What does the term "hasty generalization" refer to in terms of argument construction?

The term "hasty generalization" refers specifically to the act of drawing conclusions based on insufficient evidence or an inadequate sample size. This logical fallacy occurs when a conclusion is made about a group or a category based on a small or unrepresentative set of data. For instance, if someone encounters a few instances of a particular event or behavior and then concludes that this is true for all instances, they are making a hasty generalization. This type of reasoning overlooks the need for sufficient evidence to support broader claims and can lead to incorrect or unfair conclusions about a larger population, illustrating why it is crucial to rely on adequately representative data when forming arguments or conclusions.