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Abductive reasoning

About: Abductive reasoning is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1917 publications have been published within this topic receiving 44645 citations. The topic is also known as: abduction & abductive inference.


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Book ChapterDOI
01 Apr 2000
TL;DR: This chapter analyzes previous work on abduction and induction in the context of logic programming\indexlogic programming and artificial intelligence, and attempts a (partial) synthesis of this work.
Abstract: The outline of this chapter is as follows. In Section 1.2 we discuss the philosophical and logical origins of abduction and induction. In Section 1.3 we analyse previous work on abduction and induction in the context of logic programming\indexlogic programming and artificial intelligence, and attempt a (partial) synthesis of this work. Section 1.4 considers the integration of abduction and induction in artificial intelligence, and Section 1.5 concludes.

66 citations

Book
01 Jun 1964

66 citations

Book ChapterDOI
01 Jan 2008
TL;DR: This chapter shows how formal knowledge representation and reasoning techniques can be used for the retrieval and interpretation of multimedia data and introduces description logics (DLs) as the formal basis for ontology languages of the OWL (web ontology language) family.
Abstract: In this chapter, we show how formal knowledge representation and reasoning techniques can be used for the retrieval and interpretation of multimedia data. This section explains what we mean by an “interpretation” using examples of audio and video interpretation. Intuitively, interpretations are descriptions of media data at a high abstraction level, exposing interrelations and coherencies. In Section 3.2.3, we introduce description logics (DLs) as the formal basis for ontology languages of the OWL (web ontology language) family and for the interpretation framework described in subsequent sections. As a concrete example, we consider the interpretation of images describing a sports event in Section 3.3. It is shown that interpretations can be obtained by abductive reasoning, and a general interpretation framework is presented. Stepwise construction of an interpretation can be viewed as navigation in the compositional and taxonomical hierarchies spanned by a conceptual knowledge base. What do we mean by “interpretation” of media objects? Consider the image shown in Fig. 3.1. One can think of the image as a set of primitive objects such as persons, garbage containers, a garbage truck, a bicycle, traffic signs, trees, etc. An interpretation of the image is a description which “makes sense” of these primitive objects. In our example, the interpretation could include the assertions “two workers empty garbage containers into a garbage truck” and “a mailman distributes mail” expressed in some knowledge representation language. When including the figure caption into the interpretation process, we have a multimodal interpretation task which in this case involves visual and textual media objects. The result could be a refinement of the assertions above in terms of the location “in Hamburg”. Note that the interpretation describes activities extending in time although it is only based on a snapshot. Interpretations may generally include

66 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The protocol for a study that aims to build a theory of the social epidemiology of maternal depression is presented, using a critical realist approach which is trans-disciplinary, encompassing both quantitative and qualitative traditions, and that assumes both ontological and hierarchical stratification of reality.
Abstract: A recent criticism of social epidemiological studies, and multi-level studies in particular has been a paucity of theory. We will present here the protocol for a study that aims to build a theory of the social epidemiology of maternal depression. We use a critical realist approach which is trans-disciplinary, encompassing both quantitative and qualitative traditions, and that assumes both ontological and hierarchical stratification of reality. We describe a critical realist Explanatory Theory Building Method comprising of an: 1) emergent phase, 2) construction phase, and 3) confirmatory phase. A concurrent triangulated mixed method multilevel cross-sectional study design is described. The Emergent Phase uses: interviews, focus groups, exploratory data analysis, exploratory factor analysis, regression, and multilevel Bayesian spatial data analysis to detect and describe phenomena. Abductive and retroductive reasoning will be applied to: categorical principal component analysis, exploratory factor analysis, regression, coding of concepts and categories, constant comparative analysis, drawing of conceptual networks, and situational analysis to generate theoretical concepts. The Theory Construction Phase will include: 1) defining stratified levels; 2) analytic resolution; 3) abductive reasoning; 4) comparative analysis (triangulation); 5) retroduction; 6) postulate and proposition development; 7) comparison and assessment of theories; and 8) conceptual frameworks and model development. The strength of the critical realist methodology described is the extent to which this paradigm is able to support the epistemological, ontological, axiological, methodological and rhetorical positions of both quantitative and qualitative research in the field of social epidemiology. The extensive multilevel Bayesian studies, intensive qualitative studies, latent variable theory, abductive triangulation, and Inference to Best Explanation provide a strong foundation for Theory Construction. The study will contribute to defining the role that realism and mixed methods can play in explaining the social determinants and developmental origins of health and disease.

66 citations

Book ChapterDOI
01 Jan 2002
TL;DR: In this paper, a reconstruction of logic-based approaches to abductive reasoning in terms of ampliative adaptive logics is proposed, and the resulting logics have a proof theory.
Abstract: In this paper, we propose a reconstruction of logic-based approaches to abductive reasoning in terms of ampliative adaptive logics. A main advantage of this reconstruction is that the resulting logics have a proof theory. As abductive reasoning is non-monotonic, the latter is necessarily dynamic (conclusions derived at some stage may at a later stage be rejected). The proof theory warrants, however, that the conclusions derived at a given stage are justified in view of the insight in the premises at that stage. Thus, it even leads to justified conclusions for undecidable fragments. Another advantage of the proposed logics is that they are much closer to natural reasoning than the existing systems. Usually, abduction is viewed as a form of “backward reasoning”. The search procedure by which this is realized (for instance, some form of linear linear resolution) is very different from the search procedures of human reasoners. The proposed logics treat abduction as a form of “forward reasoning” (Modus Ponens in the “wrong direction”). As a result, abductive steps are very natural, and are moreover nicely integrated with deductive steps. We present two new adaptive logics for abduction, and illustrate both with some examples from the history of the sciences (the discovery of Uranus and of Neptune). We also present some alternative systems that are better suited for non-creative forms of abductive reasoning.

65 citations


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Performance
Metrics
No. of papers in the topic in previous years
YearPapers
202356
2022103
202156
202059
201956
201867