Making Inferences: A Critical Cognitive Process

What is an inference?

Interpretation of an event that happened based on prior knowledge or observations is called __________.

Answer:

An inference is the interpretation of an event based on prior knowledge or observations. This cognitive process involves drawing conclusions from information available.

An inference is a fundamental cognitive process that plays a crucial role in various areas such as reading comprehension and problem-solving. It involves analyzing information and making logical deductions based on what is known or observed.

For example, if someone sees smoke rising from a chimney, they might infer that there is a fire burning inside the house because their prior knowledge tells them that smoke usually indicates the presence of fire.

Being able to make accurate inferences is essential for making sense of situations and drawing conclusions that are based on evidence and logic. This skill is particularly important in fields such as science, where inferences are used to formulate hypotheses and make predictions based on experimental results.