Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 4.2
The cycle of
intelligence and the
interaction between the
different types of inferences
Abstraction
Retroduction
Induction
Deduction
•A
bstraction
of relevant features ensures that a germane hypothesis can be
retroduced.
•
Retroduction
attempts to create a hypothesis (or set of hypotheses) that is framed in
terms of the abstracted features and fits given knowledge and understanding. The
creation process is dependent upon some mechanism (possibly some kind of meta-
concept) that is influenced by experience. In this way only feasible hypotheses
are generated.
•
Deduction
from this hypothesis will provide the essential information for
induction.
•
Induction
validates the deduced results according to a set of criteria that depend
upon purpose. The result of induction influences further abstraction, and so on.
Figure
4.2
illustrates the process of intelligence described above. The creation and
validation of hypotheses is performed by interacting and co-operating abstraction,
retroductive, deductive and inductive inferences. As suggested this process in its
simplest form is similar to the simple 'generate and test' procedure often quoted
by others. However, the process is more complex than this simple cycle in that the
results at each stage influence the way in which each element in the cycle behaves.
There is a “tension” among the three inferences and this “tension” provides feedback
data from one inference to another in order to improve the quality and credibility of
a potential hypothesis.
The black solid circle in Fig.
4.2
indicates the flow of information (thick arrow)
between the four inferential mechanisms. The tension is created when the four in-
ferential mechanisms cooperate to formulate a viable hypothesis. Communications
between the mechanisms involves a cycle of abstraction, retroduction, deduction
and induction and the feeding-back of information that will ensure a hypothesis is
applicable. Thus features from the world are abstracted that serve the overall purpose
of the system and lead towards viable hypotheses. Hypotheses are abduced that will,
in their turn, serve the criteria of induction, and deduction will form conclusions that
can be validated and useful (e.g. solve the problem). Abstraction is unique in that it
depends to a large extent on close activity with the world; it is sense based (i.e. sight,
touch, hearing, taste and smell as well propriaception). Abstraction depends upon
involving people.
For a given set of facts (e.g., a sequence of numbers) it is the role of retroduction to
create a reasonable hypothesis for those facts (e.g. the sequence). Deduction exercises
