Author Question: What are categorical syllogisms? What will be an ideal ... (Read 51 times)

Hungry! · **on:** Jun 20, 2018

What are categorical syllogisms?

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

What is satisficing and how is it used?

What will be an ideal response?

Edwyer · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 20, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Probably the most well-known kind of syllogism is the categorical syllogism. Like other kinds of syllogisms, categorical syllogisms comprise two premises and a conclusion. In the case of the categorical syllogism, the premises state something about the category memberships of the terms. In fact, each term represents all, none, or some of the members of a particular class or category. As with other syllogisms, each premise contains two terms. One of them must be the middle term, common to both premises. The first and the second terms in each premise are linked through the categorical membership of the terms. That is, one term is a member of the class indicated by the other term. How- ever the premises are worded, they state that some (or all or none) of the members of the category of the first term are (or are not) members of the category of the second term. To determine whether the conclusion follows logically from the premises, the reasoner must determine the category memberships of the terms. An example of a categorical syllogism follows:
Premise 1: All cognitive psychologists are pianists.
Premise 2: All pianists are athletes.
Conclusion: Therefore, all cognitive psychologists are athletes.

Answer to Question 2

In satisficing, we consider options one by one, and then we select an option as soon as we find one that is satisfactory or just good enough to meet our minimum level of acceptability. When limited working memory resources are available, the use of satisficing for making decisions may be increased. Satisficing is used in industrial contexts in which too much information can impair the quality of decisions, as in the selection of suppliers in electronic marketplaces. People use satisficing strategies in their everyday lives as well. A lot of people know keyboard shortcuts on the computer, for example, and yet they often do not use them, although those shortcuts are an efficient way to use many programs. Researchers believe that satisficing (i.e., using any strategy that works to accomplish a goal, even if it is not the most effective strategy) plays a role in computer users' not applying shortcuts.