In-class Exercise

To me, an observation is something that you see. An inference is a hypothesis you make based off of the observation. For example. If I am handed a glass of water that has ice in it, I observe that there is ice in the cup. Because of my observation of the ice, I infer that the drink is cold, despite the fact that I have not physically touched the drink itself.

An exampe of an observation and inference situation is watching somone cry and inferring they might be sad. However, the individual could be crying of excitment and joy. They could have received good news that they were so happy they shed tears. Another situation could be where they are sad and might be overwhelmed or stressed. 

Observation: Class attendance seems low today.

Inference: It's the friday of a long weekend, and some people skipped.

At the hospital; we typically see patient's that display a wide variety of observable symptoms that are then used to make inferences pertaining to their underlying cause. A classic example would be a rash. Typically, these are most offten treated as either a reaction to a fungal source or an allergic reaction to a new chemical.  The observable symptoms,  i.e the rash and any associated chatacteristics such as the type of nodules, scale, color etc all allow the provider to make an educated guess, or inference,  as to the method of treatment used (topical steroid if allergic or a topical antifungal if tinea based).
 

Observation: A child starts crying and looking for their mother when she leaves the room
Inference: The child is attached to his mother and finds comfort when he is with her

An example of an observation is seeing a person walking a dog on the sidewalk. One inference I can come up with about what I had observed is that the person walking the dog is the dog's owner. Another inference I could make is that the person is walking the dog on the sidewalk to avoid danger to both the dog and themselves. 

Observation- A student is wearing a green shirt

Inference- The students favorite color is green

Observation: The days are becoming longer and the snow is beginning to melt.

Inference:  Spring is coming.

I can see a person crying while wearing clothing with a sports team logo. From that I could infer that the team they support recently lost a game.

Bob is wearing a red sox jersey.

Bob must be from Boston. Bob must be a red sox fan.