Transcript Observation v. Inference Notes

Observation vs Inference
Observation
Using your 5 senses to gather information
Can be QUANTITATIVE or QUALITATIVE
 Qualitative – Uses descriptive words
“The book is heavy”
 Quantitative – Uses numbers
“The book weighs 10 Kg”
Observations should be OBJECTIVE (without bias) not
SUBJECTIVE (open to personal bias)
Inference
A logical interpretation/explanation of an
observation
Example:
Observation - The Grass is Wet
Possible Inferences:
The sprinkler was on
There is dew on the grass
A dog peed on it
It rained
Make a list/table of 5 observations and 5 inferences for this
picture. You should have both qualitative and quantitative data.