C&I_authority_dist.pdf (472.74 kB)
The effect of authority on the persuasiveness of mathematical arguments
journal contribution
posted on 2011-07-05, 12:39 authored by Matthew InglisMatthew Inglis, Juan P. Mejia-RamosThree experiments are reported which investigate the extent to which an authority figure
influences the level of persuasion undergraduate students and research-active mathematicians
invest in mathematical arguments. We demonstrate that, in some situations, both students and
researchers rate arguments as being more persuasive when they are associated with an expert
mathematician than when the author is anonymous. We develop a model which accounts for
these data by suggesting that, for both students and researchers, an authority figure only plays a
role when there is already some uncertainty about the argument’s mathematical status.
Implications for pedagogy, and for future research, are discussed.
History
School
- Science
Department
- Mathematics Education Centre
Citation
INGLIS, M. and MEJIA-RAMOS, J.P. 2009. The effect of authority on the persuasiveness of mathematical arguments. Cognition and Instruction, 27 (1), pp. 25-50.Publisher
Routledge (© Taylor and Francis)Version
- AM (Accepted Manuscript)
Publication date
2009Notes
This is an electronic version of an article published in the journal, Cognition and Instruction [© Taylor and Francis]. The definitive version is available online at: www.tandfonline.comISSN
0737-0008;1532-690XPublisher version
Language
- en
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