7.3 KiB
Negative Contrastive Framing Template
Quick Start
Purpose: Define concepts by showing what they're NOT—use anti-goals, near-misses, and failure patterns to clarify fuzzy boundaries.
When to use: Positive definition exists but edges are unclear, multiple interpretations cause confusion, or need to distinguish similar concepts.
Part 1: Positive Definition
Concept/Goal: [What you're trying to define]
Initial Positive Definition: [Your current definition using positive attributes]
Why It's Ambiguous:
- [Interpretation 1 vs Interpretation 2]
- [Edge cases unclear]
- [Confusion point]
Purpose:
- Teaching/training
- Decision criteria
- Quality control
- Requirements clarification
- Other: [Specify]
Part 2: Anti-Goals
What This is NOT: (Opposite of desired outcome)
Anti-Goal 1: [Opposite extreme]
- Description: [What it looks like]
- Why it fails: [Violates which criterion]
- Example: [Concrete instance]
Anti-Goal 2: [Another opposite]
- Description:
- Why it fails:
- Example:
Anti-Goal 3: [Third opposite]
- Description:
- Why it fails:
- Example:
[Add 2-5 anti-goals total]
Part 3: Near-Miss Examples
Close Calls That FAIL: (Examples that almost qualify but fail on key dimension)
Near-Miss 1: [Example]
- What it gets right: [Positive aspects]
- Where it fails: [Specific dimension that disqualifies]
- Why it's instructive: [What it reveals about criteria]
- Boundary lesson: [Insight about where line is drawn]
Near-Miss 2: [Example]
- What it gets right:
- Where it fails:
- Why it's instructive:
- Boundary lesson:
Near-Miss 3: [Example]
- What it gets right:
- Where it fails:
- Why it's instructive:
- Boundary lesson:
[Continue for 5-10 near-misses—these are most valuable]
Part 4: Common Failure Patterns
Failure Pattern 1: [Pattern name]
- Description: [What the pattern looks like]
- Why it fails: [Criterion violated]
- How to spot: [Detection heuristic]
- How to avoid: [Prevention guard]
- Example: [Instance]
Failure Pattern 2: [Pattern name]
- Description:
- Why it fails:
- How to spot:
- How to avoid:
- Example:
Failure Pattern 3: [Pattern name]
- Description:
- Why it fails:
- How to spot:
- How to avoid:
- Example:
[List 3-7 common failure patterns]
Part 5: Contrast Matrix
| Example | Dimension 1 | Dimension 2 | Dimension 3 | Passes? | Why/Why Not |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Positive example] | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ PASS | All criteria met |
| [Near-miss 1] | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ FAIL | Fails Dimension 3 |
| [Near-miss 2] | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ FAIL | Fails Dimension 2 |
| [Negative example] | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ FAIL | Fails all dimensions |
Key Dimensions:
- Dimension 1: [Name] - [What it measures]
- Dimension 2: [Name] - [What it measures]
- Dimension 3: [Name] - [What it measures]
Part 6: Sharpened Definition
Revised Positive Definition: [Updated definition informed by negative contrasts]
Decision Criteria:
✓ Passes if:
- [Criterion 1 operationalized]
- [Criterion 2 operationalized]
- [Criterion 3 operationalized]
✗ Fails if ANY of:
- [Disqualifier 1]
- [Disqualifier 2]
- [Disqualifier 3]
⚠️ Ambiguous middle ground:
- [Case 1]: Consider context [X]
- [Case 2]: Requires judgment call on [Y]
Part 7: Actionable Guards
Prevention Checklist:
- [Guard against failure pattern 1]
- [Guard against failure pattern 2]
- [Guard against failure pattern 3]
- [Check for near-miss condition 1]
- [Check for near-miss condition 2]
Detection Heuristics:
- Red flag: [Signal that example might fail]
- Check: [What to verify]
- Yellow flag: [Warning sign]
- Check: [What to verify]
- Green light: [Positive signal]
- Confirm: [What to validate]
Part 8: Examples Across Spectrum
Clear PASS: [Unambiguous positive example]
- [Why it clearly meets all criteria]
Borderline PASS: [Barely qualifies]
- [Why it passes despite weakness in dimension X]
Borderline FAIL: [Almost qualifies]
- [Why it fails despite strength in dimensions Y and Z]
Clear FAIL: [Unambiguous negative example]
- [Why it clearly violates criteria]
Output Format
Create negative-contrastive-framing.md:
# [Concept]: Negative Contrastive Framing
**Date:** [YYYY-MM-DD]
## Positive Definition
[Sharpened definition]
## Anti-Goals
1. [Anti-goal] - [Why it's opposite]
2. [Anti-goal] - [Why it's opposite]
## Near-Miss Examples (Most Instructive)
1. **[Example]**: Almost passes but fails because [key dimension]
2. **[Example]**: Gets [X] right but fails on [Y]
3. **[Example]**: Looks like success but is actually [failure mode]
## Common Failure Patterns
1. **[Pattern]**: [Description] - Guard: [Prevention]
2. **[Pattern]**: [Description] - Guard: [Prevention]
## Decision Criteria
✓ **Passes if:**
- [Operationalized criterion 1]
- [Operationalized criterion 2]
✗ **Fails if:**
- [Disqualifier 1]
- [Disqualifier 2]
## Contrast Matrix
[Table showing examples across key dimensions]
## Key Insights
- [What negative examples revealed about boundaries]
- [Subtle criteria made explicit through near-misses]
- [Actionable guards to prevent common failures]
Quality Checklist
Before finalizing:
- Anti-goals represent true opposites (not just bad versions)
- Near-misses are genuinely close calls (not obviously bad)
- Each failure has clear explanation of why it fails
- Failure patterns are common/realistic (not strawmen)
- Decision criteria are operationalized (testable)
- Guards are actionable (can be implemented)
- Covers spectrum from clear pass to clear fail
- Ambiguous cases acknowledged and addressed
- Insights reveal something not obvious from positive definition alone
Common Applications
Code Review:
- Anti-goal: Unreadable code
- Near-miss: Well-commented but poorly structured code
- Pattern: "Documentation hides design problems"
UX Design:
- Anti-goal: Unusable interface
- Near-miss: Beautiful but non-intuitive design
- Pattern: "Form over function"
Hiring:
- Anti-goal: Wrong culture fit
- Near-miss: Strong skills but misaligned values
- Pattern: "Optimizing for résumé over team dynamics"
Product Strategy:
- Anti-goal: Feature bloat
- Near-miss: Useful feature that distracts from core value
- Pattern: "Saying yes to everything"
Communication:
- Anti-goal: Incomprehensible writing
- Near-miss: Technically accurate but inaccessible
- Pattern: "Correctness without clarity"
Tips
For Near-Misses:
- Look for examples that fool initial judgment
- Find cases where single dimension tips the balance
- Use real examples from experience
For Failure Patterns:
- Name patterns memorably
- Make detection criteria specific
- Provide concrete prevention guards
For Decision Criteria:
- Test against edge cases
- Make falsifiable/testable
- Handle ambiguous middle ground explicitly
For Teaching:
- Start with near-misses (most engaging)
- Build pattern recognition through repetition
- Have learners generate their own negative examples