PARENTING FOR THE SCIENCE-MINDED -- by Gwen Dewar, Ph.D
Founded by an evolutionary anthropologist, this parenting resource is for critical thinkers -- people who want to understand child development from the perspectives of psychology, anthropology, evolution, and cognitive neuroscience.
I’ve got opinions. But who cares? You might be a scientist, physician, or teacher. Maybe you're an educated, skeptical layperson who loves science. Whatever the case, you don't need a sermon. You need evidence. You can draw your own conclusions.
So here it is: No folk theories. No preachy advice. No authoritarian pronouncements or pseudoscientific political dogma. Instead, you’ll find my analysis of the research, fully-referenced so you know where to go if you want to dig deeper yourself.
Recent highlights
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Stricter gun regulations can save children's lives
Feb 14, 19 04:04 PM
One year after the Parkland shooting, polls show a waning public interest in gun control legislation. Yet the threat hasn't changed, and neither have the facts. When governments enforce stricter gun r…
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Breastfeeding on demand: Benefits, questions, and evidence-based tips
Feb 08, 19 05:38 PM
Breastfeeding on demand is the ideal way to keep milk production in sync with a baby's needs. It helps ensure that babies get enough milk, and it might benefit emotional and cognitive development. Lea…
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What's wrong with classroom behavior charts: Why shaming backfires
Jan 31, 19 05:55 PM
What's wrong with classroom behavior charts? Shaming induces toxic stress, and it can make kids behave worse, not better. Read what experiments on children have to teach us about inducing shame -- and…
Praise for Parenting Science
"[A] welcome antidote to the opinion dressed up as science that parents are constantly fed. Tear up your parenting books and get yourselves over there..."
- Charles Fernyhough, Ph.D., developmental psychologist and author of A Thousand Days of Wonder: A Scientist’s Chronicle of his Daughter’s Developing Mind
"...[O]ne of the most awesome websites I’ve seen in a long time…In addition to being helpful to academic parents, I see this site being useful in anthropology courses on human sexuality, life history, parenting, evolutionary medicine, evolutionary psychology, etc. Please check it out!"
- Julienne Rutherford, Ph.D., University of Illinois biological anthropologist and founder of the Biological Anthropology Developing Investigators Troop (BANDIT)
"I came across a great website run by Gwen Dewar, one I wish it had been available to me when my children were young. I hope everyone interested in math and kids will look at In search of the smart preschool board game and other pages on this site."
- Bill Marsh, Ph.D., in mathematics and author of MathInking, a blog about teaching math
