11/22 Readings

Angela Ordonez

Dr. Doris Cacoilo

ART 263

November 22, 2023 

Chapter 5 Cognition and Chapter 6

Chapter 5

- “Cognitive scientists have discovered that the ways in which the mind makes sense of information affect the actual structure of the brain.” Page 180

I chose this quote because it is an example that the chapter gives us too much information about not only art and activism but beyond that they give us real information to be able to understand the function of our brain and also be able to understand the advice that they give us to For example, knowing how to persuade someone, according to them it is important to know how the human brain works to understand the reason for their thoughts.

- “One of our goals is to change the way people perceive and understand the world and their place within it. We want people to listen to what we have to say, see what we have to show them, and understand and accept the facts and perspectives we have to offer. There are all sorts of ways to do this, but if we want the highest chance of success we want to win-we need to know how people make sense of information so we don't waste our time and energy with approaches that won't work.” Page 181

This quote was chosen because here they emphasize their purpose in carrying out such activism, they also clarify their points and strategies to reach others. When reading the book I can notice that the authors are really intelligent and give advice from their own experiences and learning, which is very important for the audience since they are the ones we should pay attention to. For example, our mother, when she gives us advice I feel that as children it is our duty to take it since she is a person who has lived much longer than us and has already lived for what perhaps we will live.

- “The key here is not confronting people head-on. It is figuring out what stories people are already telling themselves, what associations they are already making, and then figuring out a way to fit our concerns within this. Careful listening is something marriage equality activists in the United States have done very well”  Page 188

This phrase also seemed strategic and intelligent to me. They mean, from my point of view, that to reach other people they have to learn to understand them and also understand their beliefs, learn to listen, and from there give their point of view including personal stories.

Chapter 6

- “But people are also often hard to persuade because they have valid reasons for thinking and acting as they do.” Page 211

This is very true, I feel that in part it is very difficult to change the mentality of someone who has been believing something specific for a long time. For example, going away from the topic of art and activism, let's imagine that we know a person who doesn't want to have children because she knows that she thinks that all children are a pain in the ass, difficult to take care of and she will do it badly, those thoughts that that person has of According to being a mother, they were not born or developed out of nowhere, different things had to have happened for her to conclude that she does not want to be a mother for fear that it would be too difficult and stressful a job. And I repeat, it is very difficult to change someone's thinking, but I do not think it is impossible.

- “We can learn the most from a type of marketing called social marketing. Its function is not to sell products, but to change social behaviors in often positive ways, promoting initiatives like public health.” Page 212

I found this to be quite an interesting strategy. Although the authors emphasize marketing, they also use these concepts to clarify people's minds and help them understand how we can use marketing strategies and develop them in a different way that would benefit everyone.

- “We shouldn't expect to move people through the whole process at once, few stages is a substantial accomplishment. In fact, trying to make a piece that achieves everything will leave you burned out and depressed-trust us, we've learned the hard way.” Page 233

This phrase, again, reflects his experiences and learning. I also believe that it is important to go step by step, you cannot change everything overnight, I believe that a small achievement makes a huge difference.