Reflection loop prompts

These prompts aim to encourage you to consider different loops in the reflective process.

Attentional reflection

• What else could you notice that you might have failed to notice previously?

• What other details can you remember that you haven't recalled so far?

• What alternatives can you imagine that you haven't imagined so far?

Investigative reflection

• What experiments could you perform to gather more information or expand your range of experience?

• What other experiences could you recall that might provide more information?

• What other imaginary scenarios could you explore?

Agentic reflection

• What actions could you take that might change your circumstances so that they better match your ideals?

• What other memories could you prioritise to change your personal narrative?

• What more ambitious possibilities could you start to imagine?

Meliorative reflection

• How could you adjust the way you describe the phenomenon (different vocabulary, different perceptual mode, different perspective)?

• How could you adjust the way evaluate or categorise the phenomenon (compare to something else, use different criteria)?

• What adjustments could you make to your explanation of the phenomenon to make it better account for the evidence?

Substitutive reflection

• How could you use terminology from a different domain to describe this phenomenon?

• How could the values and categories of a different discipline be applied to this phenomenon?

• What theories and explanations from a different field could apply to this phenomenon?

Generative reflection

• What different ways to represent the phenomenon could you invent?

• What completely new ways of evaluating or grouping things could you come up with?

• What new explanations could you posit to account for the phenomenon?

Confirmatory reflection

• What were you right about and what did you do well that you need to remember?

• How will you embed the useful sensory information, memories or speculations for next time?

• How will you embed the useful descriptions, evaluations and explanations for next time?