标题: Argument53【Goal to Reach Excellence小组】第13次作业 [打印本页] 作者: lkjoyce 时间: 2008-2-15 01:31:10 标题: Argument53【Goal to Reach Excellence小组】第13次作业
ARGU-53 - Thirteen years ago, researchers studied a group of 25 infants who showed signs of mild distress when exposed to unfamiliar stimuli such as an unusual odor or a tape recording of an unknown voice. They discovered that these infants were more likely than other infants to have been conceived in early autumn, a time when their mothers' production of melatonin-a hormone known to affect some brain functions-would naturally increase in response to decreased daylight. In a follow-up study conducted earlier this year, more than half of these children-now teenagers-who had shown signs of distress identified themselves as shy. Clearly, increased levels of melatonin before birth cause shyness during infancy and this shyness continues into later life.
这次作业两篇感觉都写的不好，求怕~
In this argument, the arguer concludes that increased levels of melatonin before birth cause shyness during infancy and this shyness continues into later life. To support this conclusion, the arguer cites a study and another study followed with the same subjects. However, the argument is not convincing and suffers several flaws as follows.
To begin with, the arguer unfairly assumes that mild distress of the 25 infants was caused by melatonin. Common sense informs us the infants are very vulnerable, so it is common to show some distress when they are exposed unfamiliar stimuli. Perhaps the reason is that the stimuli such as an unusual odor or a tape recording of an unknown voice made the infants feel uncomfortable. Hence, they showed some signs of distress in response to the bad feelings. In addition, even if melatonin indeed contributes to the infants' distress, there is no evidence to prove this distress is shyness.
Secondly, the arguer fails to consider other alternative possibilities which could lead to the children's shy. There is no information about their living environment and family background, and therefore it is unwarranted to assume their shyness is inherent. Perhaps their parents are shy and do not like to talk too much so that affect the children's characters. Without taking into account their growing background and ruling out the other factors which also could cause their shyness, the conclusion is unconvincing.
Thirdly, there is no specific information and scientific research about melatonin, thus the arguer is too arbitrary to get any conclusion regarding the function of melatonin. It informs that melatonin known to affect some brain functions, but no proof to tell whether the melatonin affects mothers’ brains or children's. It is entirely possible that melatonin cannot do anything to the children's brains but only can impact on the mothers'. If so, the conclusion will be undermined completely. Without scientific study on melatonin to directly assure its effects, the assumption just comes from some other researches is unpersuasive.
In sum, this argument is not reasonable as it stands. To strengthen it, the arguer should provide more evidence to prove cause relationship between children's shyness and melatonin. To better evaluate it, the arguer should do a direct research on the function of melatonin.