Question

A person notices that her houseplants that are regularly exposed to music seem to grow more quickly than those in rooms with no music. As a result, she determines that plants grow better when exposed to music. This example most closely resembles which type of reasoning?

a) Deductive reasoning
b) Inductive reasoning
c) Abductive reasoning
d) Analogical reasoning

Answer 1

The person's conclusion that plants grow better when exposed to music based on her observations is an example of inductive reasoning, which derives general principles from specific instances.

Step-by-step explanation:

The person observing that her houseplants grow more quickly when exposed to music, and then determining that plants grow better with music exposure, is using inductive reasoning. Inductive reasoning uses related observations to arrive at a general conclusion. Unlike deductive reasoning, which starts with a general theory and arrives at a specific conclusion, inductive reasoning constructs broad generalizations from specific observations.

These generalizations may or may not be accurate, and they are not guaranteed to be true just because they are based on observed data. In the realm of science, inductive reasoning is crucial for formulating theories, which can later be tested using deductive reasoning approaches.