Paradigms and assumptions
Introduced| English | Meaning |
|---|---|
| paradigm/ˈpærədaɪm/ | A broad framework for interpreting a social situation. |
| assumptions/əˈsʌmpʃnz/ | Statements accepted as starting points for reasoning, analysis or a model. |
| ethnocentrism/ˈeθnəsentrɪzəm/ | ethnocentrism |
| cultural relativism/ˈkʌltʃərəl ˈrelətɪvɪzəm/ | cultural relativism |
A framework shapes the question
- A paradigm 范式 is a broad framework for interpreting a social situation. Its assumptions 假设 guide what you ask and what you notice; researchers can use it explicitly.
- A motivation-focused account asks about interest. An access-focused account asks about opportunity. Neither starting explanation becomes a finding without evidence.
Why can an unexamined paradigm be difficult to notice?
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Its assumptions may be treated as facts. Comparison and testing alternatives can reveal them; researchers can also use frameworks explicitly.
Check group judgements
- Ethnocentrism 民族中心主义 treats your own group's standards as the basis for judging others. A phrase can imply a hierarchy, but inspect its context before deciding what it means.
- A person's background does not establish their behaviour or interest. Ask about the individual and the situation rather than explaining everything with a group label.
Why could “they still live in extended families” imply ethnocentrism when the speaker treats this arrangement as backward?
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That context treats one arrangement as a preferred direction without evidence. The word alone does not establish the judgement in every context.
Understand context before evaluating
- Cultural relativism 文化相对主义 means considering a practice in its own context. Explaining a practice is different from automatically approving it.
- State the evidence and the basis for an evaluation. Context can help explain a choice without making every choice acceptable or proving one cause.
Understanding a practice in its own context means approving of it.
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Relativism is a method, not a moral position. Explanation and evaluation are different tasks.
Posting is not the same measure as interest. In an invented club case, 12 of 24 members post in one seven-day forum. Seven nonposters report device problems, three report limited time and two give no reason. This is a 50% posting rate, not a measurement of disinterest. A paper route could support further investigation, but changes the participation measure.
"Young people today are less social." Name the assumption behind that claim.
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Example: "It assumes that being social means meeting face to face, so contact through a screen does not count."
Name the assumption, identify its source and explain what evidence could challenge it. A wider definition can change a count. It does not prove that the underlying behaviour changed.
Put the three parts of a strong answer about an assumption in order.
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Name the assumption, say whose it is and examine how the interpretation changes. This is a reasoning aid, not a promise of an official mark.
“Less social” needs a stated measure and comparison. Counting only face-to-face activities excludes other contact, but that omission alone does not prove that young people are highly social. Keep both interpretations bounded by evidence.