Monday, October 29 Understanding the Structure and Goals of Scientific Argument Rhetorical Goals for Introduction Sections of Position Papers IPHY 3700 Writing Process Map

Draft 1: Effects of Strength Training on Risks of Falling in Older Adults Balance is the complex sensorimotor response to destabilizing forces, or perturbations, that act on the body. The complexity of balance is reflected in the diverse nature of the neural mechanisms that promote upright stance. It is well understood that balance is regulated by neural input from sensory receptors in the visual, proprioceptive, and vestibular systems. In addition, reflexes contribute to the control of balance when upright stance is perturbed. Finally, as stated by McClatchy et al. (6), balance is controlled by an integrative mechanism in the central nervous system that processes multi-modal sensory information to produce voluntary muscular responses that restore upright stance. As reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, falls are the leading cause of accidental death among the elderly in the U.S. (4). More than one-third of all individuals over age 65 fall each year. As a result of fall-related injuries, many of these individuals lose their mobility and independence in daily living. In 2005, fall-related injuries caused approximately 10,000 deaths among elderly people in the U.S. Paying an average cost of $19,440 per fall, elderly individuals are hospitalized for fall-related injuries five times more often than for injuries from other causes. Boykin (2) estimated that by 2030 fall-related injuries will cost the health care system and taxpayers $43.8 billion per year. Strength refers to the amount of contractile force that muscles can produce, which is determined by the cross-sectional area of a muscle and neural recruitment factors. Strength is a critical feature for maintaining a high level of physical functioning in the elderly. Movement tasks that are easily carried out by young adults, such as rising from a chair, can be very difficult to perform by older adults, who experience significant strength declines beginning at age 60. It the purpose of this paper to argue that strength training positively affects balance and reduces the risk of falling in elderly individuals.

Draft 2: Effects of Strength Training on Risks of Falling in Older Adults To live independently, elderly individuals must effectively control their balance and avoid falling. Falls are the leading cause of accidental death among the elderly in the U.S. More than one-third of all individuals over age 65 fall each year. As a result of fall-related injuries, many of these individuals lose their mobility and independence in daily living. In 2005, fall-related injuries caused approximately 10,000 deaths among elderly people in the U.S. Paying an average cost of $19,440 per fall, elderly individuals are hospitalized for fall-related injuries five times more often than for injuries from other causes (4). Considering these statistics, researchers have been challenged to discover effective methods to prevent falls among the elderly. A key problem involves identifying the factors that cause falls and then determining the effects of interventions that target these factors. For example, declines in ankle proprioception contribute to loss of balance in older adults. In research targeted toward this mechanism, Talley et al. (5) found that specific exercises to enhance ankle proprioception improved balance in 70- and 80-year-old women. A plausible reason for impaired balance and falling in the elderly involves the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength. Accordingly, one might hypothesize that older adults who perform resistance training will maintain postural stability and lower their risk of falling. Studies have consistently revealed that resistance training (weight lifting) improves strength and increases muscle mass in elderly subjects (4, 5, 8). However, previous studies have led to conflicting conclusions about whether resistance training maintains postural stability and reduces the risk of falling (6, 9, 14). I contend that older adults who perform resistance training will reduce their risk of falling, directly as a result of improving their strength and thereby improving their balance. Below, I will support this claim by..

So, then, what are appropriate rhetorical goals for introduction sections to position papers (as well as introduction sections to other types of scientific papers)?

Conventional Rhetorical Goals for Introduction Sections of Position Papers 1. Identify the real-world problems and research questions that motivate your argument, convincing readers that the questions are unanswered and the problems are unsolved. 2. Convince readers that your topic and issue are important and worth resolving through writing a position paper. 3. Convince readers your approach to resolving your argument issue is novel and unique. 4. State your claim and present an overview of how you'll support it.

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