ABSTRACT
The wide spectrum of parental discipline, from positive instruction to severe corporal and psychological punishment, has profound yet varied effects on child development. This is especially critical in Asian countries where punitive disciplinary norms remain common. This study addresses a key gap by analysing the link between diverse family disciplinary practices and children’s foundational cognitive skills (reading and numeracy proficiency) in Thailand, a representative Southeast Asian context emphasizing discipline. Using a binary probit model on over 10,000 observations of children aged 5–14, the research reveals a robust and statistically significant negative association between exposure to physical and psychological punishment and the probability of achieving minimum cognitive proficiency. The detrimental effect was particularly severe for numeracy skills. Econometric analysis identifies the primary driver of harsh discipline as the caretaker’s deep-seated cultural belief that physical punishment is essential for proper child-rearing. Crucially, a stratified analysis uncovered significant socio-economic heterogeneity: the negative cognitive impact was most pronounced in middle-income and rich groups, whereas extreme economic advantage acted as a powerful moderating (buffer) effect. These findings emphasize the urgent need to recognize household violence as a major impediment to human capital development. Policy must focus on integrated national campaigns promoting positive parenting strategies to shift cultural norms and mitigate the demonstrated cognitive inequality.