TWO LOGICAL SYSTEMS REVISITED
    Deductive and Inductive Reasoning: A Case Illustration
    A Graphic Contrast

    In Chapter One, you were introduced to two logical models of explanation: deduction and induction.  This section will elaborate on those two different approaches to discovering and finding relationships among variables.

    The two models will be illustrated by a single example: seeking to understand why some people are more religious than others.  We'll see that gender, age, family status, and social status are involved.  The deductive model begins with a theory about religiosity--called the "Social Gratification Theory," which suggests hypotheses as to how the four variables might lead to higher or lower levels of religiosity.  The inductive model begins with the observed relationships and seeks to make sense out of them.

    The deductive model, then, begins with theory and proceeds to the derivation of hypotheses to be tested.

    The inductive model begins with observations and looks for general patterns that can form the basis for a theory.

    Both models are equally valid as approaches to understanding, and social science tends to progress through an alternation of the two.  Observations may lead to theories; the theories are tested through observations; the results do not totally confirm the theories, so the new observations become the basis for refining the theory, which is then tested. . .