Me in the Chronicle: Free Version

Hey Bryan,

Could you post the reference for the spanking study/studies you mention in the piece? I was looking for behavior genetic research on that issue recently and couldn't find anything.

Thanks Bryan, I've been trying for years to encourage my wife to be a lot less stressed about being the perfect mom. Maybe reading this will help.

Hey Bryan,

Could you post the reference for the spanking study/studies you mention in the piece? I was looking for behavior genetic research on that issue recently and couldn't find anything.

It's:

Lynch, S. K., Turkheimer, E., D’Onofrio, B. M., Mendle, J., Emery, R. E, Slutske, W. S. & Martin, N. G. (2006). A genetically informed study of the association between harsh punishment and offspring behavior problems. Family Psychology, 20, 190-198.

available at:

http://people.virginia.edu/%7Eent3c/papers2/Articles%20for%20Online%20CV/%2817%29%20Lynch%20et%20al%20%282006%29.pdf

Thanks brotha'.

Very good article.

I suspect that parents spend more time with their children, because in most neighborhoods there are now fewer available children with whom a child can interact. Parents have to take up the slack.

When we were kids, it was not unusual for families to have 4-7 children. Basically, we kept each other occupied all day. Parents took turns watching out for us as we wandered from yard to yard; and even though our parents were present, they generally did not interfere with our play. They would, of course, intervene in the event of an all-out brawl or an injury. Quite frankly, we preferred it when our parents kept their distance, so as not to cramp our style.

With everyone sharing in the child rearing, parents actually had more time to get things done around the house.

Female child has not the same chance to become fundamentalist Muslim if she is adopted and raised in fundamentalist Muslim family and if she is adopted and raised in say, communist atheist family. Of course that her religion makes the difference in kind of behaviour she'll find acceptable, and the kind of life she'll have.

Americans probably share very similar set of the values, so it doesn't really matter that much who raises one kids, i.e., 60% you and 40% school professor or any kind of such combination. Data you examined probably reflected that.

Did anybody spot this from:
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/missing-link-0715.html

"Brain scientists spot nature/nurture gene link"

The claim is that in a critical period, some brain genes need to be activated by external stimuli.