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Argument53Thirteen 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】（中文或英文） 1. 早秋日照的减少》分泌的melatonin增多》婴儿更可能在早秋怀孕----------作者将因果关系与单纯的关联关系混淆。 2. 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------只是现在羞涩，不代表婴儿期也这样. 3. 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-------日照减少不知是早秋，多余地带的夏天也可以 4．他们发现这些婴儿比其他婴儿更可能在早秋怀孕----只是可能，没有具体统计数字 5. 有一半以上认为自己害羞-------一半以上不代表什么 【正文】the report concludes thatincreased levels of melatonin before birth cause shyness during infancy and this shyness continues into later life. To support the conclusion, the report cites an analysis of 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. However, careful scrutiny/(a careful analysis) of the study reveals that it accomplishes little toward supporting the report’s conclusion, as discussed below. To the beginning, the composer of the report make a mistake in the relation of the Decreased daytime of the early fall and the signs of the children in the experiment. The composer hold that decreased daytime of the early fall may lead to an increased level of melatonin which is the cause of these children are possible conceived in the early fall. By the contrast, the conclusion is absolutely wrong in the field of logic. Although decreased daytime in deed lead to the increased level of melatonin which is the cause of shyness, not only does the early fall own decreased daytime, but also other times such as the wet summer in many regions around the equator. So this type of children is also possible conceived in these times. What’s more, the composer’s final conclusion, increased levels of melatonin before birth cause shyness during infancy and this shyness continues into later life, is eccentric. We don’t know the exact definition of shyness, however we argue that the shyness can not be equal to signs of mild distress when exposed to unfamiliar stimuli such as an unusual odor or a tape recording of an unknown voice. As a result, the composer doesn’t have enough evidence to make this final conclusion. Last but not the least we should focus on the statistics. In this aspect, there are 2 mistakes of the report as follows. One is that these infants were more likely than other infants to have been conceived in early autumn, which doesn’t propose exact statistical number about “more likely”. Other is that more than half of these children-now teenagers-who had shown signs of distress identified themselves as shy, which abnormally makes “more than the half” equal to the whole population. As the described above, we may safely find the errors of the report. The composer ought to supply more evidences to prove the relations among decreased daytime, the early fall and the shyness of children, also more exact and convinced number.
[ 本帖最后由 corpuscle 于 2009-1-18 23:32 编辑 ] | 
发表于 2009-1-18 23:06:53
发表于 2009-1-18 23:32:46
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