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on Neuroeconomics |
| By: | Fischer, Martin; Nilsson, Therese; Seblova, Dominika; Lövdén, Martin |
| Abstract: | This study examines the relationship between the number of children and dementia risk among parents, addressing longstanding questions about how parenthood shapes cognitive health in later life. Using comprehensive administrative data on all parents born in Sweden between 1920 and 1950, along with their completed fertility histories, our baseline analysis reveals a U-shaped association between the number of children and dementia risk. Childless individuals and those with more than three children face significantly higher dementia risks. However, when accounting for confounding factors through instrumental variable analysis and within-sibling comparisons, we find no evidence that having multiple children increases dementia risk. Instead, our esults suggest that parenthood generally lowers the risk of dementia across all parity levels, challenging recent studies reporting a negative relationship between higher parity and cognitive function. Furthermore, we find that fathers benefit more than mothers from having additional children in terms of cognitive health in old age. Complementary analyses focusing on known dementia risk factors including educational attainment, labor market outcomes, and social or geographical proximity to children suggest that motherhood-related penalties may attenuate the cognitive health benefits of parenthood for women. |
| Abstract: | Diese Studie untersucht den Zusammenhang zwischen der Anzahl der Kinder und dem Demenzrisiko bei Eltern und geht der Frage nach, wie Elternschaft die kognitive Gesundheit im späteren Leben beeinflusst. Basierend auf umfassenden Verwaltungsdaten zu allen in Schweden zwischen 1920 und 1950 geborenen Eltern sowie deren vollständigen Fertilitätsverläufen zeigt unsere Grundanalyse eine U-förmige Beziehung zwischen der Anzahl der Kinder und dem Demenzrisiko. Kinderlose Personen sowie diejenigen mit mehr als drei Kindern haben ein signifikant höheres Demenzrisiko. Wenn jedoch Störfaktoren durch Instrumentvariablenansätze oder den Vergleich von Geschwisterpaaren untereinander berücksichtigt werden, finden wir keine Hinweise darauf, dass eine größere Anzahl an Kindern das Demenzrisiko erhöht. Im Gegenteil deuten unsere Ergebnisse darauf hin, dass Elternschaft das Risiko für Demenz über alle Paritätsstufen hinweg insgesamt senkt. Dies widerspricht jüngeren Studien, die einen negativen Zusammenhang zwischen einer höheren Kinderzahl und kognitiven Funktionen berichten. Darüber hinaus zeigen unsere Ergebnisse, dass Väter im Vergleich zu Müttern stärker von zusätzlichen Kindern in Bezug auf ihre kognitive Gesundheit im Alter profitieren. Ergänzende Analysen zu bekannten Demenzrisikofaktoren - darunter Bildungsniveau, Arbeitsmarktverläufe sowie soziale und geografische Nähe zu den Kindern - deuten darauf hin, dass die Nachteile durch Mutterschaft bei Frauen die kognitiven Gesundheitseffekte der Elternschaft für Frauen abschwächen können. |
| Keywords: | Old-age dementia, instrumental variables, administrative register data |
| JEL: | J13 J14 J16 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:rwirep:323235 |
| By: | Edith Sand (Bank of Israel); Guy Levy (Bank of Israel) |
| Abstract: | We investigate the effects of various measures of science teachers' cognitive skills—based on academic degrees, math matriculation scores, and psychometric math scores—on their students’ educational achievements. Utilizing detailed administrative data of 12th grade students and their science teachers, spanning the years 2012 to 2019, we find that teachers' cognitive abilities—mainly those measured by math matriculation scores—have clear and positive effects on both students' short-term matriculation test scores and several long-term measures of academic success, such as the probability of pursuing post-secondary studies at a research university and the probability of choosing a STEM major subject. Additionally, teachers with higher cognitive abilities are shown to lead to higher gains, particularly among students with stronger aptitude and same-gender student-teacher matching. |
| Keywords: | Government Policy, Returns to Education, Higher Education |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:boi:wpaper:2025.04 |
| By: | James J. Heckman; Colleen P. Loughlin; Haihan Tian |
| Abstract: | This paper uses longitudinal data to study the benefits of participation in scholastic athletics starting with high school participation and continuing with college athletics, including the benefits of intramural athletics. We study the impact of participation on a number of important life outcomes, including graduation from high school and college and wages after schooling is completed. Controlling for rich measures of cognitive and personality skills and social background, we find substantial benefits at all levels. Participation in athletics promotes social mobility for disadvantaged and minority students. |
| JEL: | I31 Z2 Z22 |
| Date: | 2025–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34046 |
| By: | Gray, Carly E (Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education); Tandon, Pooja S.; Foster, Katherine T. (University of Washington); Magis-Weinberg, Lucía (University of Washington) |
| Abstract: | The availability of neighborhood greenspace has been associated with many positive health outcomes across the lifespan. However, evidence has been mixed during adolescence. This study examined associations between greenspace and internalizing and externalizing problems among adolescents ages 9-14 in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) cohort. We tested whether associations were present or stronger at certain ages, for certain genders, or for certain indices of greenspace using a split-half approach. Analyses in the exploratory sample (N = 2, 932) indicated few associations between greenspace and adolescent mental health. Preregistered analyses in the confirmatory sample (N = 3, 264) replicated these largely null results. However, the proportion of park land in 13-year-old girls’ census tracts was associated with lower internalizing problems in both samples. Our findings point to the need to more precisely consider access to and interaction with greenspace, as well as other neighborhood factors affecting youth mental health. |
| Date: | 2025–08–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:osfxxx:5c4k8_v1 |