argument53 疾素速末班车第二次作业

qiwei19852003UID: 2228793

----------题目---------
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 轻微紧张和早秋怀孕行不成因果关系.
2 缺乏足够的13年前研究的信息
3 25个人的样本含量太少.
------------正文-----------
The author conclude, after a series of assumption, increased levels of melatonin before birth cause shyness during infancy and this shyness continues into later life. The argument for the relationship between shyness and melatonin before birth seems logical. Nevertheless, the conclusion lacks cretability for the groundless evidence and dubious assumption. In the study 13 years ago, it is seemly that the increased melatonin of mother befor birth leads to mild distress of infant. Whereas, the study long ago and the follow-up is not sufficient to substantiate the conclusion.
In the first place, the author fails to estabilsh a cause relationship between melatonin before birth and shyness of infants. In one hand, there is nearly any evidence to show the experience of mild distress only result from melatonin. It is likely that host of factors could serve to the distress. Eg., the mothers of these infant smoke, nicotin causes some disadvntages to shaping infants’ character. It is equal likely that mothers do too much housework during the period befor birth, and that this influence the infant. On the other hand, no testimony imply that the inceased melatonin of mothers surely lead to mild distress. Maybe, lots of infants be borned in early autumn don’t worry the unknown voice at all. The convincing result about the relationship between melatonin and infant’s distress is required more studies.
In the second place, whereas the author neglects to mention enough information about the study 13 years ago, the affection of mother’s melatonin to infant, just mild distress, is invalid. Wheather the methd is sensitive to discover the mild stress is a uncertaion. In the study long ago, an unusual odor or a tape recording of an unknown voice is suitable or not for test the response of little baby. Considering the complication in the studies of hunman’s behavior, every part of process in the study will effect the result. Since the author provide little of the content in the research, the study is called in question.
In the third place, scienctists pursue the discovery merely on 25 people, so limited samples is weak to support the conclusion. Compared to totle population of a nation, it is impossible that 25 people refelct the true situation. This is another aspect the author fails to regard.
In a word, the author disregard of the difficulty in the complex research, and make a fallacy to provide convincing evidence. Shyness during infancy and this shyness continues into later life is sure a interesting topic, but further study is needed.

[ 本帖最后由 qiwei19852003 于 2006-8-11 12:33 编辑 ]