lacks suitable means to test and assess testimony of a particular witness, such as the absence of forms of corroboration or substantiation it may afford that testimony limited or no "weight" when making a decision on the facts.
Part of the common confusion in usage of terms like "anecdotal evidence" stems from misunderstandings about the nature of evidence, its usage and how it differs from and what constitutes "proof". "Evidence" and "proof" are commonly used day-to-day interchangably and inappropriately and this usage is particularly visible in mass media.
Conflicting Definitions & Usage
"anecdotal" "Report of clinical experiences based in individual cases, rather than an organised investigation with appropriate controls, etc." Origin: G. Anekdota, unpublished items, fr. An-priv + ekidomi, to publish - ]
"anecdotal" adjective - describes information that is not based on facts or careful study: anecdotal evidence ]
"1 entry found for anecdotal evidence. Main Entry: anecdotal evidence Part of Speech: noun Definition: non-scientific observations or studies, which do not provide proof but may assist research efforts Example: This chapter provides anecdotal evidence from personal interviews, public hearings, and surveys. Etymology: from the sense of anecdote `unpublished narratives or details of history'" Source: Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionary of English, Preview Edition (v 0.9.6) Copyright © 2003-2005 Lexico Publishing Group, LLC
"2 definitions found for anecdotal
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :
Anecdotal \An"ec*do`tal\, a.
Pertaining to, or abounding with, anecdotes; as, anecdotal
conversation.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 :
anecdotal
adj 1: having the character of an anecdote; "anecdotal evidence"
2: characterized by or given to telling anecdotes; "anecdotal
conversation"; "an anectodal history of jazz"; "he was at
his anecdotic best" "
"One entry found for anecdotal. Main Entry: an·ec·dot·al Pronunciation: "a-nik-'dO-t&l Function: adjective 1 a : of, relating to, or consisting of anecdotes <an anecdotal biography> b : ANECDOTIC 2 <my anecdotal uncle> 2 : based on or consisting of reports or observations of usually unscientific observers <anecdotal evidence> 3 : of, relating to, or being the depiction of a scene suggesting a story <anecdotal painting> <anecdotal detail> - an·ec·dot·al·ly /-t&l-E/ adverb" ]
an·ec·dot·al adj.
1. also an·ec·dot·ic or an·ec·dot·i·cal Of, characterized by, or full of
anecdotes.
2. Based on casual observations or indications rather than rigorous or scientific analysis:
"There are anecdotal reports of children poisoned by hot dogs roasted over a fire of the
stems" (C. Claiborne Ray).
]
Definitions of Anecdotal Evidence on the Web:
* Information passed along by word-of-mouth but not documented scientifically.
www.nechakowhitesturgeon.org/sturgeon/glossary/index.php
* Anecdotal evidence is unreliable evidence based on personal experience that has not been
empirically tested, and which is often used in an argument as if it had been scientifically or
statistically proven. The person using anecdotal evidence may or may not be aware of the fact
that, by doing so, they are generalizing.
en.wikipedia.org/Anecdotal_evidence
Anecdotal Evidence: Anecdotal Evidence is information you obtain from a subjective report, an observation, or some kind of example that may or may not be reliable. In addition, anecdotal evidence is not scientifically valid or representative of a larger group or of conditions in another location. ]
This webpage which exemplifies further contrasting approaches to "anecdotal evidence" ]
See also ]:-
- "Explanations and anecdotes. Sometimes, we are more willing to accept a premise if we are given background information or specific examples. Such explanations and accounts are not given the importance of evidence or authority in an argument. Anecdotal evidence, for example, is by definition less statistically reliable than other sorts of evidence, and explanations do not carry the weight of authority. But both anecdotal evidence and explanations may affect our understanding of a premise, and therefore influence our judgment. The relative strength of an explanation or an anecdote is usually a function of its clarity and applicability to the premise it is supporting.
- The various sorts of support for a premise--supporting arguments, evidence, authority, and explanations and anecdotes--interact in what we might call a hierarchy of support or evidence, in which one sort is given priority over another. In a murder trial, for example, the prosecution is usually based on the assumption that the jury's hierarchy of evidence will have at the top physical evidence (fingerprints, blood samples), especially as explained by technical authorities (forensic pathologists, ballistics experts), followed by eyewitness accounts, then by other sorts of authorities (psychologists, sociologists), and finally by explanations and anecdotes (character witnesses, personal histories). If the prosecution is right, their strong physical evidence and eyewitness accounts will outweigh the defendant's character witnesses, because of their relative placement in the jury's hierarchy of evidence. However, because that hierarchy is determined by each individual on a case-by-case basis, one can never be totally sure how any one piece of support will be accepted.
- Facts and Opinions. In the section on statements, we distinguish between three kinds of claims: verifiable, evaluative, and advocatory. Generally speaking, evidence takes the form of a verifiable statement, and authority takes the form of a evaluative statement. We have avoided using the terms "fact" and "opinion," in part because of the strong connotations these words carry. People tend to think that "facts" are much more reliable and convincing than "opinions," yet many "facts," such as statistical surveys, scientific measurements, and historical events, are ultimately based on "opinions." Thus, the difference between verifiable evidence ("The victim's blood was found on the suspect's clothes") and evaluative authority ("According to my analysis, the sample taken from the suspect's clothes matches the victim's blood type), is often more a matter of presentation than of fact vs. opinion.
Examples of usage of "anecdotal evidence"
- Overall Assessment of Approach and Analysis of the Law Commission Report Ministry of Economic Development, New Zealand
- Legal Terms & Definitions Sprenger & Lang, Attorneys
- Judge certifies Wal-Mart class action lawsuit MSBN, June 22, 2004
- Second Generation Disparity Study Final Report City of Phoenix study
Examples of "anecdotal evidence" being confused with witness testimony and "proof"
- "Anecdotal Evidence" from a course in Critical thinking at Santa Rosa Junior College.
Examples of "Anecdotal" being used interchangeably with and confused with "Witness" testimony
- "Anecdotal Evidence".
- "Anecdotal (testimonial) evidence", from the Skeptic's Dictionary.