What does notions mean?

Answer 1

Preconceived notions are ideas or beliefs that a person forms, before actually encountering someone or something, or before learning of any evidence about them/it.

"Preconceived" (definition from dictionary.com) means, "to form a conception or opinion of beforehand, as before seeing evidence or as a result of a previously held prejudice." "Notions" means ideas or beliefs.

For example, a popular preconceived notion is the idea that gay people are likely to molest children. Because it seems like it could possibly be true (if you follow the logic that if someone engages in one abnormal sexual behavior, they are likely to engage in any and all abnormal sexual behaviors), and because of the long history of anti-gay sentiment throughout human history, many people believe that gay people are likely to molest children. Even though they have not done any research on the available evidence (which, by the way, conclusively proves that homosexuality and pedophilia are two completely different things, and that most gay people do NOT in fact molest children) and even though they don't even know any gay people personally, they assume it must be true. Thus, it is a preconceived notion.