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MENTAL MODEL · M9992

Inquiry and Advocacy

Inquiry and Advocacy
Learn & MetacognitionHigh supportLearning Science
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Updated 2026-08-22

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INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

Advocacy means stating one's own position, and inquiry means seeking to understand the other's view; effective dialogue requires a balance between the push of the former and the pull of the latter. The core claim is that neither alone works: pure advocacy becomes a contest in which the best arguer wins, and pure inquiry becomes polite exchange that reaches no conclusion. The productive form is advocacy with an inquiring attitude, holding a position firmly while actively seeking the reasoning that would challenge it. The qualification is that inquiry must be sincere, since questioning used as a rhetorical device is read as attack.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- Show your reasoning: state the data and inference behind your position rather than the conclusion alone. - Invite the challenge: ask explicitly where your blind spots might be. - Inquire before rebutting: understand the other's reasoning before defending your own.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

A position stated without its reasoning can only be accepted or rejected, so disagreement becomes a contest of authority rather than a test of inference. Exposing the reasoning makes the chain inspectable, which lets others locate the exact step where they differ. Genuine inquiry then supplies the missing information, since the other party's data may change the inference itself. Because people defend their reasoning when they feel heard and defend their status when they do not, the inquiring attitude keeps the exchange about the problem.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    zh.wikipedia.orghttps://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%AC%AC%E4%BA%94%E9%A1%B9%E4%BF%AE%E7%82%BCZH · Explicit
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