Reasoning refers to an act of thinking about a thing in a way that is logical and sensible. Notably, different types of psychology books and texts have explained different types of this reasoning. This essay will mainly discuss two kinds of reasoning: inductive and deductive. Inductive and deductive reasoning are methods used to arrive at a conclusion depending on the information used in the research hypothesis and known to be true.
Deductive reasoning is the logical process of making conclusions from a general case. General cases are studied after concluding since it applies to a particular topic. A reasoned argument works from general to specific, and the conclusions from this kind of argument follow logically from available facts (Tittle, 2011). Deductive reasoning provides factual evidence, thus providing additional support for the conclusion of the process of decision-making.
Inductive reasoning is a method of concluding a particular case, and such a conclusion might be generalized or applied to another specific point. We make conclusions about the world around us, and thus we rely on inductive reasoning daily. Inductive arguments extrapolate the expectations like we will make it to the following day, the house will not cave in, or the water will come out of the facet when we turn it on.
The significant difference between inductive and deductive reasoning is that deductive reasoning aims to test the existing theory, while inductive reasoning seeks to develop an approach. The similarity between deductive and inductive reasoning is that both methods are logical forms that help indicate the truth (Tittle, 2011). The researchers use both deductive and inductive reasoning because it all depends on the purpose of the research one is undertaking. If the research is qualitative, a researcher will use an inductive approach, and when the analysis is quantitative, the researcher will consider deductive reasoning.
In summary, deductive and inductive reasoning are two types of reasoning that borrow from each other. Both of them use logical conclusions. Researchers use any of the two methods of reasoning characterized by assumptions, different goals, and the type of data used.
Reference
Tittle, P. (2011). Critical thinking: An appeal to reason. Routledge.