The idea that "parents don't matter"— shorthand for the view that how parents treat their children has no effect on the kids' behavior, values, achievements and other outcomes—just won't go away. I can【62】believe it's been more than 10 years since I wrote about the【63】claim that only genes and peers【64】children; once parents contribute an egg or sperm, they have no effect on how their kids【65】
So I was【66】by what's being called "the largest meta-analysis ever conducted on the association between parenting styles and delinquency (犯罪，尤指青少年). " The meta. analysis, in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, looked at 161 published and unpublished studies【67】the question, and found that how well parents【68】their children, whether they expressed rejection or hostility, and a number of other【69】indeed had an effect.
What's particularly interesting is the【70】of the effect. An association can be statistically significant without being【71】significant; that is, there can be true cause-and-effect, but a tiny effect. Not so in this case.【72】kids for good behavior. had an effect size of 11%, for instance; not huge, but not tiny (it means that 11% of the difference between kids' levels of delinquency is due to whether their parents rewarded them for good behavior, something that reduces delinquency). Being authoritative also【73】delinquency, again with an effect size of 11%,【74】being authoritarian (独裁) increased delinquency, with an effect size of 12%. Put the two together and being authoritarian as opposed to authoritative【75】for a swing of 23%. Physical【76】and verbal aggression also were associated with more delinquency.
The "parents don't matter" school might【77】that little delinquents-to-be bring out the worst in parents, who turn authoritarian. It is the kids'【78】tendencies that cause later delinquency, according to this argument, not how parents【79】. The【80】with this claim is the many studies showing that whether you are an authoritarian or an authoritative parent "is most often determined before your first kid is even born, and is highly【81】upon your own experience of discipline.., and your general political/personality orientation," as clinical psychologist Nestor Lopez-Duran wrote.
(63)
A．nearly
B．hardly
C．truly
D．mainly
