Reader 06
How Assumptions Shape Understanding
An assumption is something a person believes without checking it carefully. Assumptions can help people make quick sense of a situation, but they can also lead to misunderstanding. If a friend does not reply to a message, someone may assume the friend is upset. If a coworker asks many questions, someone may assume the coworker is criticizing the work. In both cases, the person may react to an idea that has not been proven. The situation may have a simple explanation, but the assumption changes how the person sees it.
Assumptions shape understanding because they influence what people notice and how they interpret it. Once a person believes something, the person may look for details that support that belief and ignore details that do not. This makes it harder to see the situation clearly. A better approach is to separate facts from guesses. The fact may be, “The message has not been answered.” The guess may be, “The person is upset.” When people learn to separate these two things, they become better readers, listeners, and decision-makers.
VOCABULARY
Write the words or expressions from the article that are new to you or that you want to review.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Share your thoughts. Use details from the article to support your answers.
What do the examples of the unanswered message and the coworker’s questions have in common? Explain how each person gives meaning to a situation without enough evidence.
How can an initial assumption become harder to question over time? Explain the connection between what a person believes and which details the person notices or ignores.
Apply the article’s distinction between facts and guesses to the coworker example. What is known, what is assumed, and how could separating the two change the person’s response?
LISTEN
Listen to the recording and respond.
What did the speaker say?
How do you respond to the speaker’s opinion?
Use the reading to support your response.
