Parenting Experts - by Jane Rankin (Hardcover)

About the Book

Most parents lack the time, training, and other resources needed to consult the extensive research on parenting that has been produced by scientific study. Instead, many rely on advice from a few well-known authorities cited in popular books, newspaper columns, and other media. Dr. Rankin takes a critical look at the advice of five of these experts-- Benjamin Spock, T. Berry Brazelton, James Dobson, Penelope Leach and John Rosemond--then compares it with the findings of hundreds of empirical studies on children and parents. The focus is on major parenting problems, including persistent infant crying, toilet training, early day care, discipline, adolescent sexuality education, substance abuse, and the influence of television and other electronic media. A final chapter summarizes the accuracy of each expert's advice compared with research findings, points out the common ground between experts, and summarizes their major strategies and biases.

In some cases, a substantial gap exists between expert advice and scientific research findings. Parents, as well as medical, educational, and social service professionals and students will find this book not only helpful, but illuminating. Rankin's meticulous analysis points out areas of agreement and dispute between some of the most quoted parenting experts in the field, and, perhaps even more revealing, areas where their widely quoted pronouncements deviate from research and clinical evidence.

Book Synopsis

Most parents lack the time, training, and other resources needed to consult the extensive research on parenting that has been produced by scientific study. Instead, many rely on advice from a few well-known authorities cited in popular books, newspaper columns, and other media. Dr. Rankin takes a critical look at the advice of five of these experts-- Benjamin Spock, T. Berry Brazelton, James Dobson, Penelope Leach and John Rosemond--then compares it with the findings of hundreds of empirical studies on children and parents. The focus is on major parenting problems, including persistent infant crying, toilet training, early day care, discipline, adolescent sexuality education, substance abuse, and the influence of television and other electronic media. A final chapter summarizes the accuracy of each expert's advice compared with research findings, points out the common ground between experts, and summarizes their major strategies and biases.

In some cases, a substantial gap exists between expert advice and scientific research findings. Parents, as well as medical, educational, and social service professionals and students will find this book not only helpful, but illuminating. Rankin's meticulous analysis points out areas of agreement and dispute between some of the most quoted parenting experts in the field, and, perhaps even more revealing, areas where their widely quoted pronouncements deviate from research and clinical evidence.

Review Quotes

"Although Rankin is primarily concerned with issues in developmental psychology, her excellent analysis also raises many general questions regarding the interfaces between research findings and their applications to individual and societal concerns." --PsychCRITIQUES

"Great Reads for Parents. Parents are inundated with information about how to be good parents, but don't always know which sources to trust. This book is written in a relaxed, readable voice, and breaks down the advice of five well-known experts. It compares differences among their theories and the ways in which their advice holds up to research." --Scholastic Parent & Child

About the Author

Jane L. Rankin has taught and conducted research in developmental psychology for 25 years. A former Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Psychology Department at Drake University, she is now Associate Dean for Research in the School of Communication at Northwestern University. Much of her research has focused on stereotyping, self-consciousness, and memory in children, adolescents, and older adults. She is the mother of two college-age children.