[a习作temp] argumet53 有点恶心，这篇大家讨论下。。 [复制链接]

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发表于 2010-4-19 15:10:12 |只看该作者 |倒序浏览

本帖最后由 Bela1229 于 2010-4-19 17:14 编辑

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.

In this argument, the author claims that increased levels of melatonin before birth cause shyness during infancy and this shyness continue into later life. To support this claim, the author cites a seemingly authoritative study of a group of 25 infants which conducted 13 years ago and a follow-up study carried out earlier this year. However, close scructiny reveals that the argument contains several unconvincing assumptions and is therefore unpersuasive.

To begin with, the author fails to inform me more details about the infants studied, such as their and their mothers’ health quality, their mothers' living condition and characters. Common sense informs me that a less healthy or less cared infant will be more sensitive to unfamiliar stimuli. What's more, the author mistakes the signs of mild distress with shyness on purpose. There's no scientific evidence showing that the mild distress is a sign of shyness. Perhaps the infants just feel upset when they are exposed to unfamiliar stimuli. If this possiblity was not excluded, the author's claim is untenable.

Secondly, even I concede that the melatonin will have something to do with the shyness of infants, here lacks the relevant scientific study again. The author ambiguously defines that melatonin is a hormone known to affect some brain functions. Yet what do the brain functions accurately refer to? Does melatonin really play such a main role in the feeling of shyness of people since they were infants? Consequently, the effect of melatonin on infants’ shyness remains mysterious. On the other hand, I have to cast my doubts on the allergation that the infants studied were more likely to have been conceived in early autumn. Is it just a coincidence? Now that the sample of this survey is not large enough in number, it's unfair of the author to come to the conclusion of this. Thus, these questions make us bogged with the doubts.

Finally, consider the follow-up study. The author unsubstantially assumes that the melatonin is the only or most important factor in one's growth. As we all know, one's character is influenced by both congentital factors say the genes from parents and the acuqired experience like their grow-up environment. Obviously, a lonely boy who has little touch with the outside world will be more likely to be identified as shy than a sociable one who will smile to every one on the road regardless of friends or stranges. In addition, it’s hard to evaluate the levels of shyness by their own feeling. Some people identify themselve as shyness can be due to their lack of confidence instead of the truth. In this way, the support of the follow-up study is unconvincing as well.

In sum, the author's support to his conclusion is not valid enough. To bolster, he must show me further research into the signs of mild distress of the infants and the fuction of melatonin. Besides, I expect to know more details about the people who have been studied, especially their growth experience.