Rhetoric of Social Statistics: Statistical Persuasion and Argumentation in the Lumosity Memory Wars

IF 0.7 4区文学 0 LANGUAGE & LINGUISTICS

Rhetoric Review Pub Date : 2022-01-02 DOI:10.1080/07350198.2021.2002070

Candice L. Lanius

引用次数: 0

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Lumosity games and subsequent “memory wars” illustrate the rhetorical power of statistics in public discourse. Defenders of Lumosity build upon discursive traces based in societal fears and arguments based in “science” supported through statistics and experimentation. Detractors of Lumosity argue that their experiments are faulty. A close rhetorical reading reveals that certain commonalities exist across defenders and detractors alike. Looking at the inventional strategies of the statistical analyst as rhetor demonstrates how statistical tools are granted agency to determine research outcomes. Displacement of rhetorical agency has ramifications for understanding popular scientific discourse and making decisions as a society.

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社会统计学的修辞：Lumosity记忆战争中的统计说服与论证

Lumosity游戏和随后的“记忆战争”展示了统计在公共话语中的修辞力量。Lumosity的捍卫者建立在基于社会恐惧的话语痕迹和基于统计和实验支持的“科学”的论点之上。Lumosity的批评者认为他们的实验是错误的。仔细阅读修辞可以发现，辩护人和批评者都存在某些共性。将统计分析师的发明策略视为修辞者，展示了统计工具是如何被授予决定研究结果的代理权的。修辞能动性的转移对理解大众科学话语和作为一个社会做出决策产生了影响。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Rhetoric Review Multiple-

CiteScore

0.90

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Rhetoric Review (RR), a scholarly interdisciplinary journal of rhetoric, publishes in all areas of rhetoric and writing and provides a professional forum for its readers to consider and discuss current topics and issues. The journal publishes manuscripts that explore the breadth and depth of the discipline, including history, theory, writing, praxis, philosophy, professional writing, rhetorical criticism, cultural studies, multiple literacies, technology, literature, public address, graduate education, and professional issues. Rhetoric Review also invites readers to contribute to the Burkean Parlor, a discourse forum for discussion of Rhetoric Review"s published articles, as well as professional issues. Essay reviews, commissioned by the editor, are included as a regular feature.