Approaches to Studying Formal and Everyday Reasoning

Reviews the current literature on different types of reasoning, showing little integration across different studies and very little explicit discussion regarding the nature of reasoning. Moreover, most recent theoretical work on deductive and inductive reasoning does not make any explicit connection to everyday reasoning. Major programmatic approaches to the study of reasoning are classified into three types: the componential approach, the rules/heuristics approach, and the mental models/search approach. Strengths and shortcomings of each are reviewed. It is concluded that each approach can potentially play an important role in describing one or more aspects of everyday reasoning. In terms of direct extendability to the description, study, and improvement of everyday reasoning, the mental models/search approach is argued to be the most useful, especially when it incorporates a generalized version of the rules/heuristics approach.