INDUCTION vs. DEDUCTION
Inductive Method
Inductive reasoning
works the other way,
moving from specific
observations to
broader
generalizations and
theories.
In inductive reasoning,
we begin with specific
observations and
measures, begin to
detect patterns and
regularities, formulate
some tentative
hypotheses that we
can explore, and
finally end up
developing some
general conclusions or
theories.
Deductive Method
Deductive reasoning works from the
more general to the more specific.
Sometimes this is informally called a
"top-down" approach. We might begin
with thinking up a theory about our
topic of interest. We then narrow that
down into more specific hypotheses that
we can test. We narrow down even
further when we collect observations to
address the hypotheses.
This ultimately leads us to be able to
test the hypotheses with specific data --
a confirmation (or not) of our original
theories.
Claudia Quezada