What is deductive and inductive reasoning? It can be confusing to distinguish between the two, however, it is important to understand the difference. There is a way to work out whether an argument has a deductive (also known as deduction) or inductive (also known as induction approach, starting by remembering they are each others opposites (Live Science 2012). Below are some suggestions to help remember the difference!
Induction:The easiest way to remember the definition of induction is think quite broad and general with your ideas and observations as they gradually lead to a conclusion,. It is important to remember with inductive reasoning, the conclusion of your statement can turn out to be incorrect, ask yourself 'was the argument strong or weak as reasoned' (Toft 2014) inasmuch as the generalised assumption made, could incorporate everything defined in that statement as being so, when that may not be the case.
Inductive reasoning is commonly seen in scientific research to form theories and hypothesis, which provides the means to be able to apply those theories and hypothesis to specific situations (Live Science 2012; Shmoop 2013; Toft 2014).
Deduction:Remembering the definition for deduction is easy, as the fictional character Sherlock Holmes used deductive reasoning! and is a 'basic form of reasoning' (Live Science 2012). Starting with a general hypothesis or theory which will eventually result in a particular conclusion, it is a good idea to ask 'were the conclusions valid or invalid as reasoned' (Toft 2014). Deductive reasoning also means you can find supporting theories, that may not seem logical at the time, and may even seem incorrect, that is, until you reach your conclusion. Lastly, if the conclusion is sound, logical and unable to be proved as false, you can safely determine deductive reasoning has been practiced (Live Science 2012; Shmoop 2013)
Video 1: Inductive vs Deductive Reasoning Source: YouTube: Schmoop 2013
Example of inductive and deductive reasoning
Inductive:
An example of inductive reasoning within the above article would be the assumption that super heroes in Times Square are aggressive, all super heroes in Times Square are drunk, all super heroes in Times Square are drunk and brawl in public (Mazza 2014).
Deductive:
An example of deductive reasoning within the above article would be the assumption that brawls in Times Square, when dressed as a super hero will result in being arrested. The premises is that involved in the Times Square incident were super heroes, Therefore, the3 super heroes brawling in Times Square, were arrested (Mazza 2014).
Toft, Y 2014, Week 11: Evidence and argument, lecture notes distributed in the course, AINV11001 Real world investigation, CQUniversity, Rockhampton, 15 September.
Growing up, I would hear the saying "oh someone just walked over my grave!" I have always been curious as to where this saying comes from as it kind of implies that you're already dead?
So when this blog came up I thought it is the perfect opportunity to do a bit of investigation using my newly acquired website investigator skills.
When you type "Someone just walked over my grave" into the search engine Google (example below), there are many different types of websites that provide an "answer" to the search request. What does it where does it come and is there a scientific explanation are the two points I have chosen to focus on.
Image 1: Google search - Someone just walked over my grave Source: Google.com.au Search Engine
What does this saying mean?
Often when someone suddenly and involuntarily shivers for reasons unknown it is accompanied by the saying someone just walked over my grave. It's most often used to explain the inexpiable. What I really want to know is where it came from, what are the saying's origins?
This search for this answer was really quite fascinating, reading the different meanings and perspectives was extremely interesting.
The Phrase Finder, Gary Martin (n.d.) suggests that the origins of this phrase began around 1738, and is attributed to the different beliefs held in that time. As the mortality rate back then was considerably higher at a younger age, family burial plots were much more common than they are now (U.S. Department of the Interior 1992). Furthermore, there was much superstition surrounding death and the afterlife during that time, which suggests what we believe to be an old wives tale now, might have very well been a belief back then. Now, because I like to try and find a sound explanation for things I wanted to see if there is a scientific reason people experience these sudden shivers.
Image 2: Grave Stones Source: 19th Century Art of Mourning
Is there a scientific explanation?
Shivering is the bodily response to a message received by the brain, saying that the body is cold and needs to readjust to the homeostasis level of 37°C. As temperature control in the body is very important to the regulation of the different systems, a slight shiver can help adjust the body's temperature back to normal (Ramsay & Woods 2014). Thus, temperature regulation could be a plausible explanation as to why people get a sudden shiver every now and then.
