"A folk remedy* for insomnia, the scent in lavender flowers, has now been proved effective. In a recent study, 30 volunteers with chronic insomnia slept each night for three weeks on lavender-scented pillows in a controlled room where their sleep was moni

The author concludes that the traditional remedy for insomnia using the lavender scent is proved its effectiveness within a short period by the study. At first glance, it seems to be persuasive. However, careful scrutiny of this argument reveals that it suffers from several logical flaws, which render it unconvincing.

First and foremost, the author assumes that only lavender-scented pillows affected the result of the study. However, there might be several conditions that can have an impact on sleep status such as drinking before going to sleep, stress level during the day, and environmental noises like light, sound, and temperature in a controlled room. Without securing these conditions constantly, the author cannot justify the experiment process is reliable.

Moreover, the author’s assumption that due to the lavender remedy, the volunteers slept longer and more soundly during the third week has a problem. The author does not take account into other possible reasons. Perhaps, it might can be because of fatigue during last two weeks, or the subjects might get accustomed to the experimental environment including the lavender scent, which actually disturbed sleep initially. Thus, to bolster this argument, the author should provide more clear evidence that the improvement of the insomnia among the subjectives is only due to the effectiveness of remedy.

Finally, even assuming the above assumptions are all true, the problem of the statistical validity remains on the study result. The author assumes that the number of the subjectives are statistically significant and the three-week period is sufficient for proving the remedy’s effectuality. Yet, these might be only for this study case. Without providing the evidence of the experiment’s statistical reliability, the author’s conclusion is unjustifiable.

In conclusion, the author’s argument relies on a series of unsubstantiated assumptions, and is therefore unconvincing as it stands. To justify this argument, the author should provide sufficient evidence and information that will eliminate all the above doubtful questions. Then, the argument can be completely well reasoned.