Outing the Flawed Social Science Research

The author of "Parental Alienation Syndrome: Getting it WRONG in Child Custody Cases" has a new must-read article out that discusses the misuses and misrepresentations in the social science research that impacts child custody policy.

Professor Carol S. Bruch is Distinguished Research Professor of Law and Professor Emerita, University of California, Davis; Visiting Scholar, UCLA Center for the Study of Women (2004-2005). Her article, "Sound Research or Wishful Thinking in Custody Cases? Lessons from Relocation Law" has been published in the ABA's Family Law Quarterly, Summer 2006. The introduction:

Professionals who deal with specific child custody disputes surely seek to advance the children’s best interests, as do the legislators and commentators who address child custody law. Yet there is often profound disagreement about the principles that should guide them, and decision-makers are at a particular disadvantage if—as is increasingly the case—flawed research and inaccurate reviews are offered as improvements on the sound work of others.

This article examines these forces in the context of relocation disputes—cases that arise when a noncustodial parent seeks to prevent the custodial parent and their children from moving. It summarizes the relevant legal issues, provides an overview of the credible U.S. research on children’s needs, and critiques the wishful thinking and mistaken analyses that threaten sound outcomes for children.

The full article may be found and downloaded from the liz library website at http://www.thelizlibrary.org/bruch