Conclusion
No matter the reason, I think old sayings and wives tales have come about in an effort to persuade growing children to do what is best for them. Using stories to educate helps challenge us to find the answers to questions and ask why is something true, just because it is a saying that has been around for generations does not mean there is not some element of truth behind it. There is always two sides to any story, which is definitely true in relation to this blog posting!
Observe the
world around you & consider a problem to be solved … reflect on the following...
Problem: What needs to be solved?
Mental illness is a growing issue in today's society and granted there is much more awareness surrounding mental illness in this day and age then there ever has been. However, there is still a negative perception attached to mental illness and those diagnosed with it, that needs to be solved.
Context: Describe the problem space (e.g.
political / cultural, technical capability)
The problem that arises with an issue such as this comes from a number of different areas:
Political - Working to get the perceptions changed within the government to get more funding and assistance legislation passed for those who cannot afford to pay for it themselves, is an ongoing issue. In addition, there is still a perception in our community that people with mental health conditions are going to break or need to be approached differently. This is slowly changing, however, with the help of the government the message that mental health conditions are nothing to be afraid of may reach places not previously aware.
Cultural - Australia is known as "the lucky country" with the she'll be right mate attitude. We are a multicultural society and growing up previous generations from all walks of life were raised tough, they did not talk about traumatic events they may have experienced. Mental illness was thought of as a dangerous and contagious disease that needed to be removed from society. This stigma is what is stopping people of those generations seeking help who desperately need it.
Technical - The internet has provided a wonderful pathway for those who would not ordinarily seek help face to face. The problem with this is that some people in these population groups, many of who come from a low-economic environment (Jacob 2011) could benefit from the assistance of medication, but may not have access to it. Also, the cost of these medications can be quite expensive and if it is a choice between food or medication, the medication is often not chosen.
Realities: Describe the practice space (e.g.
public / private)
Science has come a long way in the last fifty or so years in relation to the diagnoses and treatment of people with mental illness. However, the numbers of people effected appears to be growing, Beyond Blue(2014) have found that approximately 45 percent of our population will be diagnosed with a mental illness in their lifetime.
While there is a greater awareness of what mental illness is and how it effects the population, there is still the battle, both privately for those diagnosed and publicly for those organisations and communities trying to raise awareness of the issues surrounding it, that it is okay to talk about it.
Actors: Who are the key actors in the
network? (e.g. positive / negative effect)
There are many actors in the network of mental health issues, these have both positive and negative impacts on the issue.
People with mental health conditions - There are so many different factors involved for people living with mental health conditions, perceptions of what it is and how if effects them is going to be different for each individual. It is up to the individual to accept and take responsibility for how they look after themselves. In some cases, close support from the health care system is needed to ensure this is happening. How someone accepts and lives with their diagnoses can depend on an individuals positive and negative experiences in life such as their upbringing, education, political or religious views and relationships. It will determine how private or open they are about what they are experiencing as well as the support and reactions of those around them.
Family and friends - Sometimes it can be just as difficult for the family and friends of those with mental health conditions. As they want what is best for the person and may not know or understand what if going on and the reaction to finding out can be positive or negative, depending again on their upbringing and perceptions of what mental illness is. It can be stressful for this group as often they have a feeling of helplessness, not knowing how to approach the topic or how best to provide support, which can cause tension in the relationship.
Treating health care professionals - With the high percentage of people being diagnosed nowadays this group has the enormous challenge of providing enough adequate care to a hugely diverse community. As some mental health conditions are temporary and others are for life, learning to cope and live with the illness is important and medical help is always needed. Putting a strain on the already overloaded hospitals and out-patient clinics means individuals can be on waiting lists for months or years before adequate treatment is able to be given. In addition, due to the stressful nature of working in the mental health sector there is often a high turn over of medical professionals in the field, which often causes the patients being treated to start from the beginning after they have started to make progress.
