Lindsay is facing four problems. The first is that the way her department is overworking its employees is going to lead to problems soon. The second is that she has to figure out what procedure must be followed to discharge George, an employee who has not been behaving appropriately. The third problem is that she has to determine where missing supplies have gone. Finally, she needs to come up with a new idea to address how to package the company's products since shipping requirements have changed. Identify and describe the four types of reasoning abilities, and explain which one Lindsay needs to apply to each of her four problems.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Student answers and examples will vary but should demonstrate understanding of the four types of reasoning abilities and when they should be applied. A sample answer follows.

Reasoning ability is actually a diverse set of abilities associated with sensing and solving problems using insight, rules, and logic.
Problem sensitivity is the ability to sense that there is a problem right now or likely to be one in the near future. Anesthesiology is a great example of a job for which problem sensitivity is crucial. 
Deductive reasoning refers to the ability to use general rules to solve problems, and it is important in any job in which people are presented with a set of facts that need to be applied to make effective decisions. The job of a judge requires deductive reasoning. 
Inductive reasoning refers to the ability to consider several specific pieces of information and then reach a more general conclusion regarding how those pieces are related. Inductive reasoning is crucial for police officers and detectives. 
Originality refers to the ability to develop clever and novel ways to solve problems. Inventors and designers frequently use originality in their jobs. 
Lindsay will use problem sensitivity to detect and address the upcoming problems caused by overworking the employees. She will use deductive reasoning to make sure George is terminated according to proper procedure. She will use inductive reasoning to investigate and solve the problem of the missing supplies. Finally, she will use originality to address the packaging situation.