Conceptual review on scientific reasoning and scientific thinking

Abstract

When conducting a systematic analysis of the concept of scientific reasoning (SR), we found confusion regarding the definition of the concept, its characteristics and its blurred boundaries with the concept of scientific thinking (ST). Furthermore, some authors use the concepts as synonyms. These findings raised three issues we aimed to answer in the present study: (1) are SR and ST the same concept, (2) if not, what are the differences between them, and (3) how can SR and ST be characterised and operationalised for systematic research? We conducted a conceptual review using an integrative approach to analyse 166 texts. First, we found that thinking and reasoning might refer to different processes. Likewise, SR and ST can be characterised as distinct concepts. Furthermore, the review identified that differences found between the concepts of SR and ST are grounded in ontological and epistemological perspectives.

Conspiratorial Beliefs and Cognitive Styles: An Integrated Look on Analytic Thinking, Critical Thinking, and Scientific Reasoning in Relation to (Dis)trust in Conspiracy Theories

“…It includes induction, deduction, analogy, causal reasoning, and other competencies which are employed for the purposes of scientific inquiry and problem solving during the critical thinking processes. They help people formulate, test, and revise hypotheses to solve problems, as a way to integrate new evidence into their existing system of knowledge (Dunbar and Fugelsang, 2005;Han, 2013;Díaz et al, 2021).…”

“…In this framework, and as seen on Figure 1, critical thinking and scientific reasoning can also be considered as related yet separate constructs, with the latter understood as a subset of the former (Dowd et al, 2018). Broadly speaking, the acts of thinking and reasoning differ in that thinking involves more general cognitive processes for systemic transformation of mental representation of knowledge, while reasoning includes specialized cognitive processes aimed at drawing conclusions from initial premises (Holyoak and Morrison, 2005;Díaz et al, 2021). More specifically, the acts of critical thinking and scientific reasoning also differ from each other.…”

“…To adequately tackle the problem, it is the belief of this author that a joint effort by experts in several psychological disciplines (including social, political, educational, personality, and cognitive psychology) is required. Thus far, cognitive and educational psychologists together with philosophers have mainly focused on postulating conceptual frameworks of cognition and rationality (Stanovich and Stanovich, 2010;Díaz et al, 2021), while social and political psychologists have mainly directed their effort toward experimental investigations of the conspiratorial beliefs.…”

Undergoing Science Experiment in Hybrid Learning

“…Students actively participate in gaining new knowledge from experience while undergoing procedures for science experiments, making their own decisions, and accepting the consequences from their results in science experiments (Supriani et al, 2019). Scientific reasoning refers to the cognitive processes performed in science experiments to reason about the substance of scientific concepts, particularly when generating and testing hypotheses, gathering evidence, and drawing conclusions (Díaz et. al., 2021;Hidayah et al, 2021).…”

Comparison Research of Scientific Thinking Cultivation in Primary and Secondary Education Between Ontario and China

“…Modern science education not only aims to prepare students for higher education, but also meets the demands of social and economic development. As Díaz discovered, "scientific thinking" is often used interchangeably with "scientific reasoning" and is also frequently intertwined with the concept "scientific method" or the description "thinking like a scientist" [14]. However, Kuhn generalized "scientific thinking" to a common human activity for knowledge-seeking, expanding the ideology outside of science.…”