Organisations raising awareness - As the population grows and the number of people effected rises, it is wonderful to see the increase in the amount of organisations promoting and offering support to anyone (including family and friends) effected by mental health conditions. Technology plays a great role in the spread of information to greater community, however, these organisations tend to rely on funding, donations and voluntary support to survive. Raising awareness is integral to these organisation and in doing so they are trying to change the perceptions of those who have negative views of mental health conditions.
Emergency services - Too often this group are called when people have reached the lowest point. They are either suicidal, have stopped taking their medication, have mixed their medication with other drugs or alcohol or have reacted negatively to something that has occurred in their life. The emergency services and hospitals and medical professionals see the worst sides of those with a mental health condition, when they need help the most. It is unfortunate that this occurs as often as it does and flows on from the above mentioned issues with medical treatment and perceptions of the individual and their family, friends and also the general public.
Government - This is an issue for governments worldwide, providing enough funding, resources and support to every area of their country is a constant fight. Millions of dollars every year is poured into all aspects of the health system in Australia. However, the economy and budget plays a vital role in just how much is allocated to each area and in times of economic hardship cut backs are made. In addition to this, is the perceptions of those in Government making the decisions, a negative or positive perception could mean the difference between adequate funding and not enough.
General Population - As previously stated, nearly half the population will experience some form of mental health issues in their lifetime, that statistic means everyone will know a person who is or has lived with a mental health condition. While there is more education, awareness and a willingness to speak about our mental health, there is still an underlying perception in some communities and areas of the population that they should keep silent. That it is the be all and end all of someone's life, defining them by their condition rather than who they are as a person.
Tensions: What are the tensions from the
problem/practice space? (e.g. what stops the problem being solved)
There are many problems that can cause tensions when addressing the issues surrounding mental illness such as:
It can take a long time to reach a correct diagnoses
Tests can be time consuming and costly
An increasing number of people are experiencing mental health conditions
There is a shortage of facilities for those that really need 24/7 professional help
There is an element of danger posed to those trying to help - be it physical, emotional or mental stressors
The different perceptions on the many different types of mental illness both positive and negative can cause variouis issues.
Problem definition: What would the problem look like if it
were solved?
If the problem were solved I think we would see many more people with mental health conditions living in a more positive and manageable environment. Acceptance creates support and this is what can benefit those that need help on a daily basis to live their lives as productively as possible, without the added stress of possibly being judged negatively because of it.
Concepts:
What possible concepts might provide a solution?
I believe that the best way to solve the problem is to find a manageable system, that there would be enough support and funding provided to all who are effected. Without the fear of having to start over when they get a new medical practitioner or worry about being judged if people know what they have will greatly aid in furthering the improvement of the culture of mental illness.
Here are three blogs by my class mates that I have learned from and gained a new perspective on three different events. Thank you to my class mates for sharing their insights.
Stuart wrote about a personal incident that happened when he and his family took their daughter 3, and niece 6, to their local swimming pool. As the kids were excited to get in the water Stuart and his family watched them from the poolside chairs as they got changed. Stuart has highlighted the following points:
Ages of the children - 3 and 6 years old
6 year old was not a strong swimmer and had just started swimming on her own
Children were not swimming near the edge of the pool - closest person/object the 3 year old daughter could hold onto was the 6 year old niece
Lifeguard was on duty - Divided attention between all families at the pool
Other families at the pool
6-10 swimmers in the water
Other family member were also watching the girls
I found Stuart's perspective really interesting, (I'm so very glad it had a happy ending) as it gave me an idea of what a parent goes through in that situation. Having worked as a life guard and swimming instructor I think I also have a different perspective on the situation as well, from the "other side".
Firstly, I would like to make very clear I am not criticizing any parent, they have a tough job. I have always tried to understand and I struggle with the fact that so many parents of children this age, with this level of swimming ability have the same view, that watching from the sidelines gives enough time to get to the child if something goes wrong. The girls, being as young as they are and it was known that they are not strong confident swimmers (not many are at that age) that the family, as so many families do every time, think it is safe and nothing is going to happen.
