In this Yale lecture from Everyday Parenting: The ABCs of Child Rearing, Dr. Alan Kazdin examines the research on physical punishment, including spanking, hitting, and paddling, and explains why these methods are generally ineffective at producing lasting behavior change while carrying significant negative side effects. Kazdin reviews findings on how physical punishment affects children's emotional development and the parent-child relationship, and contrasts it with the reinforcement-based alternatives taught throughout the course. The lecture is presented factually and without moralizing, relying on behavioral science rather than opinion to make its case. It continues the course's unit on punishment and discipline, following the lessons on punishment's general limits and the proper use of time out.