Generalisation: the linchpin of evidence-based practice?

Abstract

Generalisation is inescapable. We all generalise. It is part of our cognitive apparatus and it is fundamental to the way we live. Our understanding of the world has to go beyond our own unique and limited experiences if we are to interact, empathise, understand and communicate with others in our social milieu. Without generalisation we could not interact with our world in a meaningful and coherent way – that is to say, we would need continual repetition of the same mental procedures for each new experience.