Corporal+Punishment

Jeremy SPED 843  Dr. Aronin  Spring 2011

 Corporal Punishment __Description of Intervention Method __ media type="youtube" key="YaSloId8Waw?rel=0" height="390" width="480"

__Types of Students Who Benefit from the Method__  It is not generally accepted that students benefit from corporal punishment (CP).

__Qualifications for Using the Method__  No special training is required to administer corporal punishment.

__Costs of Using the Method__  Cost depends on instrument used to administer the corporal punishment.

__Potential Risks with Using the Method__  [A] growing body of research suggests there may be unintended negative consequences, including increasing children’s aggressive behavior and their likelihood of becoming delinquent and contributing to poorer psychological and cognitive functioning (e.g., Gershoff, 2002; Smith & Brooks-Gunn, 1997). The strongest link is between CP and externalizing behavior problems, especially aggression (e.g., Strassberg, Dodge, Pettit, & Bates, 1994; Straus & Kantor, 1994). Internalizing problems, such as depression and lower self-esteem, have also been linked to CP (e.g., Turner & Finkelhor, 1996). Although there are some contrary findings (e.g., Simons, Johnson, & Conger, 1994), most available evidence indicates that CP represents a risk factor for the development of negative behavioral, psychological, and cognitive characteristics.  Source: See Research Study

__Benefits of Using the Method__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> Most available research indicates that there are few, if any, positive developmental outcomes associated with Corporal Punishment beyond immediate compliance with a parent’s directive <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> (Gershoff, 2002). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> Source: See Research Study

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">__Settings for Method Use__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">There are no restrictions on setting for corporal <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">punishmen t.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">__Field’s Attitude Towards the Method__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> Corporal Punishment is a hotly debated form of behavior management. In the United States the use of corporal punishment is a state decision. Depending on the individual state, corporal punishment may or may not be allowed. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|State Laws on Corporal Punishment]

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: center;">Summary of Research Study

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">Mulvaney, M. K., & Mebert, C. J. (2007). Parental corporal punishment predicts behavior problems in early childhood. //Journal of Family Psychology//, 21(3), 389.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">__Description of Subjects__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">The sample originally consisted of 705 male (51.7%) and 659 (48.3%) female children. There were 1,014 non-Hispanic Caucasian (74.34%), 176 African American (12.9%), 83 Hispanic (6.09%), and 93 otherwise classified (6.82%) children. The mean age of the mothers at their child’s birth was 28.11 years (SD ϭ 5.63). Twenty-four percent of the families were classified as living in poverty, as indicated by an income-to-needs ratio of less than 1. For more detailed recruitment procedures of the NICHD SECCYD, see the NICHD Early Child Care Research Network (2001).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">__Description of Research Design__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">The CP variable was derived from the Home Observation for the Measurement of the Environment (HOME; Caldwell & Bradley, 1984), administered when the children were 15, 36, and 54 months of age. HOME assesses the overall quality of the family environment by both interviewing the mother and observing the family in a naturalistic setting during an extensive observation process. Two items from HOME were used: (a) an interview with the mother, to determine whether the children had been spanked more than once in the previous week, and (b) the test administrators’ observation of whether the children were spanked in their presence. Scores could range from 0 to 2, depending on whether the answer to neither, one, or both of the items was a yes.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">Behavior problems. The CBCL (Achenbach, 1991, 1992) was used as an index of children’s behavior problems. The CBCL for Ages 2–3 (CBCL/2–3; Achenbach, 1992) was administered at 36 months, and the CBCL for Ages 391 4 –18 (CBCL/4 –18; Achenbach, 1991) was administered when the children were in first grade. Mothers completed the scale in their homes at 36 months and in the lab during the first-grade assessment. The broadband Externalizing and Internalizing scales were used at both ages.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">__Dependent Variable__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> The dependent variable was the occurrence of behavioral problems.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">__Independent Variable__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> The independent variable was the use of spanking by the parent.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">__Summary of Results__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">[T]he results extend and complement the growing body of literature suggesting that there is a unique negative impact of CP on children’s behavior problems. CP was associated with increased internalizing behaviors during toddlerhood and with increased externalizing behavior problems both in toddlerhood and at first grade.