inductive reasoning

Inductive reasoning

drawing conclusions by going from the specific to general

observation

first step in inductive reasoning and can be made through experiments, surveys, or data analysis

pattern recognition

second step, looking for similarities or commonalities among the instances or data points

hypothesis formulation

based on the patterns or regularities indentified, tentative explanation is fomulated

testing

collecting additional data and comparing it to the hypothesis to determine if it holds up or if it needs to be modified

evaluation

determine the strength of the hypothesis

conclusion

If the hypothesis is supported, make generalizations or predictions; if not, revise or conduct further research.

flexibility

allows us to make generalizations and predictions based on specific observations

creativity

useful tool for generating new ideas and hypotheses

real-world applicability

used in a variety of fields

development of theories

allows us to refine our understanding complex phenomena and develop a more nuanced understanding of how things work

limited scope

relies on specific observations to make generalizations

potential for bias

can be influenced by our own biases and preconceptions

lack of certainty

probabilistic in nature, meaning that the conclusions we draw are based on probability rather than certainty.

limited explanatory power

can tell us what is likely to happen base don observations, but it may not tell us WHY something is happening or how it works

lack of predictive power

limited to predicting what is likely to happen based on past observations