The effect of childhood measles vaccination on school enrolment in Matlab,Bangladesh

There is increasing evidence that early childhood health interventions have long-term effects on cognitive development, educational achievement and adult productivity. We examine the effect of measles vaccination on the school enrolment of children in Matlab, Bangladesh. An intensive measles vaccination programme was introduced in one area in 1982, and extended to another in 1985, while a third area acted as a control. Using this staggered roll-out as an instrument, we find that age-appropriate vaccination raises the probability that a boy has enrolled in school by 7.4 percentage points but appears to have no effect on girls’ enrolment.     

The Effect of Parental Absence on Child Development in Rural China

This study estimates the effect of parental absence on the development of children in rural China. Although some previous studies have looked into the effect of parental absence on children's academic achievements, we investigate the effects of parental absence on both the cognitive and non‐cognitive skills of children. Our results show that parental absence during early child development mostly incurs negative effects on the academic achievement and non‐cognitive development of children. A child whose parents are both absent tends to have lower Chinese and mathematics test scores, lower self‐assessment on his/her behavior, and is less likely to be happy and satisfied. A gender difference is also observed in the effect of parental absence: girls suffer more from the effect of both parents being absent on their mathematics test scores than do boys.     

Food for thought: the birth-order effect and resource allocation in Indonesia

Despite the large literature linking birth order to socio-economic outcomes, research uncovering the mechanisms that drive these effects has been rare. We construct a unique measure of nutritional variety to examine whether differential resource allocation among siblings explains the birth-order effect on cognitive ability. We document birth-order differences among children and young adults, showing that second and third borns perform worse on cognitive assessments compared to their firstborn siblings. We find further evidence suggesting that second- and third-born children frequently eat a smaller variety of food than their first-born counterparts. However, this differentiation in food allocation does not appear to drive the differences in cognitive ability in our sample. To our knowledge, this article is the first both to confirm the presence of a birth-order effect on cognition in a developing country and to test empirically whether a difference in food allocation contributes to this effect.     

The effect of opposite sex siblings on cognitive and noncognitive skills in early childhood

We investigate the effect of having opposite sex siblings on cognitive and noncognitive skills of children in the United States at the onset of formal education. Our identification strategy rests on the assumption that, conditional on covariates, the sibling sex composition of the two firstborn children in a family is arguably exogenous. With regard to cognitive skills, learning skills and self-control measured in kindergarten, we find that boys benefit from having a sister, while there is no effect for girls. We also find evidence for the effect fading out as early as first grade.     

WELFARE REFORM AND CHILDREN'S EARLY COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

In this paper, we use a dynamic structural model to measure the effects of (1) single mothers' work and welfare use decisions and (2) welfare reform initiatives on the early cognitive development of the children of the NLSY79 mothers. We use PIAT‐Math scores as a measure of attainment and show that both the mothers' work and welfare use benefit children on average. Our simulation of a policy that combines a time limit with work requirement reduces the use of welfare and increases employment significantly. These changes in turn significantly increase children's cognitive attainment. This implies that the welfare reform was not only successful in achieving its stated goals, but was also beneficial to welfare children's outcomes. In another policy simulation, we show that increasing work incentives for welfare population by exempting labor income from welfare tax can be a very successful policy with some additional benefits for children's outcomes. Finally, a counterfactual with an extended maternal leave policy significantly reduces employment and has negative, though economically insignificant, impact on cognitive outcomes. (JEL I38, J22, J18)     

Cognitive abilities and behavioral biases

We use a simple, three-item test for cognitive abilities to investigate whether established behavioral biases that play a prominent role in behavioral economics and finance are related to cognitive abilities. We find that higher test scores on the cognitive reflection test of Frederick [Frederick, S., 2005. Cognitive reflection and decision-making. Journal of Economic Perspectives 19, 25–42] indeed are correlated with lower incidences of the conjunction fallacy and conservatism in updating probabilities. Test scores are also significantly related to subjects’ time and risk preferences. Test scores have no influence on the amount of anchoring, although there is evidence of anchoring among all subjects. Even if incidences of most biases are lower for people with higher cognitive abilities, they still remain substantial.     

The Effect of Parental and Grandparental Supervision Time Investment on Children's Early-Age Development

This article explores the impact of grandparents’ supervision time input relative to the effect of parents’ childcare provision on children's cognitive, social and behavioral development at an early age. We identify the effects of interest through panel data estimation methods. The findings provide evidence of complementarity between parental and grandparental involvement in the child-rearing process. Specifically, grandparental care has a stronger effect than parental intervention on the vocabulary skills of the child. However, parents’ time input in the child has a larger impact than does the supervision time investment of grandparents on the socio-behavioral development and the picture similarities measure of cognitive ability of children between 3 and 6 years old.     

