PRIORITISING ASPECTS BASED ON SIGNIFICANCE

=Prioritising aspects of an article based on their significance= People make decisions based on a variety of things. Such decisions are made differently by different people according to their own values and understanding of the issue at hand. When a person is reading an article it is more than just the content of the source that influences their decision. Whether someone is aware of it or not, there are a range of other '''aspects''' in a source which are influential. '''The Content''' *Inaccurate information: Inaccurate information can lead someone to hold false beliefs. *Use of statistics: The use of statistics can give an article a perceived credibility. However these can be very misleading. How does the author know how and who by the statistics were gathered, and whether or not they are accurate? '''Sources of information within the article''' *The author: The credentials of the author can be influential. People are more likely to consider ideas presented by a reputable or trustworthy author. This could be someone in a position of authority, someone with expertise in the field (for example a doctor), or someone known and trusted by the reader (e.g. a celebrity). *Other sources quoted in the article: An article which quotes reputable or trustworthy people (see notes on author) can be quite influential. How does the reader know that these quotes are correct and have not been taken out of context? An article which cites the source of its information has more credibility. '''Bias:''' *A source of information which only offers facts on one side or aspect of the issue can lead someone to make an uninformed decision because they haven’t been exposed to all of the information. '''Language and Images:''' *Emotive language: People often make decisions based on emotions. Languages and images which are used to appeal to a reader’s emotions can be influential. *Persuasive language: An author can persuade a reader to trust them by writing their article in such a way that encourages the reader to empathise with them. This connection felt by the reader between themselves and the author means that they can be more greatly influenced by the content and or message presented by the author. Once people make a personal decision on an issue and follow through with that decision, the effects of their decision can influence the wider public. You will also need to consider what the impacts these decisions could have in the long run or on the wider community. NCEA Level 2 Biology students will be asked to prioritise '''aspects''' of three different articles based on how significantly they might impact the reader and public in general. For each article they will need to '''prioritise''' at least '''two''' 'aspects' and provide '''reasons'''. ==Prioritisation:== Prioritising aspects means putting them in order of relative importance. What aspects of the article would have a greater impact on the public than others? When prioritising aspects of an article you must clearly rank each aspect according to the impact they might have on the public. It might be a good idea to number each aspect as you rank them. You will also need to justify why some aspects would have a greater impact than others (justify your ranking). You might rank the relative impact of each aspect different from someone else. As long as you can provide reasons for your ranking this is fine.