Lisa Feldman Barrett: Article Analysis
An article written to persuade its readers can only be effective if it does just that; persuade. There are countless ways to successfully portray an opinion or topic but the topic should be considered beforehand to ensure the use of the most effective techniques. The components of a persuasive article include giving information and background knowledge to the reader so they can better understand the topic at hand. Powerful words are often times used to appeal to the reader’s senses when making important points. While there are a variety of techniques used, an article becomes successful when it adequately educates and persuades its readers. Psychology professor and author, Lisa Feldman Barrett, demonstrates all the components of success in her
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Barrett utilizes this by giving her readers specific examples from credible research obtained by her and other accredited sources. The use of specific examples was helpful throughout this article because it allowed the reader to confirm the credibility of the research that was performed. Barrett informs the reader that these research projects were completed by her lab (Barrett 1). This also informs the reader that she personally carried out the projects so the information is first-hand knowledge. Also, each lab that was mentioned was thoroughly explained. This is extremely effective to ensure the reader understands why and how the research was collected. In addition, each lab was performed using a group of test subjects that were impartial to the topic of emotional perception. After the lab was completed once, Barrett and her lab altered the experiment slightly to gain more precise information through the use of androgynous faces. This involves the merging of both female and male features to produce one face with the addition of gender typical hair. Barrett explains the outcome, “Our test subjects, who were unaware of this ruse, were again more likely to attribute an internal, emotional cause to the poses in the faces with female hair, and more likely to attribute a situational cause to the poses in the faces with male hair” (Barrett
Barrett utilizes this by giving her readers specific examples from credible research obtained by her and other accredited sources. The use of specific examples was helpful throughout this article because it allowed the reader to confirm the credibility of the research that was performed. Barrett informs the reader that these research projects were completed by her lab (Barrett 1). This also informs the reader that she personally carried out the projects so the information is first-hand knowledge. Also, each lab that was mentioned was thoroughly explained. This is extremely effective to ensure the reader understands why and how the research was collected. In addition, each lab was performed using a group of test subjects that were impartial to the topic of emotional perception. After the lab was completed once, Barrett and her lab altered the experiment slightly to gain more precise information through the use of androgynous faces. This involves the merging of both female and male features to produce one face with the addition of gender typical hair. Barrett explains the outcome, “Our test subjects, who were unaware of this ruse, were again more likely to attribute an internal, emotional cause to the poses in the faces with female hair, and more likely to attribute a situational cause to the poses in the faces with male hair” (Barrett