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In the News
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Week of 17 April 1998 |
Vol. I, No. 28 |
In the News
After many years of experts telling parents that spanking their children would lead to dire consequences, researchers are finding that when used appropriately, spanking does not lead to child abuse and can result in more obedient children, according to an April 13 U.S. News and World Report article. Kevin Ryan, director of the Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character and professor at the School of Education, thinks the antispanking movement has become too absolutist. In the article, he says, "Psychologists and educators corrupted parents by saying all it takes are rational appeals to a child's better side."
Viagra, the drug recently approved by the FDA to treat impotence in men, may also have similar effects in women, says Dr. Irwin Goldstein, School of Medicine professor of surgery and urology, in articles in the New York Times April 4 and Time magazine April 6. In the New York Times, Goldstein explains that his research has shown that sexual dysfunction in both men and women is caused by a decrease in blood flowing to the sex organs. First intended as a heart medication, viagra increases blood flow and has improved sexual performance in 80 percent of the impotent men who participated in the testing. Theoretically, researchers should see similar results in women. Once the drug is released in mid-April, doctors will be able to prescribe it for women, and researchers such as Goldstein are planning trials to examine the drug's effectiveness. In Time, Goldstein says, "We intend to use it for women once it's released for men. Not even a question."
Paula Fredriksen, College of Arts and Sciences professor of religion, was the subject of "The Interview" in the April 5 Boston Sunday Globe. "Any reconstruction of what Jesus was concerned about has to make sense within the first century," she says. "People use Jesus as a measure for the legitimacy of their own views. That's how you get Jesus as a right-wing Republican." Fredriksen was also featured in Frontline's "From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians," which aired on PBS on April 6 and 7.
"Children learn early on that different people talk in different ways," says Jean Berko Gleason, College of Arts and Sciences professor of psychology, in the April 5 Boston Sunday Globe. "It is OK for them to hear Cookie Monster say, 'Me want cookie.' That's how Cookie Monster talks." The article is in response to a new television show called Teletubbies, aimed at children as young as 12 to 18 months, which has characters speaking toddler talk. Parents are concerned that hearing baby talk on television will impede a child's language learning. Psychologists such as Gleason agree that parents should not worry. Baby talk won't get in the way as long as children also hear "a good deal of language that is appropriate to their age and stage," Gleason says.
"In the News" is compiled by Laura Raichle, Office of Public Relations.