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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1. Spanking children: Why does it happen, and what are the effects?

   Mar 22, 19 04:36 PM

   

   What does research tell us about spanking children? As a discipline tactic, it isn't very effective. And studies indicate that spanking can cause lasting harm.

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2. Spanking babies: Is it okay to spank an infant?

   Mar 16, 19 02:05 PM

   

   No, spanking babies is a bad idea. Our forager ancestors rejected it, and so should we. Here’s why spanking is counterproductive – and damaging.

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3. Infant potty training: An alternative to elimination communication

   Mar 08, 19 05:48 PM

   

   Looking for an alternative method of infant potty training? This method, tested by researchers, is safe for babies who can sit up unassisted.

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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