[Benjammer]

Your question and tone is falling into exactly the trap that OP is talking about. The point is not that these specific ideas are _wrong_, the point is that it's a lot more complicated than whether some specific thing is "right" or "wrong." Your intuition will generally make you feel good if you just let it completely dominate your belief system with the "easy" answer, like "of course reading to your kids is good for them." It's hard to challenge your intuition, but it's necessary to base it on real data/evidence if you want to develop your intuition to a point where it actually has utility in evaluating _new_ scenarios based on past experience.

[vharuck]

This is why I respect psychologists who test ideas most people consider common sense, even if the results confirm the common sense.

It's like RSVPing to your sister's wedding: it seems obvious, but making it official helps the rest of the planning.