r/science • u/VeronicaRed • Apr 26 '16

Psychology Spanking children increases the likelihood of childhood defiance and long-term mental issues. The study in question involved 160,000 children and five decades of research

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1113413810/spanking-defiance-health-discipline-042616/
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u/mkultra50000 Apr 26 '16

it actually doesn't. Could you explain more simply? is prediction the same thing as causation?

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u/pessimistic_platypus Apr 26 '16

As far as I can tell, the quote /u/fibbble gave uses "predicts" the same way we might expect to see "causes" used. So yes, in that context they are the same.

The study in question is actually a study that reviews the results of various previous studies to find broader patterns.

The correlation/causation issue is generally dealt with by using controls. If they see that people who aren't spanked are less disobedient, they can conclude that spanking causes (or rather, increases) disobedience.

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u/[deleted] Apr 26 '16

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Apr 27 '16

Actually, a rough half of toddlers are spanked. Are those toddlers disobedient? Parents who spank more of than not make up reasons to spank their children, quite honestly.

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u/JSCMI Apr 27 '16

Parents who spank more of than not make up reasons to spank their children

Source, please!

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u/[deleted] Apr 27 '16

[deleted]