Unlike Stephen and Scott, I haven't investigated the literature on the effects of the spanking of children. So there are questions the answers to which I am ignorant – e.g., do the relevant studies include in the definition of "spanking" the merest slap across the legs of a recalcitrant infant who insists on stepping out from a roadside kerb regardless of the verbal instructions of a parent? And do such studies distinguish between this kind of incident and beating a child for disobedience, or some other supposed transgression?
Allen Esterson Former lecturer, Science Department Southwark College, London allenester...@compuserve.com http://www.esterson.org --------------------------------------------- From: sbl...@ubishops.ca Subject: On Objectivity - and what research findings make us uncomfortable? Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2010 11:18:09 -0500 I can't find Michael Britt's original post on this topic in the archives but I recall that he said something to the effect that he was ok with research on spanking because it showed that it has harmful effects. This was compatible with his own view, and so it didn't make him uncomfortable. When I was teaching, I did find talking about research on spanking made me uncomfortable. But not for the reason Michael gave. My review of the spanking literature led me to conclude the opposite of that of Michael-- that the research purporting to show its harmfulness was of poor quality, mostly correlational, and based on excessive massaging of data. Other research which I found persuasive showed that judicious use of mild spanking did not have harmful effects, and even some evidence of benefit. The name of Robert Larzelere figures prominently here, and also that of the better-known psychologist Diana Baumrind (e.g. see http://ches.okstate.edu/facultystaff/Larzelere/) Personally, I find spanking distasteful, and also distasteful that in discussing my conclusion in class I appeared to be aligning myself with the pro-spanking (often on religious grounds) crowd. Yet that's what my evaluation of the research required. So it made me uncomfortable to discuss it. I would tell my students what the research shows but also distance myself personally from it. I would say something to the effect that research does not support the claim that mild spanking is harmful or support the view that it should be banned (as some countries have done). But I personally would never do it. It seems to me that this is not the same as saying that beliefs have precedence over evidence. But is it still a cop- out? interestingly, I do not recall ever finding a psychology textbook which suggested that there were grounds to question the alleged consensus against spanking. Stephen -------------------------------------------- Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, Emeritus Bishop's University Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada e-mail: sblack at ubishops.ca --------------------------------------------- From: Lilienfeld, Scott O <slil...@emory.edu> Subject: RE: On Objectivity - and what research findings make us uncomfortable? Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2010 11:37:47 -0500 Re: Stephen B's comment, "interestingly, I do not recall ever finding a psychology textbook which suggested that there were grounds to question the alleged consensus against spanking." At the risk of engaging in shameless self-(co)promotion, see the second edition of our intro textbook (Lilienfeld, Lynn, Namy, & Woolf, 2010): Yet we must remember that these studies [linking spanking to antisocial behavior in children] are correlational and don't demonstrate causality [INSERT CORRELATION-CAUSATION FLAG]. Other interpretations are possible. For example, because children share half of their genes with each parent, and because aggression is partly heritable (Krueger, Hicks, & McGue, 2001), the correlation between parents' physical aggression and their children's aggression may be due to the fact that parents who are physically aggressive pass on this genetic predisposition to their children (DiLalla & Gottesman, 1991; Lynch et al., 2006). It's also conceivable that the causal arrow is reversed: Aggressive children may be difficult to control and therefore evoke physical abuse from their parents. This hypothesis doesn't in any way excuse physical abuse or imply that it's acceptable, but it may help to explain why it occurs. In addition, it's possible that mild levels of punishment are effective, but that severe forms of punishment, including abuse, aren't (Baumrind, Larazelere, & Cowan, 1992; Lynch et al., 2006). Making matters more complicated, the association between physical punishment and childhood behavior problems may depend on race and culture. Spanking and other forms of physical discipline are correlated positively with childhood behavior problems in Caucasian families, but correlated negatively in African American families (Lansford et al., 2004). Moreover, spanking tends to be more predictive of higher levels of childhood aggression and anxiety in countries in which spanking is rare, like China or Thailand, than in countries in which it's common, like Kenya or India (Lansford et al., 2005). The reasons for this difference aren't clear, although children who are spanked in countries in which spanking is more culturally accepted may feel less stigmatized than children in countries in which it's culturally condemned. Scott O. Lilienfeld, Ph.D. Professor Editor, Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice Department of Psychology, Room 473 Psychology and Interdisciplinary Sciences (PAIS) Emory University 36 Eagle Row Atlanta, Georgia 30322 slil...@emory.edu (404) 727-1125 --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@jab.org. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=6871 or send a blank email to leave-6871-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
