"A recent study of eighteen rhesus monkeys provides clues as to the effects of birth order on an individual's levels of stimulation. The study showed that in stimulating situations (such as an encounter with an unfamiliar monkey), firstborn infant monkeys produce up to twice as much of the hormone cortisol, which primes the body for increased activity levels, as do their younger siblings. Firstborn humans also produce relatively high levels of cortisol in stimulating situations (such as the return of a parent after an absence). The study also found that during pregnancy, first-time mother monkeys had higher levels of cortisol than did those who had had several offspring."
1) Whether the experimental conditions exerted on every infant monkey are same? Time of the stimulation, the health condition. Whether this phenomenon is universal or unique. If not, it cannot provide rational clue.
2) If firstborn humans produce relatively high levels, how much higher it is? Does it fluctuate or is it constantly higher? And whether it is universal? If not, this phenomenon cannot provide reliable clue.
3) Relation between first-time mother and birth order is obscure. Since the researcher designed the experiment to provide clue for birth order, this phenomenon however seems irrelevant to birth order. Because it merely provide data of mother monkey rather than her offspring’s.
以上是我的提纲。看了之前版内关于此题的讨论,但是仍然存在一些疑惑
1)因为题目中提出这个试验室用来provide clue的,主要是探索是否可能存在某个现象或联系,就像是预实验一样。所以猴子的样本数量问题是否可以忽略?而且我觉得18只猴子的样本量也不少。但是看到不少版友都以此为攻击点。
2)就是关于first-time mother monkey, 因为作者仅仅在题中提出存在这个现象,但我看不出她与birth order & stimulation,也就是这个实验目的的关系。那说他们没有明显的关联是否可以称为一个攻击点。因为没有明显的关联便不能provide clue
3)人类和猴子是否存在类比的关系?因为也看到不少版友以此为攻击点。但是我认为该试验室在探索birth order & stimulation 之间的关系但并没有界定是存在于某个物种中的特殊现象。作者提出人类的这一个现象是因为想说明人类中也有这个现象存在,而不是将猴子上得到的结果推测到人类也有类似的现象。