Wize University Psychology Textbook > Research Methods in Psychology
Inductive & Deductive Reasoning
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Inductive & Deductive Reasoning
Deductive reasoning - reasoning from general principles to a conclusion about a specific case
- Basis of math and formal logic
- Conclusion cannot be false if the factual statements (premises) are true
- Example - the sun is a star, the sun has planets, therefore some stars have planets
Inductive reasoning - start with specific facts and try to develop a general principle
- Used to discover general principles from combined observations
- Leads to probabilities rather than absolute truths
- Example - studying the traffic patterns to be able to predict when to leave for class
Practice: Inductive and Deductive Reasoning
Deductive reasoning is reasoning from ______________ while inductive reasoning is reasoning from _______________.