Spaking children: Evidence and issues

Abstract

Whether or not to spank children as a disclipine practice is controversial among lay lay and professional audiences alike. This article highlights different views of spanking, key conclusiona about its effects, and methodological limitations of the research and the resulting ambiguities that fuel the current debate and plague interpretation. We propose an expanded research agenda to address aquestions about the goals of parental discipline; the role, if any, that punishment plays in achieving these goals; the effects and side effects of alternative discipline practices; and the impact of punishment on underlying developmental processes.