"Why Parents Matter" is the title of a symposium Wednesday (Nov. 18) at noon in C-302 in the Harris Fine Arts Center at Brigham Young University.

The symposium will be a panel discussion about the controversy surrounding a recently-published book titled "The Nurture Assumption."

The book's basic premise is that parents don't make a difference in how children turn out--it is strictly up to peers and genetics.

The symposium is sponsored by the Family Studies Center in the School of Family Life at BYU. The public is welcome. For more information, call (801) 378-2948.

Panel members include Darwin Thomas, Bruce Chadwick and Brian Barber, professors of sociology; Susanne Olsen, assistant professor in the School of Family Life; and Duane Jeffrey, professor of zoology. All panel members are associate researchers for the BYU Family Studies Center.

The panel will address such questions as "What are the misunderstandings about how genetics determine how a child will develop and what he or she will become?" and "According to the best research, in what ways do parenting practices have an important impact on the development and outcomes of their children?"

Darwin Thomas and Bruce Chadwick have done extensive research on how parenting practices affect children. They have published on this topic in many leading journals.

Brian Barber has become a leading scholar on parenting practices with adolescents that lead to greater risks for delinquent behaviors as well as for psychological problems.

Susanne Olsen has published on how parents can adapt to stressful situations--such as a special-needs child--to provide a more positive environment for children's development. Duane Jeffrey is a scholar-educator on genetics.