Quarter 2 Terminology

1 Inductive Reasoning
A kind of reasoning in which a general conclusion is drawn from specific examples, usually personal experiences and observations. The conclusion drawn from inductive reasoning may not always be true, but practical for the person used.
Example: All humans cannot breathe underwater for a long time, therefore, humans cannot live underwater.


2 Deductive Reasoning
A kind of reasoning in which a specific conclusion is drawn from general statements. Deductive reasoning is more reliable than inductive reasoning because we can know whether the conclusion is true but sometimes the logic is difficult to follow.
Example: Some fish are silver. A salmon is a fish. Therefore, some salmons are silver.


3 Syllogism
A kind of deductive reasoning that consists of two premises and one conclusion.


4 Premise
Statements that provide information in order to come to a final conclusion. The premises have to have quantifiers and three terms in total.


5 Conclusion
A proposition formed based on two premises. In order for a conclusion to be true, the two premises have to be true and the logic must be valid.


6 Terms 
The subjects of premises, usually nouns.


7 Quantifier
Words that tell us the approximate amount of things that are referred to.


8 Fallacy 
A kind of reasoning that has flaws; the false reasoning is used to make a invalid conclusion.
Equivocation: A type of fallacy that is caused by words that have double meaning. Sometimes the way how the words are used are ambiguous so it is difficult to know if someone is using the word with the same meaning consistently in an argument.
For example, a paper is light. The light is broken. Therefore, the paper is broken.


9 Inference
The action of drawing a conclusion based on evidence and logic.


10 Argument
A series of statements intended to establish a proposition, to come to a valid conclusion.


11 Logic 
A process of reasonable and rational thinking that guides and allows us to judge for what is correct.


12 Hasty Generalization
To make a generalization without enough evidence.
Example: I have never seen Sae Hyun eat bananas, so she hates bananas.


13 Enthymeme
A premise that is not expressed because it is implied that everyone knows it.
Example: James is a businessmen. James is rich. (The premise that is missing is "Businessmen are rich.")


14 Confirmation Bias
When people are unconsciously selecting (to only see) evidence that support their beliefs to confirm that what they believe in is true.
Example: I believe that Asians are good in math and the Asians who are good in math in my school confirm my belief (I ignore the Asians who are not as good in Math.).


15 Belief Bias

When people believe an argument to be valid because the conclusion that fit with their beliefs.

Example: I believe that all bears are black because I have never seen bears in any other color.

16 Synesthesia 
The combination of two or more sense of perception. For example, a person who has synesthesia may see certain colors when they see, think or hear certain numbers.


17 Veil of Perception
The idea that we can never perceive how the material world really is, because there are veils or barriers, such as our ideas, impressions, and interpretations that affect how we perceive the world.


18 Naive Realism
The things that we see are how we perceive them to be. For example, an apple is dark red because that is how I see it now.


19 Idealism
Something does not exist unless there is someone to perceive it. For example, if a tree falls on the ground but no one is there to hear the sound of the tree falling, then the sound does not exist.


20 Immaterialism
There is no material world, the only thing that really exists is our mind.


21 Law of Simplicity
We do not invent new names for shapes that are irregular, but categorize them into what they are similar to. A shape that is not a circle but looks like a circle is called a circle.


22 Law of Parsimony
To explain a thing or event with the simplest explanation that fits the data.


23 Context
(a) Based on our understanding of the world, we see something depending on the context in which we see it.
(b) Our mind is set of how things should be so when things are out of our expectations, they become disturbing.

24 Expectations
The tendency for us to overlook the things that are irregular, that do not fit with our expectations.


25 Selectivity
The tendency for us to only notice things that we are concentrating on and unconsciously ignore others because we cannot be aware of everything that is happening around us.



26 Visual Grouping
The tendency for us to look for shapes and patterns in what we perceive in order to make sense of it.

27 Figure and Ground
The tendency for us to draw attention to certain things and treat others as the background. We usually highlight things that are in black (figure) and white as the background.

28 Gestalt Principle
The tendency for our mind to perceive things as how we think they should be, seeing things according to what we already know.
Example: This book is is blue (We omit the second "the".)