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The Relationship Between Health and Cognitive as well as Noncognitive Skills in Children

The Relationship Between Health and Cognitive as well as Noncognitive Skills in Children. Daniel Schunk University of Zurich, Switzerland. Motivation. Developmental gaps in cognitive and noncognitive skills open up early in life , and

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The Relationship Between Health and Cognitive as well as Noncognitive Skills in Children

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  1. The Relationship Between Health and Cognitive as well as Noncognitive Skills in Children Daniel Schunk University of Zurich, Switzerland

  2. Motivation • Developmentalgapsin cognitiveandnoncognitiveskills • open upearly in life, and • are a sourceofseveresocioeconomicinequalities in adulthood • Research question:Whatistheroleofchildhealth in theformationofthesegaps? • Salm/Schunk (JEEA): Cognitiveand verbal skills • Bartling/Fehr/Schunk (in progress): Noncognitiveskills

  3. Salm/Schunk: Data • Confidential administrative data from medical school entrance examinations in Osnabrück/Germany • Compulsory for every child at the age of 6 years • Administered by government pediatricians • Siblings can be identified • Unfortunately, children cannot be followed over time, no further data collection.

  4. Salm and Schunk: Estimation • Outcome variable: (1)CPM-score, (2) Verbal ability • Independent variables: • Ear condition • Eye condition • Weight • Size • Asthma • Allergies • Birth weight, pH-value of umbilical cord • Hyperactivity, peer problems, conduct problems • Family socioeconomic characteristics, birth order, kindergarden attendance, #siblings etc… • Estimation of sibling fixed effect models Chronichealthconditions Mental health/personality Sociodemographics

  5. Salm/Schunk: Key Results • Physicalhealthconditionsare not associatedwithlowercognitiveskills, very mild negative associationforsomeconditions. • Mental healthconditions (physician-ratedorparent-rated) arenegativelyassociatedwithcognitiveskills. • Closerlook: Mostlydrivenbyhyperactivity • Decompositionanalysis: Mental healthconditionsaccountfor • 14%-36% ofthegap in CPM • 23%-24% ofthegap in verbal ability • Possibleinterpretation: Parentsoflower SES arelessabletocompensateforthe negative effectsof mental healthproblems on cognitiveand verbal ability

  6. Bartling/Fehr/Schunk: Idea • A person‘swillingnesstocompeteis • correlatedwithpersonalitycharacteristics(e.g. Big 5, Bartling et al., 2009) • a noncognitiveskillwhichis an importantdeterminantof human capital (e.g. Sutter/Rützler, 2010) • Is healthassociatedwith a child‘swillingnesstocompete?

  7. Bartling/Fehr/Schunk: Data • From a specialmoduleofthe German Socioeconomic Panel (GSOEP) • Willingnesstocompeteismeasuredusing an incentivized real effortexperiment • Childrenchoosewhethertheirpayoffisdeterminedby a tournamentor a piece-rate paymentscheme. • Detailedinformation on thechild‘ssocioeconomicbackground, parental behaviorand on chronicchildhealthconditions (self-reportedbytheparents) isavailable • Unfortunatelynosiblingdatayet.

  8. Bartling/Fehr/Schunk: Key results • Healthconditionsarenegativelyassociatedwith a child‘swillingnesstocompete. • The negative associationis strong forparentsoflow SES, but does not appearforparentsofhigh SES. • Possibleinterpretation: Parentsoflower SES arelessabletocompensateforthe negative effectsofhealthproblems on theirchildren‘swillingnesstocompete

  9. Summary • Accumulatingevidencethat • (certain) chronichealthconditionsandcognitiveas well asnoncognitiveskillsarenegativelyassociated • parentsoflower SES arelessabletocompensateforhealthimpairmentsoftheirchildrenthanparentsofhigher SES • More reliableevidencethatcanbeusedforpolicyneedspaneldata on thedevelopmentofhealth, skills, andpersonalityatyoungage.

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