Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Deductive Reasoning

Deductive Reasoning

Deductive reasoning, or deduction, is the type of logic used in hypothesis-based science. In deductive reasoning, the pattern of thinking moves in the opposite direction from inductive reasoning. It uses a general principle or law to predict specific results. From these general principles, a scientist can predict specific results that remain valid as long as the general principles are correct.For example, a researcher can make specific predictions from the hypothesis "butterflies are attracted...

Formal Charges

Formal Charges

In some cases, there are seemingly more than one valid Lewis structures for molecules and polyatomic ions. The concept of formal charges can be used to help predict the most appropriate Lewis structure when more than one reasonable structure exists.

The Scientific Method

The Scientific Method

Research is what makes the difference between facts and opinions. Facts are observable realities, and opinions are personal judgments, conclusions, or attitudes that may or may not be accurate. In the scientific community, facts can be established only using evidence collected through empirical research.

Hypothesis: Accept or Fail to Reject?

Hypothesis: Accept or Fail to Reject?

The outcome of any hypothesis testing leads to rejecting or not rejecting the null hypothesis. This decision is taken based on the analysis of the data, an appropriate test statistic, an appropriate confidence level, the critical values, and P-values. However, when the evidence suggests that the null hypothesis cannot be rejected, is it right to say, 'Accept' the null hypothesis?
There are two ways to indicate that the null hypothesis is not rejected. 'Accept' the null hypothesis and 'fail to...

Inductive Reasoning

Inductive Reasoning

Inductive reasoning is a form of logical thinking that uses related observations to arrive at a general conclusion. It is uncertain and operates in degrees to which the conclusions are credible. As such, inductive arguments can be weak or strong, rather than valid or invalid, and conclusions can be used to formulate testable, falsifiable hypotheses.Inductive reasoning is common in descriptive science. A life scientist makes observations and records them. This data can be qualitative or...

Null and Alternative Hypotheses

Null and Alternative Hypotheses

The actual hypothesis testing begins by considering two hypotheses. They are termed the null hypothesis and the alternative hypothesis. These hypotheses contain opposing viewpoints.
The null hypothesis, denoted by H0 is a statement of no difference between the variables—they are not related. This can often be considered the status quo. As a result if you cannot accept the null, it requires some action.
The alternative hypothesis, denoted by H1 or Ha, is a claim about the population that is...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

The 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko observation campaign in support of the Rosetta mission.

Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences·2017

Same author

A pilot study evaluating the use of the STAMP<sup>©</sup> nutrition screening tool in hospitalised infants.

Clinical nutrition ESPEN·2017

Same author

Novel segmental proxy measures for estimating weight and height in healthy school children aged 11-18 years.

Clinical nutrition ESPEN·2017

Same author

Imaging of IgG4-related disease of the head and neck.

Clinical radiology·2017

Same author

Evolving sepsis definitions and their impact on Acute Medical Units.

Acute medicine·2017

Same author

Clinical, Immune, and Microbiome Traits of Gingivitis and Peri-implant Mucositis.

Journal of dental research·2016

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Exploring the Role of Deontic Reasoning and World Knowledge in Wason´s Selection Task

Exploring the Role of Deontic Reasoning and World Knowledge in Wason´s Selection Task

Published on: July 22, 2025

"At least one" problem with "some" formal reasoning paradigms.

James R Schmidt¹, A Thompson

¹Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. j4schmid@watarts.uwaterloo.ca

Memory & Cognition

|March 8, 2008

Summary

Clarifying the logical meaning of "some" significantly reduced pragmatic interpretations and errors in reasoning tasks. This suggests using logically clarified quantifiers can improve logical reasoning and reduce common mistakes.

More Related Videos

Effects of Exposure of Formaldehyde to a Rat Model of Atopic Dermatitis Induced by Neonatal Capsaicin Treatment

Effects of Exposure of Formaldehyde to a Rat Model of Atopic Dermatitis Induced by Neonatal Capsaicin Treatment

Published on: September 27, 2017

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients

Published on: June 12, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Exploring the Role of Deontic Reasoning and World Knowledge in Wason´s Selection Task

Exploring the Role of Deontic Reasoning and World Knowledge in Wason´s Selection Task

Published on: July 22, 2025

Effects of Exposure of Formaldehyde to a Rat Model of Atopic Dermatitis Induced by Neonatal Capsaicin Treatment

Effects of Exposure of Formaldehyde to a Rat Model of Atopic Dermatitis Induced by Neonatal Capsaicin Treatment

Published on: September 27, 2017

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients

Published on: June 12, 2020

Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Formal Logic
Linguistics

Background:

The quantifier "some" in formal logic means "at least one, possibly all."
However, people often pragmatically interpret "some" as "some, but not all."
This pragmatic interpretation may contribute to errors in reasoning tasks.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if pragmatic interpretations of "some" explain errors in syllogistic reasoning.
To determine if using logically clarified quantifiers improves reasoning accuracy.

Main Methods:

Three experiments were conducted using immediate-inference and syllogistic reasoning tasks.
Participants were presented with either standard quantifiers or logically clarified quantifiers.
Performance was measured by the number of logical versus pragmatic responses.

Main Results:

Logically clarified quantifiers led to significantly more logical responses and fewer pragmatic responses on immediate-inference tasks.
This effect extended to a deductive task with false premises.
Clarified quantifiers reduced pragmatic and increased logical responses in syllogistic reasoning.

Conclusions:

Pragmatic interpretations of "some" contribute to errors in syllogistic reasoning.
Logically clarified quantifiers enhance logical reasoning accuracy.
Replacing standard quantifiers with clarified ones is recommended for education and research.