Why Scientific Research May Rot Your Brain

By Rebeldad Brian Reid

I'm sure a huge chunk of you saw the news earlier this month that research from the University of Washington shows Baby Einstein videos will actively rot your kid's brain (the exact words from the press release: "over-use of such productions actually may slow down infants ... when it comes to acquiring vocabulary").

And quite a few you probably plugged in to the brouhaha that followed. Disney -- the folks who own the Baby Einstein franchise -- have gone into full-on attack mode (and not without reason), arguing that the study's limited findings were exaggerated and hyped far beyond what the science would suggest. The Mouse has asked for a full retraction.

My point is not to take on the television debate -- that's for others who are far more steeped in all of this than I -- but to raise the general point that any time you see parenting advice that is set in stone, even advice that is backed up by research, be very, very skeptical.

Exhibit A, which we've discussed before, is the excellent NICHD longitudinal study of child care. It's very carefully run, but every time data from that study is released, all sorts of people with all sorts of agendas (including one of the highest-profile researchers involved) begin looking for data to support their message (Stay at home! Go to work!). The end result is hyperventilating press coverage.

I don't fault the researchers for trying to quantify the impact of TV, even if it's in a very narrow way, and I appreciate the decades of thoughtful study into the best way to raise strong, smart and confident kids. I am fully in support of the net result of those decades of literature on child-rearing: the general idea that children should receive plenty of love, positive discipline and intellectually engaging settings.

But no single study, comprised of data gathered from carefully defined subjects using pinpoint-specific methods, ought to be taken as generally applicable gospel. We have enough to worry about without poring over scientific journals for hints of what we're doing wrong.

Brian Reid writes about parenting and work-family balance. You can read his blog at rebeldad.com.

By Brian Reid |  August 23, 2007; 6:40 AM ET  | Category:  Research
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