Question

A scientist observed 12 finches on an island. The finches ate beetles, caterpillars, and worms. What can the scientist predict about the diets of all of the finches on the island? Explain how this is a generalization.

Answer 1

The scientists can predict that the finches on the island are mostly insectivores.

This is a generalization because the scientist have taken 12 finches as a sample population and predicted the food habits of the Entire population of finches living on the island.

Explanation:

• Generalization refers to deriving a conclusion about anything by observing any sample of it.
• Usually generalizations are done while studying large populations.
• We can define generalization as an act in which broad inferences are drawn by small observation.
• It makes the qualitative evaluation easy when it is very difficult to study each an every individual of population.
• In this experiment the scientists have observed only 12 out of many finches living on the island.
• They observed only these 12 finches and inferred about the eating habits of all the finches in the island.
• So, here a small observation of only 12 finches was used to give a broader inference about all the finches. Thus, it is a generalization.