Questioning First Impressions
Notice when your first reading of a social situation might be wrong — your assumptions about why someone acted a certain way are not always facts
Typical age: 9–10 years
“If your child felt sure someone was being unfair or unkind, could they pause and consider whether there might be another explanation for what happened?”
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Needs first
- Vocabulary: selfREQUIRED
Questioning own assumptions requires precise vocabulary of 'assumption', 'bias', and 'perspective'
- Patterns in Your Own Reactions
Noticing that your first read of a situation might be wrong requires awareness of your own patterns of assumption and reaction
- Your Impact on OthersREQUIRED
Questioning your assumptions about social situations requires first having practised the harder skill of seeing yourself from another person's perspective
- Understanding Why
Questioning your assumptions about why someone acted a certain way is elaborative interrogation applied to social cognition — asking 'why do I think this?' rather than accepting the first explanation
Unlocks next
- Personal Growth Over TimeREQUIRED
Reflecting on your own growth requires first having developed honest self-awareness of your assumptions and reactions — growth reflection is hollow without prior self-scrutiny
- Questioning Your Own Biases
Reflecting on unconscious assumptions and biases towards others builds on the foundational habit of questioning your first reading of social situations
- Ethics in Real-World Issues
Evaluating ethical dimensions of real-world issues and forming reasoned positions requires the habit of questioning your own assumptions before accepting your first instinct