Revue internationale de psychologie scolaire et cognitive
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Naughty or nice? A retrospective review of global child behavior

Mattan Schlomi, Kris Kringle, Buddy D. Elf

A debate in child psychology, both academic and among parents, is on the ideal ratio of punishment on reward, and whether or not child development into a fully-functional and well-adjusted adult depends more on using negative reinforcement to correct bad behavior or positive reinforcement to reward good behavior. Retrospective reviews using large datasets had not yet been done, with most data involving small sample sizes.

In the largest study of child behavior to date, the ratio of time when awake spent engaging in “nice” or “naughty” behavior is correlated to various dimensions of the life of a child.

Children on the whole spend less than 10% of their day being “naughty,” regardless of whether they receive punitive or positive reinforcement, and irrespective of factors such as race, gender, religion, peer review, or nationality.

Standard child rearing practices such as toy gifting or coal stocking may more may not have a direct influence on average behavior. It is the love and sacrifice of the caretaker that plays a more significant role in the thriving or maladjustment of a child.

Keywords: Child psychology, child behavior, review, ethics