1 of 8

Observation vs Inference

2 of 8

Observations and Inferences

  • Observations and inferences are two important concepts in the realm of science, research and critical thinking.

​

  • They are closely related, but serve different purposes and involve distinct processes.

3 of 8

Observations

  • Raw data we gather through our _______________.
  • Are ______________ and _______________ pieces of information about the world around us.
  • Direct and ___________________
  • Describe what we can directly ______________ or _____________.
  • The ______________________ upon which we build our understanding about the world.

​

SENSES

OBJECTIVE

CONCRETE

STRAIGHTFORWARD

PERCEIVE

MEASURE

FOUNDATION

4 of 8

Examples of Observations

  1. _______________: The T◦ outside is 15 ◦ C, and the sky is cloudy.

​

  • _______________: When mixed, Substance A and Substance B formed a green solution.
  • _______________: The plant’s leaves are turning yellow, and it’s height has increased by 2 inches over the past week.
  • ____________________: The moon is currently in its crescent phase and is visible in the western sky.

WEATHER

CHEMISTRY

BIOLOGY

ASTRONOMY

5 of 8

INFERENCES

  • ___________________ drawn from ________________________.

​

  • Involve _______________, __________________, and sometimes

even ________________ based on the available data.

​

  • Go ________________ what is immediately apparent and involve _______________ to make educated guesses or _____________ about the underlying causes or implications of the ____________ __________.

CONCLUSIONS

SPECULATION

REASONING

INTERPRETATION

OBSERVED DATA

PREDICTIONS

ANALYSIS

OBSERVATIONS

BEYOND

6 of 8

Examples of Inferences

  1. _______________: Since the sky is cloudy and the temperature has dropped, it might rain later today.

​

  • _______________: The green color of the solution suggests the presence of a copper compound.
  • _______________: The yellowing of the plant’s leaves could be due to a nutrient deficiency.
  • ____________________: The crescent moon’s shape indicates that its currently in a waxing phase and it’s moving towards a full moon.

WEATHER

CHEMISTRY

BIOLOGY

ASTRONOMY

7 of 8

  • In each of these examples, the ______________________ is the factual information

you can directly gather from your _________________ or _________________________.

The ______________________ on the other hand, involves _______________________ ____

_____________________________ or making an ___________________________ _____________ based on that

________________________.

It's important to note that while ___________________________________are often based on observations,

they can sometimes lead to ________________________________ if not based on

___________________________ or sufficient data.

  •  

​

OBSERVATION

CONCLUSION

OBSERVATION

EDUCATED GUESS

INFERENCES

MISUNDERSTANDINGS

ACCURATE

SENSES

DRAWING A

INFERENCE

INSTRUMENTS

8 of 8

  • In summary, observations are the concrete data collected through our

senses or instruments, while inferences are conclusions drawn from those

observations, involving interpretation and analysis to provide deeper

understanding or meaning. Both observations and inferences are critical

components of scientific reasoning and critical thinking.

​