Understanding sources of variability in the archaeological record through the study of ceramic record formation is a prerequisite for inferring prehistoric human behavior. This study presents a program of investigation that: (1) provides analytical procedures for evaluating the representativeness of data sets so that they may be used to build reliable inferences concerning the past, and (2) provides a methodology for discovering behaviors associated with the occupation and abandonment of a settlement. Chodistaas Ruin (A.D. 1263-1290s), an 18-room pueblo located in the Grasshopper Region of Arizona, provides an ideal case study for illustrating this approach to variability in the archaeological record.