Dr. Gabrielle Principe: parenting without paranoia and how kids actually learn

Amy Alkon's Advice Goddess Radio: "Nerd Your Way To A Better Life!" with the best brains in science.  ***("Best Of" Replay this week, because I am completing the final polish on my upcoming book. New LIVE show Jan. 19 and onward!) Psychology professor Dr. Gabrielle Principe notes that the panic-stricken parental race to raise tiny geniuses is actually bad parenting -- leading to overcontrolled childhoods that have negative effects on kids' development. This way of raising children is marketing-driven, not science-driven (though marketers typically claim their toys and learning tools are based in science). Take Baby Einstein videos. In 2007, UCLA's Department of Health Services chairman Frederick Zimmerman and his colleagues found that kids watching these had a 17 percent decrease in vocabulary acquisition for each hour they spent watching them per day. Through looking at solid science on the human brain, Dr. Principe has figured out ways for parents to naturalize childhood again, so a child's environment gels with how the brain was designed to grow. Her clearly written and dryly witty book: "Your Brain on Childhood: The Unexpected Side Effects of Classrooms, Ballparks, Family Rooms, and the Minivan." Join us tonight as she busts countless myths about how to raise children and lays out simple, clear advice for how kids can thrive. And join me and all my fascinating guests every Sunday from 7-8 pm Pacific and 10-11 pm Eastern, here at blogtalkradio.com/amyalkon or subscribe on iTunes.  Buy my book, I SEE RUDE PEOPLE: One woman's battle to beat some manners into impolite society, at Amazon, and look for my award-winning, nationally syndicated, science-based advice column in a paper near you.