EMPIRICALLY JUSTIFIED USES OF SPANKING - TOWARD A DISCRIMINATING VIEWOF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT - RESPONSE

This article makes a case for discriminating appropriate from inapprop riate corporal punishment utilizing empirical research and the larger scriptural context of the rod passages in Proverbs. Three lines of res earch have indicated that some spanking is beneficial in certain conte xts: the treatment of autistic children, the behavioral training of yo ung children by parents, and the reduction of recurrent misbehavior in toddlers. Although the use of corporal punishment should be reduced, spanking as a backup for time-out and reasoning appears to be benefici al for children from 2 to 6 years of age.