There are so many elements (as there is with any job) to being a life guard, who not only has to watch the water but all those around it, on land as well. I agree with Stuart's observation that the life guard's attention was divided, it absolutely is and that is why swimming facilities state that children should be supervised at all times. They must be able to assess each and every swimmers ability, is anyone relying on flotation assistance, if they are under 16, determine if there is parental supervision are they in or out of the water. They then prioritise each swimmer according to their assessment, this process happens continually as new swimmers enter the water. I do agree with Stuart that the life guard should have checked on the family after the incident to make sure everything was okay, but then again the issue of divided attention comes to light, they may not have known what caused his niece's distress.
Thank you to Stuart for sharing his perspective, I have really learnt a lot from the perspective of a parent and what they go through in a situation like that.
I found Brigitte's blog "Three taken to hospital after head-on smash" very informative. Three people were sent to hospital after a head-on collision, Brigitte has covered a broad range of perspectives of all parties involved. There are many aspects to an accident scene with numerous agencies working together as team to help the injured occupants of the vehicles. It does raise some questions for me that I hadn't really reflected upon before, incidents such as car accidents of this severity can have lasting stressful effects on all parties involved.
How would attending incidents like this on a regular basis effect their perceptions?
What are the different ways the emergency services personnel process and deal with what they have seen?
How do the families cope?
Are the debriefing meetings for each first responding department the same or different?
For the hospital staff working in this environment everyday what sort of coping mechanisms do they adopt?
Does the tow truck companies offer support to their drivers after attending serious traffic collisions?
How does the photographer feel about photographing the incident, is it something they cover often?
All these questions certainly have changed the way I view the work done by our first responders and the doctors and nurses in the emergency departments. Thank you Brigitte for helping to broaden my perspective.
I have a new appreciation for railway workers, Lachlan's blog about a railway incident he was involved in, where a train went the wrong way through a set of points on the tracks was really interesting. There are so many elements to a train leaving the station and travelling to, and arriving at its destination had never occurred to me before. As I was reading, I wondered:
What sort of training do rail workers undertake?
When incidents occur what sort of support is available?
What sort of checks are performed prior to leaving?
It must be a rewarding experience volunteering for something that can make such happy memories for holiday makers.
I have been given an insight into how technical and complex rail lines, trains and how they work can be. There are so many aspects people using rail as their mode of transport everyday wouldn't even realise the complexities and work involved in getting them to their destination.
Australia has some of the most beautiful coast lines in the world, how lucky are we to have this right outside our doors? (Sorry for those who live inland, you have some beautiful creeks, rivers and lakes). However, as with anything of great beauty, there is also an element of danger and mystery involved and rip currents fall into the danger zone in our place of beauty.
During 2012-2013 15% of all drownings were associated with rip currents, that's about 18 people! (SLSA 2013). Now, while 18 people does not seem like much in comparison to other causes of death per year, half of all rescues performed every year by life savers, life guards and surfers are from swimmers and waders caught in rip currents (Brighton et al. 2013). So if the average number of people being rescued each year is say 800, that's a whole lot of people who were lucky enough not to fall into the death statistics category (thank you life guards, life savers, surfers and anyone else who has helped a swimmer from a rip). So as you can see beach safety awareness is really important!
Now that I have you all as excited and passionate about the beach as I am! let's get into some facts about rip currents and some of the different perspective "lenses" people may wear when visiting the beach!
What is a rip current and how does it work?
As waves break onto the shore, water is pushed up to the shoreline and then needs to find its way back out to sea. To do this the water has to go back the way it came so to speak, during this process the water flows downwards into deeper channels in the surf zone than when it came in "these deeper channels are called rip currents" (SLSA 2014).
There is more than one type of rip current and there are other elements involved to cause rip currents to occur, such as:
Tide size
Angle of the shoreline
Wind currents
Water currents
Wave strength
Sand bar and trough locations
Why are rip currents so dangerous?
Identifying a rip current is not always easy, as they can take on a number of different forms:
Fixed
Flash
Topographic
Mega
The hidden danger of a rip is that it produces calm water among the surf break, which can provide a false sense of security to unsuspecting swimmers.
Image: How to escape a rip current Source: Beach Safe
How do I know where the safest place to swim is?
Finding out the safest place to swim nowadays is easy, there are websites and apps to check any beach in the country (SLSA 2014) or a quick call to your local council can ensure a fun day out is had by everyone.
