Spanking Lowers A Child's IQ, Researcher Says

LATimes ^ | September 25, 2009

[Steelfish]

Spanking Lowers A Child's IQ, Researcher Says

September 24, 2009

Being spanked as a child is linked to having a lower IQ, according to a study presented today at the International Conference on Violence, Abuse and Trauma in San Diego.

The relationship between spanking and intelligence is found in children around the world, said the lead author of the study, University of New Hampshire professor Murray Straus. Children in the United States who were spanked had lower IQs -- by 2.8 to 5 points -- than those who were not spanked, Straus found.

Straus studied 806 children ages 2 to 4 and 704 ages 5 to 9. Both groups were retested four years later. How often parents spanked influenced IQ score. "The more spanking, the slower the development of the child's mental ability," Straus said in a news release. "But even small amounts of spanking made a difference."

Straus and his colleagues looked at corporal punishment practices in 32 countries by surveying 17,404 university students. The analysis found a lower average IQ in nations in which spanking was more prevalent. The strongest link between corporal punishment and IQ was for those whose parents continued to use corporal punishment even when they were teenagers.

"It is ... time for the United States to begin making the advantages of not spanking a public health and child welfare focus, and eventually enact federal no-spanking legislation," he said.

[Steelfish]

Obama may have been spanked quite a lot!

[SMCC1]

correlation does not necessarily equal causation

[truthkeeper]

They never stop, do they?

[the invisib1e hand]

yeah. Catholic school grads are the smartest people I know. And you know what they say about Catholic school.

***

Anyway, if it lowers their IQ -- it may, but it certainly doesn't lower their intelligence -- it makes them better people, so it's worth it.

[Borges]

Wasn’t corporal punishment a lot stricter back in the day? And people were a lot more productive. No shortage of intellect either.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Where did they do this “study”? The local S&M house?

[Red Steel]

Nonsense.

[stefanbatory]

perhaps they are spanked because of their lower IQ leading them into more trouble than one who has a higher IQ? *holds out hand for study grant*

[Commander X]

“Spanking Lowers A Child’s IQ”

-If you believe this then your IQ is probably low too.

[dawn53]

Wow, just think what our 21 year old, who will earn his Master’s degree in December could have accomplished if we hadn’t spanked him when he was small. /sarcasm

[The Wizard]

sorry, just because someone says something I don’t buy it....

I deal with kids everyday and a shot in the butt is needed on occaision.

[RatRipper]

Better 5 points dumber yet respectful, considerate and still alive.

[AZ .44 MAG]

It’s a wonder I can still remember to breathe.

[Nosterrex]

They must be spanking the wrong end.

[Domandred]

I don’t buy it, unless brains are on the wrong end.

[PackerBoy]

How about ...

Lower IQ kid makes more mistakes, uses worse judgment, listens less attentively, remembers fewer instructions.

Parent/teacher/adult is more frustrated with lower IQ kid and is more likely to spank him/her.

Years later stat rat confuses cause and effect.

[Right_Handed_Writer]

Not if you beat some sense into them.

[Winstons Julia]

I got spanked. Once for setting the carpet on fire accidentally after I had been told not to play with the tissues and the candle....

A couple other times when I deserved it.

I was a good kid.

Also, I won twice on Jeopardy...so there you go..

[SnuffaBolshevik]

I guess I’m stupid.

But I’m not in jail (or dead).

[La Lydia]

“Correlation does not imply causation”

[underthestreetlite]

IQ is so overrated - I refuse to sign up for one

[GeronL]

If you do bad, a spanking can learn ya good

[GeronL]

If you do bad, a spanking can learn ya good

[Red Steel]

Any peer review ...I’ll bet not.

[thulldud]

Thought we weren’t supposed to believe in IQ. Was there a memo that I missed?

[JLS]

Right this is why over human history IQ continuosly fall due to corporal punishment of children until this the last 40 years?

[BenLurkin]

Your typical website moderator was spanked lots as a child.

[jonrick46]

2.8 to 5 points is the margin of error. This researcher needs to be spanked. It might wise him up.

