2012-01-10 papers

on Neuroeconomics

Issue of 2012‒01‒10
two papers chosen by

Height and Cognitive Function among Older Europeans: Do People from "Tall" Countries Have Superior Cognitive Abilities? By Guven, Cahit; Lee, Wang-Sheng
Various stages of faith in human psychology By Hasan, Dr. Syed Akif; Subhani, Dr. Muhammad Imtiaz; Osman, Ms. Amber

Height and Cognitive Function among Older Europeans: Do People from "Tall" Countries Have Superior Cognitive Abilities?

By:	Guven, Cahit (Deakin University); Lee, Wang-Sheng (RMIT University)
Abstract:	Previous research has found that height is correlated with cognitive functioning at older ages. It therefore makes sense to ask a related question: do people from countries where the average person is relatively tall have superior cognitive abilities on average? Using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), we find empirical evidence that this is the case, even after controlling for self-reported childhood health, self-reported childhood abilities, parental characteristics and education. We find that people from countries with relatively tall people, such as Denmark and the Netherlands, have on average superior cognitive abilities compared to people from countries with relatively shorter people, such as Italy and Spain. We exploit variations in height trends due to nutritional deprivation in World War II in Europe and use an instrumental variable analysis to further estimate the potential impact of height on cognitive function. We find some suggestive evidence that a causal link from height to cognitive outcomes could be operating via nutrition and not via educational attainment.
Keywords:	height, cognitive function, instrumental variables, World War II
JEL:	C21 J24 N3
Date:	2011–12
URL:	http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp6210&r=neu

Various stages of faith in human psychology

By:	Hasan, Dr. Syed Akif; Subhani, Dr. Muhammad Imtiaz; Osman, Ms. Amber
Abstract:	The Faith is the belief which comes from inside of a human or it is the inner state of strength which is similar to confidence while provoking a human to trust within a secular/ non secular context. The purpose of this article is to identify parallels of various stages of faith particularly as suggested by Fowler, from the person who is filled with fantasies first then has the moral rules and attitude, who moves on thereafter towards experiencing the world beyond the family, and then believes on self identity, has prejudices, and finally actualizes the spirit of an inclusive human community.
Keywords:	Faith; Stages of Faith; Self-identity; Human Psychology
JEL:	B0
Date:	2011
URL:	http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:35690&r=neu

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