Argument53 [Victors小组]第八次作业 by solartorch

solartorchUID: 2244205

53Thirteen 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.


1，        那25个infants对刺激有反映不代表别的婴儿就没反映，说不定这是正常现象，说不定其他婴儿反应更大
2，        Melatonin证据不足，照那种推理，应该是到冬天的时候increase到一个最大值而不是early autumn.
3，        即使说在early autumn conceive，也不能排除其他的可能性，不一定就是melatonin导致了这种特殊反应.
4，        Teenagers 处于青春期，shy也许是一个普遍表现。More than half不能说明问题。

WORDS: 589

While it seems true that the facts presented in the above argument contribute to the idea that increased levels of melatonin before birth cause shyness from the period of infancy to later life, the evidences and reasoning provided by the author are indefensible under serious scrutiny--in four respects.

First of all, the mild distress showed by the group of 25 infants under research can not demonstrate their special shyness compared to other infants. The author provides no evidences to support the assumption that other infants were less sensitive to unfamiliar stimuli. Without being provided more information on this problem, we are reasonable to claim that the signs of mild distress when exposed to unfamiliar stimuli are normal phenomena in infant period. It is rife for an infant to express distress to an unusual odor or a tape recording of an unknown voice. It is also entirely possible that other infants other than the group under study may show signs of more serious distress when exposed to unfamiliar stimuli. Failed to ruling out these scenarios, the author's inference that the infants under research are shyer is dubious at best.

Secondly, the evidence and line of reasoning provided by the author on the premise that the mothers' production of melatonin is in a particular increased level in early autumn is unsubstantiated. The only evidence furnished by the author is that melatonin would naturally increase in response to decreased daylight. However, as it stands this evidence is far too vague to support the author's conclusion; we are not informed the precise period in a year that the daylight would decrease. Common sense tell us, the daylight is decreasing through out the whole autumn and reaches its minimum point during winter. Under this line of reasoning, the maximum production of melatonin of the infants' mother is in winter but not early autumn. If this inference is true, the result of the cited study is not credible and supposed to be seriously questioned.

Thirdly, even if we accept the saying that the infants' mothers' production of melatonin is in a particularly increased level. It is unwarranted for the author to allege that melatonin contributes to this phenomenon. It is equally possible that other facts affect the infants' brain functions before birth. Perhaps in early autumn the climate of the area where the study is conducted is changed dramatically which indirectly influents the infants being conceived. Or perhaps there are popular seasonal foods like some kinds of fruit or seafood in every early autumn which are largely taken by the mothers under research. It is the food that affects the infants being conceived. Either possibility, if true, will undermine the conclusion that increased levels of melatonin before birth cause shyness.

Finally, the scant evidence the author cites about the study conducted earlier this year proves fairly nothing to the final conclusion. We all know that teenagers---in their adolescence---are more likely to feel fluctuation of mood and shy. It is entirely possible that normally more than half of teenagers intend to identify themselves as shy. In that matter, the case that more than half of these children under study express their shyness in teenage is account to nothing. Without additional information and background about the study, I cannot accept the author's sweeping generalization about the cited research result.

In conclusion, the author not only is logically unsound but also relies on several doubtful assumptions and evidences. To fully convince me, the author should provide more details and more concrete information as well as some necessary investigations.

[ 本帖最后由 solartorch 于 2007-6-6 16:08 编辑 ]