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2.The following appeared as part of a letter to the editor of a scientific journal.
"A recent study of eighteen rhesus monkeys provides clues as to the effects of birth order on an individual's levels of stimulation. The study showed that in stimulating situations (such as an encounter with an unfamiliar monkey), firstborn infant monkeys produce up to twice as much of the hormone cortisol, which primes the body for increased activity levels, as do their younger siblings. Firstborn humans also produce relatively high levels of cortisol in stimulating situations (such as the return of a parent after an absence). The study also found that during pregnancy, first-time mother monkeys had higher levels of cortisol than did those who had had several offspring."
Write a response in which you discuss one or more alternative explanations that could rival the proposed explanation and explain how your explanation(s) can plausibly account for the facts presented in the argument.
In this argument, the author via a recent study of eighteen rhesus monkeys draw clues that birth order affects an individual’s levels of stimulation. To support the argument, the author states that firstborn infant monkeys produce up to twice as much of the hormone cortisol in stimulating situations (such as an encounter with an unfamiliar monkey). Unless the author can demonstrate that how the experiment conducts, the author’s conclusion is unwarranted.
Most important of all, lacking more specific information about how the experiment performs and failing to consider whether it performs in the same feeding condition and age condition. While this may be true that first infant monkeys are older than the younger siblings when experiment. The cognitive level of the first infant monkeys is higher than the younger siblings as a result. The author ignores factor such as age that may be more important than birth order in determining an individual’s levels of stimulation. In addition, the sample of eighteen rhesus monkeys is too small to represent at all level.
Moreover, the author makes a false analogy between firstborn humans and firstborn infant monkeys. The author considers that the two have some relations due to both of them belong to primates, but neglects the fact that much higher species the human is than the monkeys. It is quite possible that human have higher cognitive level than the monkeys, and secrete more hormone cortisol. The explanation of that how the firstborn humans’ condition reflects firstborn infant monkeys reach in this experiment is invalid and probably misleading. Even if the firstborn humans’ condition can reflect firstborn infant monkeys, it suffers from a critical problem. It is a negative stimulation that firstborn infant monkeys encounter with an unfamiliar monkey if the author fails to rule out these and other possible explanations for the unfamiliar monkey have not threat. In contrary with it, the stimulation that firstborn humans encounter the return of apparent after an absence is a positive stimulation. What true of joy firstborn humans are. The distinction of the two stimulating situations makes the study inconclusive.
Finally, the author turns the viewing angular to the firs-time mother monkeys. It produces relatively high levels of cortisol than those who had several offspring. The author simply equates the relatively high levels of cortissol secrete of firstborn monkeys with first-time mother monkeys, although this is entirely possible, the argument provides no evidence. Absent additional information about the cited studies, these studies lend no credible support to the conclusion that they have the heredity connection. It is entirely possible that first-time mother monkeys have a better diet.
To sum up, the author draws a conclusion that is broader in scope than is warranted by the evidence advanced. To strengthen the argument, the arguer would have to provide more evidence to exclude the possibilities above. To better evaluate the argument, we would need more information about heredity connection between first-time mother monkeys and firstborn monkeys.
我的第一篇argu,写作日期2012年1月16日,由于不够勇敢,我没有回顾过,第一篇通常都是惨不忍睹,直到现在要考了,写作能力还是那么的低下, 才来面对错误. 狠狠的拍吧,考试临近焦急中^^^^^^
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发表于 2012-4-17 18:01:19
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