[lmarie373]

I don’t believe it lowers your IQ but it does leave a scar physically and mentally and emotionally :O

[Rembrandt]

Murray received a lot of spankings as a kid but now he’s gradiatted to being a riter.

[NavyCanDo]

I prefer to call it. “Applying the Board of Education to their Seat of Knowledge”.

[Randy Larsen]

I graduated with honors, SIR!

[coconutt2000]

It isn’t the spanking that lowers an child’s apparent IQ but the fear of punishment for a wrong answer, which goes to show that in many of these cases the child hasn’t been able to distinguish the spankings purpose. Translation, too many children are spanked out of frustration by a parent rather than as a clear result of a wrong action by the child. Such children are fearful of provoking adults when placed in a spotlight and thus mentally they are inhibited.

[Anima Mundi]

No matter what it is, all things must end in legislation and regulations. MAKE A LAW they shout. Let’s just get it over with and say everything is illegal and then list the few things that are free,if there are any left.

It could work that spanking decreases the tendency for exploratory behaviors which could mean less early stimulation resulting in lower I.Q. But in any case, no more legislation, Sometimes it is enough just to give us information and leave it at that.

[liberty or death]

Got the absolute sh!t beat out of me as a kid. Left me with a high inventors IQ and the ability to stay married for 25 years and raise and spank 5 very intelligent kids.

Whoever came up with this garbage probably has to pay for their spanking.

[Steelfish]

That’s what we call a “living example” And yet for every one of these examples we have a counter-experience. How does one explain this?

[lurk]

See the creeping loss of freedom?

Notice they targeted IQ. Like IQ matters more than character, honesty and respect for authority.

[mc6809e]

I think they reverse cause and effect.

Smart kids tend to stay out of trouble and don't deserve spanking.

[abigailsmybaby]

Yeah, all us old farts who got our arses busted when we acted up are dumber than rocks.

These jerkoffs just never give up.

[Randy Larsen]

AGREED!

[BruceysMom]

I have a high IQ. I have been known to make some very dumb decisions. I believe this is because I WAS NOT SPANKED ENOUGH.

[Oztrich Boy]

Smart kids tend to stay out of trouble and don't deserve spanking.

Or they manage to not get caught.

[abigailsmybaby]

Ya know, if this study was correct the kids today would all be geniuses but I think the majority of them can’t spell even simple words let alone write a cohesive paragraph.

[gman992]

Are you saying that I’m stupid for spending $250/per dollar to have Mistress Stephanie can spank me? Hey, if I could get a female to do it for free, I would!!

[Natural Law]

Maybe “slow children” haven’t figured out how to avoid spankings to the same extent that smart kids have. (I always thought that “SLOW CHILDREN PLAYING” sign was pretty damned insensitive).

[ExGeeEye]

IMHO it’s backwards. The smart kids don’t need spanking. BTW I got my share :)

[john in springfield]

Gosh, I don't know, guys. This chart really looks compelling:

Notice how closely spanking kids as a teenager tracks with national IQ. I mean, EVERY POINT is practically RIGHT ON that line. No sir. Nothing ambiguous about that trend at all. VERY compelling.

Just as obviously, national IQ has NOTHING to do with the level of wealth and education in a country. You might think that the richer countries and those that place a high cultural value on education and achievement (like the US, the wealthier European countries and Asian leaders like Japan, Singapore, Korea, etc.) would place higher and the poorer countries like the Latin American and African ones would score lower. But obviously not. It's all down to whether or not the country has a high level of spanking of teenagers.

[FrogMom]

That’s what I was thinking. Isn’t it possible that the lower-IQ children NEEDED spanking more often because they, well, weren’t as bright?

[liberty or death]

I do not have other “living examples” within our 3 generations to honestly see a “counter experience”.

In those generations we do have isolated examples of undisciplined boys and girls who are now meth heads, alki’s, and just plain losers living off their parents. Actually the mothers that coddled them.

Thank God that in three generations there are only 4 lost soles. But the one theme that rings true in all of their lives is zero punishment just “positive reinforcement”.