【Big Fish】02月28日Argument53-By cooltozero

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Argument No.053
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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.




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In this argument ,the arguer concludes that increased levels of melatonin befor birth is the reason why a person is shy during infancy and later life. The arguer gets this conclusion by analysing a study about 25 infants  thirteen years ago.However, this ostensibly reasonable argument is vulnerable in several aspects.
First of all ,mother's production increment of metlatonia do not  certifiably  take accountbility for mild distress of those infants. It's true that mothers' melatonin production may increase in response to decreased daylight .Yet the arguer may overlook other changes which would have a gteater influence on  infants in mother bodies. If the melatonin nurture a shy infant  ,we can get a kowledge which can be hardly accepted ,that is all shy guyes are conceived in winter. Then our suspicion can't be removed through this argument.



Secondly ,it coud not have me stronly believe that the so called mild distress is caused by increased melatonin. As we know ,an infant always tend to be nervous when confronting infamilar things .Even the arguer doesn't give us  an example involving entiely self-composed  infants to contrast
this  group. Therefor ,the arguer's evidence is so obscure that it's difficult finding significant relationships between the mild distress and melatonion or shyness in later life.


Finally ,the date cited in this argument is not suasive at all .On one hand ,25 infants in only one research is a too small amount to explain any promblem,let alone to represent the whole general group.On the other hand ,statement that more than half of those children,as the arguer says ,are shy  ones is more misleading. Since little child is natrually shy because of  lacking  of experience ,how can we conclude that shyness roots in their life by a evidence that  13 out of 25 infants are shy in childhood?


To sum up ,the conclusion lacks credibility because the study cited in this argument does not lend strong support to what the arguer maintains. As I see ,to strengthen the argument ,more invistigations and another control group may be necessary.

cooltozeroUID: 2705603

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TOPIC: ARGUMENT53 - 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.
WORDS: 296          TIME: 01:30:00          DATE: 2010-2-28 20:25:33

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The author of this argument essay tend to build the relationship between the m melatonin and the shyness of people. However, the conclusion that increased melatonin before birth cause shyness during infancy and this shyness contributes into later life is not convincing since the author unfairly equates the mild distress of infant with shyness and further assumes this actual cause of this phenomena is decreased melatonin of mothers.




Common sense tells us that infants are naturally nervous to face unfamiliar things. Fore example, they usually cry when somebody strange gets close to them. So, the mere fact that  these infants showed signs of mild distress insufficient evidence to conclude that they are shy this time. After all, the arguer has not provided a control group in which the infants don't show the signs of mild distress. Thus, we can't accept the author's assumes that the 25 infants are shy during infancy.




Even assuming that these infants have the character of shyness, there is no data, however, to support any causal relationship between the shyness and increased melatonin in mother bodies. In fact, the arguer may ignore other factors contributing to the the shyness, if there is any. Its possible that during the early autumn, some habits of of people, such as exercising more since the weather becomes milder than summer or eating more fruit just ripe make the mothers' bodies different from others, and as a result the infants become shy. The author also fails to take account some changes in the father bodies during the early autumn. Moreover, many be it is the time when the infants were born rather than the time when the infants were conceived matters more about the shyness in them. Accordingly, without a comprehensive analysis of phenomena, the conclusion that the decreased melatonin caused shyness during infance is not convincing.




In addition, the claim that more than half of the infants later remain shy is not soundly founded. In practice, other factors such as the education and life experiment also cause shyness during one's life. Another big problem with this argument that the study samples of 25 may be not enough and representative to reach the conclusion.


To sum up, the conclusion in this argument is not reasonable as it stands. To support it, the arguer need to provide direct evidence to prove that the increase of melatonin causes shyness in infants and this shy will remain while the children grows.