TXT argu53 冬木琉璃

冬木琉璃UID: 2752392

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: 444
TIME: 00:27:00
DATE: 2010-8-17 10:06:50

The author claims that, increased levels of melatonin before birth in mother's body would cause shyness during infancy and this shyness continues into later life. To support the claim, the author cites a research and a connection between the melatonin and the brain function. At first sight, the conclusion seems reasonable. Careful examination of the evidence and the assumptions, however, reveals that they lend little support to the conclusion drawn in the argument.

First, there exists problems in the reliablity of the research. Including only 25 samples, it's impossible to draw any persuasive conclusions based on the research. Perhaps, the infant's shyness showing in the research is just a random event rather than a consequence of their mom's higher production of melatonin. Also, the specimens' representativeness is high suspectable. Without providing any evidences that those infants are typical of infants all over the world, the author cannot come to a conclusion that is generally applied.

Even if the study is reliable, the author unfairly assumes that, infants who showed signs of mild distress when exposed to unfamiliar stimuli are shy. However, without any information about other infants besides the sample, it's just as likely that the responses are just nature responses that every infant would show.
So does it goes with the author's assumption that teenagers in the research are shy. Possibly more than half of teenagers, not only teenagers involved in the study, indentified themselves as shy. If either of the condition was true, the author's conclusion would be undermined.

Finally, the author fails to point out the effectiveness of melatonin posed on infants. He only mentions that, the hormone can affect some brain functions, but fail to mention what function it can affect. It is possible that, the higher concentration of the hormone can make a person become braver, or more intelligent, and has no direct link with the shyness of a person. He also fails to mention how the hormone, in the body of mother, affect the brain function of the baby. Maybe the hormone can only influence mom's brain function, and has nothing to do with the baby's brain. If this is the case, the author cannot convince me that there exists a correlation between the levels of melatonin and the baby's shyness.

In sum, merely based on unwarranted assumptions and dubious evidences, the conclusion reached in the argument is invalid and misleading. To make it logically accept, the author would have to verify the reliablity of the research, as well as provide more information about infants and teenagers besides the
sample. The author should also introduce details about the function of the melatonin, to make his conclusion more substantiated.

baotian1UID: 2797192

The author claims that, increased levels of melatonin before birth in mother's body would cause shyness during infancy and this shyness continues into later life. To support the claim, the author cites a research and a connection between the melatonin and the brain function. At first sight, the conclusion seems reasonable. Careful examination of the evidence and the assumptions, however, reveals that they lend little support to the conclusion drawn in the argument.

First, there exists（去掉s） problems in the reliability of the research. Including only 25 samples, it's impossible to draw any persuasive conclusions which based on the research. Perhaps, the infant's shyness showing in the research is just a random event rather than a consequence of their mom's higher production of melatonin.很好 Also, the specimens' representativeness is highly suspectable. Without providing any evidences that those infants are typical （of） infants all over the world, the author cannot come to a conclusion that is generally applied.

Even if the study is reliable, the author unfairly assumes that, infants who showed signs of mild distress when exposed to unfamiliar stimuli are shy. However, without any information about other infants besides the sample, it's just as likely that the responses are just nature responses that every infant would show.
So does it goes with the author's assumption that teenagers in the research are shy. Possibly more than half of teenagers, not only teenagers involved in the study, indentified themselves as shy. If either of the condition was true, the author's conclusion would be undermined.

Finally, the author fails to point out the effectiveness of melatonin posed on infants. He only mentions that, the hormone can affect some brain functions, but fail to mention what function it can affect. It is possible that, the higher concentration of the hormone can make a person become braver, or more intelligent, and has no direct link with the shyness of a person. He also fails to mention how the hormone, in the body of mother, affects the brain function of the baby. Maybe the hormone can only influence mom's brain function, and has nothing to do with the baby's brain. If this is the case, the author cannot convince me that there exists a correlation between the levels of melatonin and the baby's shyness.

In sum, merely based on unwarranted assumptions and dubious evidences, the conclusion reached in the argument is invalid and misleading. To make it logically accept, the author would have to verify the reliability of the research, as well as provide more information about infants and teenagers besides the sample. The author should also introduce details about the function of the melatonin, to make his conclusion more substantiated.
没有大问题，只有一些小错误，写的很好


1# 冬木琉璃