http://smu.edu/psychology/html/images/Bham_Herald.pdf
"Parents should never spank their children, was the conclusion of the meta-analysis of hundreds of studies on corporal punishment. There is a large body of research on corporal punishment, and according to internationally recognized experts Dr. Murray Straus, Professor of Sociology of Family Research Laboratory, University of New Hampshire, and Dr. Elizabeth Gershoff, Associate Professor, University of Texas, physical punishment puts children at risk for increased aggression, bullying, antisocial behavior, mental health problems, lower IQ, and physical injury.
Americans support spanking and over 90% of parents actually spank their toddlers."(Prevalence, Societal Causes, and Trends in Corporal Punishment by Parents in World Perspective, Murray A. Straus, PhD. 2010)
It's a distinction without a difference.