Case Study-Inductive and Deductive Reasoning

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Both inductive and deductive reasoning are important in drawing conclusions on issues that require critical thinking skills. Hayes et al. (2018), argue that deductive reasoning analyses two true premises and determines the outcome. It is rather a top down strategy for solving cases and understanding the happenings that seem complex to evaluate. It enables an individual to consider general ideologies that allow him to make inferences for specific conclusions. On the other hand, an inductive reasoning is a bottom up approach that take one from a specific idea to make generalizations. It is important to note that in as much as two true and solid premises are used to make an inference, it is possible to overgeneralize which leads an individual in making a wrong conclusion. This information enables an individual to find further details that back up the claims and avoid invalid assumptions.

It is important to critically analyze an occurrence before determining the causative factors to avoid making wring judgments (Fahsing & Ask, 2018). In the case study where a newly wedded Caucasian man was found murdered and his wife lying barely conscious in a pool of blood, it was reported that a huge male had been spotted wandering around the trailer park that the couple lived in prior to the attacks. The residents who were interrogated did not recognize the man and he was not a guest of anyone in the neighborhood. This information can be used to imply that the man was a possible suspect since his whereabouts were unknown and he was only seen just prior to the massacre. It is possible to link the man to the murder case since in such a community, the neighbors recognize one another and the intrusion of an unfamiliar individual may raise suspicions.

Further, it has been noted that there were bloody shoe prints that led out the door and disappeared in the dirt outside the back of the trailer. Again, a tire iron was found under a trailer near the back of the park. It is evident that it is one of the tools that were used to harm the couple. The attacker must have dropped it as he left the scene of crime. As has been mentioned, to avoid overgeneralization, it is necessary to conduct further research so that clarifications can be done and possible errors are eliminated. This, therefore, implies that it is necessary to investigate any traces of blood on the tool and match it to that of the victims before further reports are given. Finger prints also need to be taken and compared to those in the crime scene to ascertain its use during the crime.

The trailer was ransacked and video games, trading cards and a gaming system were stolen. In the current world teenagers spend most of their time on their phones, chatting with friends, watching television and playing video games among other leisure activities (Fahsing & Ask, 2018). The neighborhood has been described as a community of young adults struggling to get by in life thus the youths seen peeking at the couple’s window could be responsible for ransacking the trailer and stealing the aforementioned items. To meet the societal demands and fit in certain social classes people have been forced to commit crime and teenagers to undertake delinquent act. This explains the increase in crimes across the globe.

References

Fahsing, I. A., & Ask, K. (2018). In search of indicators of detective aptitude: Police recruits’      logical reasoning and ability to generate investigative hypotheses. Journal of Police and   Criminal Psychology, 33(1), 21-34.

Hayes, B. K., Stephens, R. G., Ngo, J., & Dunn, J. C. (2018). The dimensionality of reasoning:    Inductive and deductive inference can be explained by a single process. Journal of    Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 44(9), 1333.