Swimming between the red and yellow flags where life savers and life guards are on duty is always going to be the best and safest option (Maybe I'm biased but the statistics also back this up! (SLSA 2013)). Asking about beach conditions before entering the water is always a good idea too, as it helps to give you an awareness of your environment which could mean the difference between being caught in a rip current or going home safely after a great day at the beach.
Contextual Lenses
Having a think about it and doing a bit more research it's incredible just how many different and varied perceptions there are of our beaches and rip currents. A swimmer caught in a rip current can cause these perspectives to intertwine, resulting in a positive result (the majority of the time) and an opportunity to learn from the experience for all involved.
My Contextual Lens
Over the years my perspective on the subject has changed, I pretty much lived on the beach growing up and knew about beach safety and what a rip current was from a young age. It's something that everyone around me also knew about, so living in my little bubble of beach awesomeness I assumed everyone knew about the amazing time you could have at the beach but also about the things you need to know and look out for. I only truly understood how wrong it is to assume that everyone has that knowledge the first time I helped a swimmer from a rip current. As they say knowledge is power and education is the key to awareness and something that seems like common sense to one person may not be to another. Keeping this in mind has helped me alter my approach from "seriously, why doesn't everyone know about this?" to "perhaps that person doesn't know where they are going to swim is not the safest place to swim, maybe I can show them where it is". Needless to say I have met some awesome people and heard some incredible stories from taking the latter approach in my days spent on the beach!
The Contextual Lens of Others
Here are some of the perspectives people might have about the beach and rip currents.
Locals:
Love the lifestyle
Enjoy the beach
Why should we swim in one place?
I want to stay safe at the beach
What should I pack?
What is a rip current?
I'll just swim out if I get stuck
It won't happen to me
Everyone knows about rip currents
Let's go cliff jumping
Those people should be swimming between the flags
Didn't they read the signs
Tourists:
Australian beach are beautiful
I can't wait to get in the water
The waves are really big
Can we just swim anywhere?
That water between the waves looks calm enough to swim in
What is all this signage for?
I didn't bring my bathers, I'll just swim in my clothes
Can we jump off the cliffs?
The blow up lounge will be great to take in the water to float on!
I'll talk to the life guards and life savers before I get in the water
That flagged area looks like the place to swim there are a lot of people swimming there
What should I take with me?
What is happening, why am I going out to sea?
How will I get back in?
I can't touch the ground!
Am I going to get eaten by a shark?
Life savers and Life guards:
How many people will be down today?
What's the weather doing?
What is the water temperature?
Which way is the current going and how strong is it?
Are those children swimming with an adult?
Rips to the north make sure to set up well away from this area
All equipment ready and set up and cover any busy areas outside of the flags
What education and awareness information will be most useful today?
Why are those people swimming there?
Didn't they see the signage?
Maybe they are unaware of the safest place on the beach to swim?
Hope I get to this person in time
Industry:
What are people seeing when they go to the beach?
How can we make them more aware of safe areas to swim?
What are the ages and gender of people getting caught in rip currents?
What technology can we use to promote beach safety?
What is working to get the message across?
How many different nationalities visit our beaches per year?
What is the best way of knowing how a rip current works?
What beaches are most at risk?
How effective is our current means of education?
How effective are our current research projects?
Summary
We are one of the industry leaders when it comes to rip currents and beach safety and are very lucky to have the education and awareness to keep people safe at the beach. By everyone sharing their perspective (lens) knowledge and experiences we can all help reduce the number of drownings.
The following clip is of the rip dye current experiment scientists have conducted on a Sydney beach, it's really interesting to get a perspective from the rip current as to how they work!
Video: Rip current time lapse
Source: Patrick Rynne
REFERENCES:
Brighton,
B, Sherker, S, Brander, R, Thompson, M & Bradstreet, A 2013, Rip current related drowning deaths and
rescues in Australia 2004-2011, Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences,
vol. 13, pp. 1069-1075, viewed 18 July 2014, http://www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net/13/1069/2013/nhess-13-1069-2013.pdf
