Inductive Reasoning
Experimental, Developmental, and Computational Approaches

The first book on the psychology of inductive reasoning in 20 years.

Aidan Feeney (Edited by), Evan Heit (Edited by)

9780521672443, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 3 September 2007

376 pages
25.7 x 15.1 x 2.2 cm, 0.504 kg

Without inductive reasoning, we couldn't generalize from one instance to another, derive scientific hypotheses, or predict that the sun will rise again tomorrow morning. Despite the widespread nature of inductive reasoning, books on this topic are rare. Indeed, this is the first book on the psychology of inductive reasoning in twenty years. The chapters survey recent advances in the study of inductive reasoning and address questions about how it develops, the role of knowledge in induction, how best to model people's reasoning, and how induction relates to other forms of thinking. Written by experts in philosophy, developmental science, cognitive psychology, and computational modeling, the contributions here will be of interest to a general cognitive science audience as well as to those with a more specialized interest in the study of thinking.

Preface Aidan Feeney and Evan Heit
1. What is induction and why study it? Evan Heit
2. The development of inductive reasoning Brett K. Hayes
3. Interpreting asymmetries of projection in children's inductive reasoning Douglas Medin and Sandra Waxman
4. Property generalization as causal reasoning Bob Rehder
5. Availability in category-based induction Patrick Shafto, John Coley and Anna Vitkin
6. From similarity to chance Sergey Blok, Daniel Osherson and Douglas Medin
7. Theory-based Bayesian models of inductive reasoning Joshua Tenenbaum, Charles Spence and Patrick Shafto
8. Use of single or multiple categories in category-based induction Gregory Murphy and Brian Ross
9. Abductive inference: From philosophical analysis to neutral mechanisms Paul Thagard
10. Mathematical induction and induction in mathematics Lance Rips and Jennifer Asmuth
11. Induction, deduction, and argument strength in human reasoning and argumentation Mike Oaksford and Ulrike Hahn
12. Individual differences, dual processes, and induction Aidan Feeney
13. Taxonomising induction Steve Sloman.

Subject Areas: Computer science [UY], Intelligence & reasoning [JMRN], Cognition & cognitive psychology [JMR], Philosophy [HP]