Argument53【0906G 文以载道三月四月作文小组】第二周第一作业 by 忍者无敌

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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.

13年前，研究者研究了一组在受到不熟悉的刺激比如不寻常的气味和未知声音的录音时表现出轻微紧张的25名婴儿。他们发现这些婴儿比其他婴儿更可能在早秋怀孕，而早秋是他们的母亲分泌的melatonin--一种已知会影响一些大脑功能的荷尔蒙--因日照的减少而增加的季节。在今年早些时候所作的跟踪调查中，这些表现出紧张迹象的儿童--现在已经是十几岁--有一半以上认为自己害羞。显然，出生前melatonin的增加导致婴儿期的羞涩并且这种羞涩将延续至生命更晚的阶段
提纲：
1. The arguer fails to establish a certain relationship between increased levels of melatonin and signs of mild stress in the in the infants
2. A connection between mild distress forwards and the shyness afterwards is uncertain
3. The arguer fails to rule out other factors such as the circumstance of family and school which would result in the shyness when these infant grew up.
4. the validity and reliability of the research, the long-term continuity of shyness which can not be eliminated is open to doubt.
In this argument. The arguer concludes that increased levels of melatonin before birth cause shyness during infancy and this shyness continues into later life. To support the conclusion, the arguer provides evidence that
a group of 25 infants who are more likely than other infants to have been bored in early autumn in which melatonin , the production of
the mothers ,will increase showed signs of mild distress when exposed to unfamiliar stimuli
And after 13 years
half of
the past infants who have grown up showed
signs of distress identified themselves as shy Although the argument seems to be reasonable at first glance, a careful
examination would reveal some fallacies in it.

Firstly, the arguer fails to establish a certain relationship between increased levels of melatonin and signs of mild stress in the infants. In this argument, the arguer just tells us that melatonin is a kind of hormone which affects some brain functions. We do not know brain functions concretely and whether the result of affecting these brain functions is mild distress. The sign of mild distress may be influenced by other hormones. In addition, the judgment that the infants are more likely to be born in the early autumn is based on the assumption that melatonin which increases in the early autumn will result in infants' mild distress. Once the assumption is uncertain, it is hard to deduce the judgment.

Secondly, a connection between mild distress forwards and the shyness afterwards is uncertain in this argument. It exists a possibility that signs of mild distress are a special reaction to the new world in his eyes and his shyness may be formed in the course of being nurtured .In other words, mild distress and shyness may not have a direct relationship.

Thirdly, the arguer fails to rule out other factors such as the cirumstance of family and school which would result in the shyness when these infant grew up. For instance, if an infant lived in a family where patrents restraint their children too much or single-parent family, the shyness of the infants is susceptible to be formed. Most of these factors
which have
the
long-term and unobvious impact on the cultivation of a person's personality including shyness .Only ascribe the grown-up
infants' shyness to the influence of melatonin, could show the unclose of reasoning in this argument.

Last but not least, the validity and reliability of the research, the long-term continuity of shyness which can not be eliminated is open to doubt. The arguer shoulder provides more evidence to test it.

As it stands, the argument is not well reasoned. To make it logically acceptable, the arguer would have to provide more convince facts to prove the relationship not only between increased levels of melatonin and signs of mild stress in the infants ,but also between mild distress forwards and shyness afterwards .furthermore ,the arguer must present more evidence concerning other factors leading to shyness .analysis and then exclude them. At last, the arguer also can not ignore the validity and credibility of the research and the quality of long-term in shyness and to test them through more convincing facts.


(2009-1-21 上午 12:04:02)