Table 1.

Definitions and examples of key terms.

Term	Definition	Example
Causal inference	The process of determining causes and effects.	Mark jabbed the balloon with the pin implied the consequence that the balloon broke.
Logical reasoning	The process of drawing conclusions from premises or information.	Julie had five apples and she gave one to Paul implied that Julie ended up with four apples.
Inductive reasoning	A type of reasoning that synthesizes detailed facts or observations to reach general conclusions.	The left-handed people I know use left-handed brush; therefore, all left-handed people use left-handed brush.
Conditional reasoning	A type of reasoning that is based on the construct “if A, then B.”	If today is Sunday, then I will not go to school. Today is Sunday, so I will not go to school.
Syllogistic reasoning	A type of reasoning that draws a conclusion from two or more premises that are assumed to be true.	All cats eat meat. Some animals are cats. Therefore, some animals eat meat.
Bridging inference	The process of establishing connections between the current event and a prior text (or background knowledge).	The patient's eyesight was restored painlessly, and the ophthalmologist liked the new method implied that the ophthalmologist treated the eyes.
Predictive inference	The process of generating explanations about what will happen next in the discourse.	Mark fell from the 14th floor implied the consequence that he was dead.
Elaborative inference	The process of extending or refining the explicit content in the discourse.	Tomorrow is Mike's birthday. His girlfriend Jane went to a shopping mall implied Jane's motive that she was going to buy him a present.