Hasty Generalization

Hasty Generalization	Close Window

	Hasty generalization is looking at too small a sample, then making a broad claim about the group based on that. For instance, after encountering a few pushy people at an airport in Dallas, you conclude that all (or most) people in Texas are pushy.

Explanation:

The size of the sample is too small to support the conclusion.

Examples:

(i) Fred, the Australian, stole my wallet. Thus, all Australians are thieves. (Of course, we shouldn't judge all Australians on the basis of one example.)

(ii) I asked six of my friends what they thought of the new spending restraints and they agreed it is a good idea. The new restraints are therefore generally popular.

Proof:

Identify the size of the sample and the size of the population, then show that the sample size is too small. Note: a formal proof would require a mathematical calculation. This is the subject of probability theory. For now, you must rely on common sense.

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