Why Spank When There Are Better Alternatives?

(From a newsgroup post by Chris Dugan, 1996/12/01)

Day and Roberts (1983) found that putting three
year olds in time out behind a plywood barrier was as effective in
preventing recurrance of the misbehaviors which led to the time out as
spanking them for leaving the time out too early.  
 
 Larzelere and Schneider (1991) found that a combination of
non-physical punishments and reasoning was as effective as physical
punishment and reasoning. 

 Crozier and Katz (1979), Patterson (1982), Webster-Stratton et.
al. (1988), and Webster-Stratton (1990) all found that the behavior of
children in their samples with serious conduct disorders improved after
the researchers got the parents to give up spanking and utilize
alternative discipline methods. 


Chris

REFERENCES

Crozier, J. and Katz, R.C.  1979.  "Social Learning Treatment of Child 
Abuse."  _Journal of Behavioral Therapy and Psychiatry_ 10:213-220.

Day, D.E. and Roberts, M.W.  1983.  "An Analysis of the Physical 
Punishment component of a Parent Training Program."  _Journal of Abnormal 
Child Psychology_ 11:141-152.

Larzelere, R.E. and Scheider, W.N.  1991.  "Does Parental Punishment 
Reduce Misbehavior in Toddlers?  Testing Predictions from Behavioral vs 
Survey Research."  Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American 
Psychological Association, San Francisco, August 1991.

Patterson, G.R.  1982.  "A Social Learning Approach to Family
Intervention: III."  _Coercive Family Process_.  Eugene, Oregon: Castalia. 

Webster-Stratton, C.; Kolpacoff, M and Hollinsworth, T.  1988. 
"Self-Administered Videotape Therapy for Families with Conduct-Problem
Children: Comparison with Two Cost-Effective Treatments and a Control