ARGUMENT53 [desperado小组] 第10次作业by pmsf

流淌的月光UID: 2414493

53.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样品数量太少.只有25个
2关于某素,作者没有提供充分的证据证明某素会导致婴儿害羞.没有科学研究证明某素功能和作用,也不知道是否对婴儿有影响.
3 婴儿表现出来的不适是不是由于其它原因引起, 或许不喜欢那种味道,或者不喜欢听录音.跟踪调查中, 也没有排除是环境因素的影响. 武断
的结论.

正文
In this argument, the arguer concludes that shyness during infancy could be caused by increased levels of melatonin before
birth and continues into later life. To justify the conclusion, the arguer cite the study of a group of 25 infants thirteen
years ago. In addition, the arguer also cites the follow-up study conducted earlier this year. However, the conclusion
suffers from several critical fallacies, which render the argument based upon it unfounded.

In the first place, the number of infants, 25, might constitute an insufficiently small sample to draw any reliable
conclusions that shyness during infancy could be caused by increased levels of melatonin before birth and continues into
later life. Also, 25 infants might be unpresentative of the overall group of infants.

In the second place, the arguer unfairly assumes that increased levels of melatonin before birth was attributable to shyness
during infancy and later life. But the arguer does not provide evidence of scientific research to justify the assumption.
What's more, the arguer does not point out that the melatonin do have influence on infants, and not the mother.
Lastly, the argument overlooks the possibility that one or more factors other than melatonin are responsible for the mild
distress. Perhaps infants do not like the unusual odor or the tape-recording. In the follow-up study, the arguer also do not
rule out the possibily that other factors which might contributed to identifying themselves shy. For instance, perhaps,
environmental factors are the real reason for it. If so , this fact would seriously undermine the arguer's claim.

To sum up, the arguer fails to validate the conclusion that shyness during infancy could be caused by increased levels of
melatonin before birth and continues into later life.To solidify to argument, the arguer should provide more concrete
evidence to support it. In addition, the arguer should have to rule out the abovementioned possibilities that would determine
the arguer's claim.

[ 本帖最后由 流淌的月光 于 2007-12-20 20:20 编辑 ]