Cognitive Scaffold

Preparing your thinking workspace

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MENTAL MODEL · M7198

Claim-Support-Question

Claim-Support-Question
StructureHigh supportCritical Thinking
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Updated 2026-08-10

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INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

An argument structure that separates an explicit claim, the evidence and reasons that support it, and the objections and questions it is likely to face. Its core proposition is that a good argument does more than assert and support, because considering the strongest objections in advance is what distinguishes reasoning from advocacy and exposes weak points while they can still be fixed. The qualifier is that the questioning must be genuine rather than a straw man set up to be knocked down.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- Claim statement: state the position you hold in one clear and testable sentence. - Evidence listing: set out the reasons and data that actually support the claim. - Objection hunting: seek out the strongest challenge to the claim before others do.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

An argument assembled only from supporting material reflects the search that produced it, so its weaknesses stay invisible to its author. Forcing an explicit objection stage introduces the opposing case while the argument can still be revised, which shifts the work from defending a fixed position to testing one.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    pz.harvard.eduhttps://pz.harvard.edu/resources/claim-support-questionZH · Explicit
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