A new study in Marriage & Family Review explores the long-debated effects of spanking on children’s development. The researchers found that spanking explained less than 1% of changes in child outcomes. This suggests that its negative effects may be overstated. The study recommends that if spanking is used, the most effective approach is two open-handed swats on the bottom for children aged 2 to 6 when they don’t respond to milder discipline like time-outs. The question of whether spanking causes harm to children has been a topic of intense debate for years. Previous studies have shown strong c…