preconception
/'pri:kən'sepʃn/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A bias or prejudice that prevents impartial judgment: A preconception is a pre-existing opinion or attitude, often unfavorable, that influences how one perceives or evaluates something before having sufficient information.
- An idea or opinion formed in advance of direct experience or evidence: A preconception is a notion or belief held before encountering the relevant facts or situation.
Usage
- Preconception typically functions as a countable noun.
- It often carries a negative connotation, suggesting an unexamined or unfair bias.
- Common collocations include: "to have a preconception," "to challenge/dispel/preconceptions," "based on preconception."
Examples
- It's important for scientists to approach experiments without preconceptions.
- Her preconception about the city being dangerous was proven wrong after her visit.
- The manager's hiring decision was influenced by an unconscious preconception.
- He tried to set aside his preconceptions and listen to the new idea with an open mind.
Advanced Usage
- "To be colored by preconception": To be influenced or distorted by a pre-existing bias.
- His analysis of the data was colored by his political preconceptions.
- "To labor under a preconception": To operate while holding a mistaken prior belief.
- She was laboring under the preconception that all negotiations were adversarial.
Variants and Related Words
- Preconceived (adj): Formed before having the evidence for its truth or usefulness.
- She entered the meeting with a preconceived notion of what the outcome should be.
- Preconceive (verb): To form a conception or opinion of beforehand.
- It is difficult not to preconceive the ending of a predictable story.
Synonyms
- Bias: An inclination or prejudice for or against one person or group.
- Prejudice: A preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience.
- Presupposition: A thing tacitly assumed beforehand at the beginning of a line of argument or course of action.
Antonyms
- Impartiality: Equal treatment of all rivals or disputants; fairness.
- Open-mindedness: Willingness to consider new ideas; unprejudiced.
- Objectivity: The quality of being based on observable phenomena and not influenced by emotions or personal prejudices.
Related Phrases
- Without preconception: In a manner free from prior bias or assumption.
- The journalist aimed to report on the event without preconception.
- Challenge a preconception: To question or dispute a widely held prior belief.
- Her research challenged many preconceptions about early childhood development.
Noun
- a partiality that prevents objective consideration of an issue or situation
- an opinion formed beforehand without adequate evidence
- he did not even try to confirm his preconceptions