Rhetoric Review Jan 2022

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

Candice Lanius University of Alabama in Huntsville

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.

Journal
Rhetoric Review
Published
2022-01-02
DOI
10.1080/07350198.2021.2002070
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
Closed
Topics
modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism discourse analysis argument public rhetoric
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

No articles in this index cite this work.

References (36) · 3 in this index

  1. Abelson Robert P. (1995)
    Statistics as Principled Argument
  2. 10.1525/9780520340664
     ↗
  3. Cifoletti Giovanna (2006)
    10.1163/157338206778915161
    Early Science and Medicine  ↗
  4. Condit (1996)
    How bad science stays that way: Brain sex, demarcation, and the status of truth…
    Rhetoric Society Quarterly
  5. Davis Philip J. (1987)
    The Rhetoric of the Human Sciences
Show all 36 →
  1. Davis Philip J. (1981)
    The Mathematical Experience
  2. Deterding Sebastian (2011)
    Proceedings from the 15th International Academic MindTrek Conference: Envisioning future …
     ↗
  3. Federal Trade Commission. Lumosity to Pay $2 Million to Settle FTC Deceptive Advertising Charges for its “Bra…
  4. Flower Linda (1993)
    Defining the New Rhetorics
  5. Fraser Steven (2008)
    The Bell Curve Wars: Race, Intelligence, and the Future of America
  6. Glassner Barry (2013)
    The Qualitative-Quantitative Distinction in the Social Sciences
  7. Grassi Ernesto (1980)
    Rhetoric as Philosophy: The Humanist Tradition
  8. 10.1080/00335639909384263
     ↗
  9. Hacking Ian (1991)
    The Foucault Effect: Studies in Governmentality
  10. Hardy Joseph (2009)
    The Science Behind Lumosity
  11. Jhaveri, Aditi. “Brain Training” with Lumosity—Does It Really Work?” Federal Trade Commission, 5 Jan. 2016. Web.
  12. 10.1016/j.futures.2016.12.004
     ↗
  13. 10.2466/pr0.96.1.204-206
     ↗
  14. Lanius Candice (2017)
    Establishing and Evaluating Online Credibility and Digital Ethos
  15. Lawton Graham (2008)
    10.1016/S0262-4079(08)60108-6
    New Scientist  ↗
  16. Little (2001)
    Understanding Statistical Significance: A Conceptual History
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  17. Lumos Labs. Lumosity, 2014. Web.
  18. Lumosity
    Youtube Video
  19. McCloskey Deidre. N (1998)
    The Rhetoric of Economics
  20. Murray Charles (1995)
    The Bell Curve
  21. Prelli Lawrence. J (2013)
    Poroi
  22. 10.1037/a0029082
     ↗
  23. Shaheen Farhat
    International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences
  24. Silver Nate (2012)
    The Signal and the Noise: Why so Many Predictions Fail—But Some Don’t
  25. Simons Herbert W (1978)
    10.1080/10570317809373920
    Western Journal of Speech Communication  ↗
  26. 10.1111/j.0272-4332.2004.00433.x
     ↗
  27. Toulmin Stephen E (1958)
    The Uses of Argument
  28. Walsh (2010)
    Before Climategate: Visual strategies to integrate ethos across the “is/ought” …
    Poroi
  29. Winner Langdon (1997)
    Social Research
  30. Wynn James (2012)
    Evolution by the Numbers
  31. Ziliak Steve T. (2008)
    The Cult of Statistical Significance: How the Standard Error Costs Us Jobs, Justice, and Lives
CrossRef global citation count: 1 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. Philosophy & Rhetoric Apr 2025
    Introduction: On the Desirability of Speaking to Others ↗
    Nirvana Tanoukhi; Nicholas Dunn
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism discourse analysis argument social media race and writing gender and writing disability studies public rhetoric literary studies editorial matter
  2. Philosophy & Rhetoric Sep 2024
    Where’s the Rhetoric? Imagining a Unified Field ↗
    Joshua Hanan
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism composition theory genre theory discourse analysis cultural rhetorics argument qualitative research quantitative research digital rhetoric social media grammar and mechanics gender and writing disability studies public rhetoric affect and writing body and rhetoric editorial matter
  3. Rhetoric & Public Affairs Sep 2024
    Populist Rhetorics Case Studies and a Minimalist Definition ↗
    Arthur E. Walzer
    classical rhetoric modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism discourse analysis argument digital rhetoric social media disability studies public rhetoric editorial matter
  4. Rhetoric & Public Affairs Mar 2023
    Market Affect and the Rhetoric of Political Economic Debates ↗
    Divine N. Aboagye
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism discourse analysis argument assessment race and writing public rhetoric affect and writing
  5. Pedagogy Jan 2022
    Contributors ↗
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism genre theory discourse analysis african american rhetorics decolonial rhetorics first-year composition writing pedagogy basic writing writing across the curriculum graduate education teacher development argument collaborative writing transfer assessment portfolios writing program administration writing centers peer tutoring technical communication professional writing archival research digital rhetoric social media grammar and mechanics literacy studies race and writing gender and writing disability studies public rhetoric community literacy literary studies editorial matter