Using Reasoning When Problem Solving
Helens Reef, surrounded by water.If you were cast out to live the remainder of your life on a deserted island, and you could take three things, what would they be?
The preceding question most likely triggered a flurry of thinking as you began using reasoning to make sense of the situation. Perhaps you first considered food, but then thought of tools. Through reasoning you began to expand your range of possible choices. Reasoning guides the path to problem solving, and it can inhibit as well as expand the solution possibilities.
Examine the types of reasoning discussed in this weeks Learning Resources. These include deductive, inductive, abductive, reductive, and analogous reasoning. Consider how you may use reasoning to create a problem statement, hypothesis, and potential solutions.
The Week 3 Assignment Handout (see the Learning Resources) contains a list of links to research studies and papers located in the Walden Library which have problem solving as their foundation.
Select one of the research papers related to your major at Walden or to a field of your interest. As you read the article you selected, consider the type(s) of reasoning used in the article. Your analysis of the reasoning is the foundation for the paper you write for this Assignment.
By Day 7
Submit a 2- to 3-page paper in which you complete the following:
Identify one type of reasoning used in the research paper you selected.
Define this reasoning type and explain how the authors reasoning supports the position or explanation presented in the research paper.
Explain how the type of reasoning you identified relates to the problem-solving process.
Apply this type of reasoning to identify a possible solution to the problem addressed in the article.
Explain whether this type of reasoning is useful in your major or area of interest and why.
