Do parents really matter?
Are you parenting the “right” way? Are you enrolling your infant daughter in swimming and music lessons? Do you
reason with your three-year old son as he kicks and screams on the floor in the Wal-Mart aisle? If so, you are sure to
raise children who will grow up to be well-adjusted, competent and successful adults. Or so you might think.
In the latest installment of the Coffee House Controversies series, a lecture series hosted by the University of
Regina’s Faculty of Arts, Lynn Loutzenhiser will argue that our genes and peers have a greater influence on our
personalities than was previously thought, and our parents have much less. On Thurs., Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in Chapters
bookstore behind the Southland Mall (2625 Gordon Road), she will take us through a brief review on the literature of
socialization, genetics and parenting and will try to answer the question, “do parents really matter?”
Loutzenhiser is an assistant professor in the U of R’s Department of Psychology. She received her M.A. in applied
social psychology from the University of Guelph, and her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Saskatchewan.
She worked as a child clinical psychologist for the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region prior to accepting her position
at the U of R in 2003. Her research interests lie in the areas of parenting, with a focus on first-time parents, and early
childhood development. She is also the mother of two children.
Coffee House Controversies aims to bring the research interests of Faculty of Arts members to the community. Speakers give
an informal 20-minute talk focusing on a controversial topic of interest to the general public. The talks are intended to
encourage the open exchange of ideas. Twenty minutes of discussion follow each talk, during which members of the general
public can ask questions or raise issues with the speaker or other audience members. The events are free and open to the
public. Contact the Faculty of Arts at 585-4226 for more information.