Genetic predisposition and physical punishment converge into forging violent behavior in boys

Who could blame them? If your genes include a tendency towards violence and your parents teach you violence by means of violent punishments such as spanking, you will probably behave violently. That’s the conclusion of a new study on the matter:

Brian B. Botwell et al., Physical punishment and childhood aggression: the role of gender and gene–environment interplay. Aggressive Behavior 2012. Pay per view. 

However the results appear to show no or very little effect in girls instead:

“It did not affect females,” he said. “Males who were spanked and had the highest genetic risks displayed the most aggressive behavior compared to other males.”

Source and more details at Science Daily.

 

Basque History open course

If you are by Bilbao in February you may want to take part in the course of Basque History that will be offered by the veteran People’s Institute of Social Studies (GITES-IPES), access to which will be free. 

As Bilboko Branka reports, all conferences will be open access at the Old Quarter’s Civic Center (“La Bolsa” building) and are scheduled as follow:

Otsailak 5, larunbata. 9:30etan (Sat. Feb. 5 – 9:30)

“Vascones y sus vecinos en la Antiguedad” (Basques and their neighbors in Antiquity)

• “El contexto preromano” (The pre-Roman context) Xabier Peñalver arkeologoa
• “Presencia romana: arqueologia” (Roman presence: archaeology) Mertxe Urteaga arkeologoa
• “Vascones, visigodos y francos” (Vascones, Visigoths and Frankish) Javier Arce irakaslea

Otsailak 8, asteartea. 19:00etan (Tue. Feb. 8 – 19:00)

“Relaciones y conflictos sociales en los territorios vascos en el marco del feudalismo” (Social relationships and conflicts in the Basque lands in the context of Feudalism), Jon Andoni Fernandez de Larrea irakaslea

Otsailak 10, osteguna. 19:00etan (Thu. Feb. 10 – 19:00)

“Euskal Herriaren Historia merkantilismoaren garaian” (Basque History in the age of Mercantilism), Joseba Zuazo, Historia Modernoaren irakaslea Letren Fakultatean. EHU

Otsailak 15, asteartea. 19:00etan (Tue. Feb. 15 – 19:00)

“Frantziako iraultzatik industria iraultzara Euskal herrian” (From the French Revolution to the Industrial Revolution in the Basque Country), Txema Uriarte Historian doktorea

Otsailak 19, larunbata. 9:30etan (Sat. Feb 19 – 9:30)

“Euskal XX. mendeari buruz: erronkak, itxaropenak eta lorpenak”,  (On the Basque 20th century: conflicts, hopes and achievements) Eneko Bidegain euskal idazle eta kazetaria, eta Josu Txueka Historia Garaikidearen irakaslea Gizarte eta Komunikazio Zientzien Fakultatean. EHU

I understand that the operative language of each conference (Basque or Spanish) is defined by the language used in the original title.