Mrs. Hoyos
AP Psych
23 May 2014
Book Review Outline: Blink
1) Introduction
a) Hook:
Suppose someone claimed that after viewing only minutes of a conversation of you and your spouse, they could predict how long your relationship would last with a ninety percent success rate. Would you believe them?
b) Thesis:
In this book, Gladwell brings light to judging a book by its cover. He takes note of how "our world requires that decisions be sourced and foot noted, and if we say how we feel, we must also be prepared to elaborate on why we feel that way". He then continues to explain how "we need to respect the fact that it is possible to know without knowing why we know and accept that--sometimes--we're better off that way".
2) Body Paragraphs 1/2: Summary
a) Opening:
Gladwell describes the main subject of his book as "thin-slicing": our ability to gauge what is important from a very narrow period of experience.
b) Example: John Gottman is a researcher well known for his work on marital relationships. After analyzing a normal conversation between a husband and wife for an hour, Gottman can predict whether that couple will be married in 15 years with ninety-five percent accuracy.
c) Example:
Gladwell also speaks of the studies of Paul Ekman, a psychologist who created the Facial Action Coding System (FACS), states that a lot of “thin slicing” can be done within seconds by unconsciously analyzing a person’s slight look called a "microexpression".
d) Closing:
These are Gladwell's examples of when "thin slicing" works.
3) Body Paragraph 3: Evaluation
a) Opening:
Blink is a very intriguing read, however, maybe not so ideal
b) Point:
Certain psychologists tend to refer to the brain as a computer--something we can turn on and off and learn how to control. At the same time, this goes against society
c) Point:
People are raised from day one being told, "Don't judge a book by its cover" and asked to explain their thoughts or "why do you feel that way?" Taking