Inductive reasoning

===Biases===
Inductive reasoning is also known as hypothesis construction because any conclusions made are based on current knowledge and predictions.{{Citation needed|date=March 2012}} As with deductive arguments, biases can distort the proper application of inductive argument, thereby preventing the reasoner from forming the most [[Logical consequence|logical conclusion]] based on the clues. Examples of these biases include the [[availability heuristic]], [[confirmation bias]], and the  [[Gambler's fallacy|predictable-world bias]].

The availability heuristic is regarded as causing the reasoner to depend primarily upon information that is readily available. People have a tendency to rely on information that is easily accessible in the world around them. For example, in surveys, when people are asked to estimate the percentage of people who died from various causes, most respondents choose the causes that have been most prevalent in the media such as terrorism, murders, and airplane accidents, rather than causes such as disease and traffic accidents, which have been technically "less accessible" to the individual since they are not emphasized as heavily in the world around them.

Confirmation bias is based on the natural tendency to confirm rather than deny a hypothesis. Research has demonstrated that people are inclined to seek solutions to problems that are more consistent with known hypotheses rather than attempt to refute those hypotheses. Often, in experiments, subjects will ask questions that seek answers that fit established hypotheses, thus confirming these hypotheses. For example, if it is hypothesized that Sally is a sociable individual, subjects will naturally seek to confirm the premise by asking questions that would produce answers confirming that Sally is, in fact, a sociable individual.

The predictable-world bias revolves around the inclination to perceive order where it has not been proved to exist, either at all or at a particular level of abstraction. Gambling, for example, is one of the most popular examples of predictable-world bias. Gamblers often begin to think that they see simple and obvious patterns in the outcomes and therefore believe that they are able to predict outcomes based on what they have witnessed. In reality, however, the outcomes of these games are difficult to predict and highly complex in nature. In general, people tend to seek some type of simplistic order to explain or justify their beliefs and experiences, and it is often difficult for them to realise that their perceptions of order may be entirely different from the truth.<ref>{{cite book|title=Psychology|last=Gray|first=Peter|publisher=Worth|year=2011|isbn=978-1-4292-1947-1|edition=Sixth|location=New York}}</ref>