Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Inferences are steps in reasoning, moving from premises to logical consequences; etymologically, the word infer means to "carry forward". Inference is theoretically traditionally divided into deduction and induction , a distinction that in Europe dates at least to Aristotle (300s BCE).
The ability of deductive reasoning is an important aspect of intelligence and many tests of intelligence include problems that call for deductive inferences. [1] Because of this relation to intelligence, deduction is highly relevant to psychology and the cognitive sciences. [ 5 ]
For deductive reasoning to be upheld, the hypothesis must be correct, therefore, reinforcing the notion that the conclusion is logical and true. It is possible for deductive reasoning conclusions to be inaccurate or incorrect entirely, but the reasoning and premise is logical. For example, ‘All bald men are grandfathers. Harold is bald.
Text inferencing describes the tacit or active process of logical induction or deduction during reading. Inferences are used to bridge current text ideas with antecedent text ideas or ideas in the reader's store of prior world knowledge. Text inferencing is an area of study within the fields of cognitive psychology and linguistics. Much of the ...
Because of the first feature, the focus on formality, deductive inference is usually identified with rules of inference. [67] Rules of inference specify the form of the premises and the conclusion: how they have to be structured for the inference to be valid. Arguments that do not follow any rule of inference are deductively invalid. [68]
A syllogism (Ancient Greek: συλλογισμός, syllogismos, 'conclusion, inference') is a kind of logical argument that applies deductive reasoning to arrive at a conclusion based on two propositions that are asserted or assumed to be true. "Socrates" at the Louvre
In other words, deduction starts with a hypothesis and examines the possibilities to reach a conclusion. [29] Deduction helps people understand why their predictions are wrong and indicates that their prior knowledge or beliefs are off track. An example of deduction can be seen in the scientific method when testing hypotheses and theories.
Other forms of reasoning are sometimes also taken to be part of logic, such as inductive reasoning and abductive reasoning, which are forms of reasoning that are not purely deductive, but include material inference. Similarly, it is important to distinguish deductive validity and inductive validity (called "strength").