Deductive and Inductive Reasoning Flashcards
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An officer observes that every time a particular intersection has poor lighting, accidents increase. This conclusion is based on:
Answer: Inductive reasoning from observed patterns
Drawing a general conclusion from repeated specific observations is the hallmark of inductive reasoning.
A detective knows: 'All suspects with motive and opportunity are considered prime suspects.' John has both motive and opportunity. Therefore:
Answer: John is a prime suspect
This is a valid deductive syllogism — if the premises are true, the conclusion must be true.
Which scenario demonstrates a WEAK inductive argument?
Answer: One officer's single observation that a neighborhood is dangerous
A single observation from one source provides insufficient evidence for a broad inductive conclusion.
The statement 'No police officer can be in two places at once; Officer Chen was at headquarters; therefore Officer Chen was not at the crime scene' is an example of:
Answer: Deductive modus ponens via negation
Using a universal rule and a confirmed condition to eliminate a possibility is valid deductive reasoning.
When investigators review 10 years of burglary reports and conclude that most break-ins occur between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., they are using:
Answer: Inductive probability
Analyzing historical data to establish a probable pattern is a form of inductive reasoning.
An officer reasons: 'If it rained last night, the ground will be wet. The ground is not wet. Therefore it did not rain last night.' This is:
Answer: Modus tollens — valid deductive reasoning
Modus tollens (denying the consequent) is a valid deductive argument form: if P then Q; not Q; therefore not P.
A police recruiter notices that candidates who scored high on spatial reasoning also performed well in pursuit driving simulations across 200 candidates. The recruiter concludes spatial reasoning predicts driving performance. This is:
Answer: An inductive inference based on correlation
Inferring a predictive relationship from a consistent pattern across many cases is inductive reasoning.