Later is better: mobile phone ownership and child academic development,evidence from a longitudinal study

ABSTRACT

Digital technologies have become an increasingly prominent feature of children’s lives both within and outside educational environments (McCoy, Quail, and Smyth 2012. Influences on 9-Year-Olds’ Learning: Home, School and Community. Dublin: Department of Children and Youth Affairs). Despite considerable media debate, we have little robust evidence on the impact of technology use on children’s development, both academically and socially. Much of the literature in this area relies on small-scale cross-sectional studies. Using longitudinal data on 8500 9-year-old children in Ireland, we examine the influence of early mobile phone ownership on children’s performance in reading and maths between 9 and 13 years of age. Across both reading and maths domains, children who already report owning a phone by the age of nine fare less well in terms of their academic development as they move into adolescence. The measured effects are sizeable, implying about 4 percentile lower ranking on standardised tests for an average student. Our results are consistent with the idea that there may be significant educational costs arising from early mobile phone use by children. Parents and policymakers should consider whether the benefits of phone availability for children are sufficiently large to justify such costs. We suggest a range of direct and indirect cognitive effects that could help explain these results.     

When does FDI have positive spillovers? Evidence from 17 transition market economies

We use rich firm-level data and national input–output tables from 17 countries over the 2002–2005 period to test new and existing hypotheses about the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) on the efficiency of domestic firms in the host country (i.e., spillovers). We document that backward linkages have a consistently positive effect on productivity of domestic firms while horizontal and forward linkages show no consistent effect. We also examine how the strength of spillovers varies by sector, FDI source, institutional environment (corruption, red tape, level of development), firm’s distance to the technological frontier, and other firm- and country-specific characteristics.     

"生育效应"或"支持效应"?——子女数量与父母健康

Using the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, we try to identify the effect that quantity of children has on the health statuses of elderly parents. After dealing with a potential endogeneity problem using instrumental variable estimation, we find no significant long-arm “fertility effect,” but do find a positive “supporting effect” of the quantity of children on parental health. That is, giving birth to more children has no significant effect, but the availability of additional children in old age has a beneficial effect on health during that time. Further investigation yields a more significant effect on mothers than on fathers, and a more pronounced effect on cognitive health than on physical health, as measured by occurrences of hypertension.     

Game,set and match: the favourite-long shot bias in tennis betting exchanges

We test for the existence of Favourite-Longshot Bias (FLB) in tennis betting exchanges. Despite these being order-driven markets, with no direct participation from bookmakers, we have found very similar results to those obtained by Lahvi?ka (2014) for bookmakers’ betting markets: the bias is stronger in matches between lower-ranked players, in later round matches and in high profile tournaments. This suggests that bookmakers’ adjustments to respond to informed betting are not the main driver of FLB. The varying magnitude of the bias across different types of event in the main market also weakens arguments linking FLB to gamblers’ risk preferences, and suggests the need to consider the microstructure features of the market together with the cognitive biases highlighted in the behavioural finance literature.     

On the test score gap between Roma and non‐Roma students in Hungary and its potential causes

Using unique data from Hungary, the gap in reading and mathematics test scores between Roma and non‐Roma 8th grade students is assessed and a substantial gap between them revealed. Standardized test scores as well as the fraction of students with competences considered inadequate are examined. Regardless of measurement and subject area, the bulk of the gap is explained by social differences in income, wealth and parental education. Using reduced‐form regressions, two major mediating mechanisms are identified: first, on average the home environment of Roma children is less favourable for cognitive development; second, the educational environment of the average Roma student is different from the average non‐Roma student. Comparing students with similar home environments from the same school and class, the ethnic gap in test scores is found to be insignificant. Ethnic differences in the home environment are explained by social disparity, and ethnicity seems to play no additional role in that regard. The unequal distribution of Roma students in schools and classes is found to be explained predominantly by social difference, too, with a significant residual portion, indicating the effect of ethnic segregation.     

Child height,health and human capital: Evidence using genetic markers

Height has long been recognized as being associated with better outcomes: the question is whether this association is causal. We use children's genetic variants as instrumental variables to deal with possible unobserved confounders and examine the effect of child/adolescent height on a wide range of outcomes: academic performance, IQ, self-esteem, depression symptoms and behavioral problems. OLS findings show that taller children have higher IQ, perform better in school, and are less likely to have behavioral problems. The IV results differ: taller girls (but not boys) have better cognitive performance and, in contrast to the OLS, greater height appears to increase behavioral problems.     

Cost-effectiveness of a pentavalent human–bovine reassortant rotavirus vaccine for children ≤5 years of age in Taiwan

Abstract

Objective:

A Markov model was used to assess the impact of RV5, a pentavalent (G1, G2, G3, G4, P1A[8]) human bovine (WC3 strain) reassortant rotavirus vaccine, on reducing the healthcare burden and cost associated with rotavirus gastroenteritis (RGE) in Taiwan. Other cost-effectiveness analyses for rotavirus vaccination in industrialized countries have produced varying results depending on the input parameters assumed.

Methods:

Vaccination with RV5 is compared to no vaccination in a hypothetical cohort of Taiwanese children during their first 5 years of life to determine the per dose prices at which vaccination would be cost neutral or provide good value based on established standards from the healthcare (direct medical care costs only) and societal (all RGE-related costs) perspectives. The effects of vaccination on RGE healthcare utilization and days of parental work loss missed are based on results from the Rotavirus Efficacy and Safety Trial.

Results:

Without vaccination there would be 122,526 symptomatic episodes of RGE. Universal vaccination would reduce RGE-related deaths, hospitalizations, emergency department, and outpatient visits by 91.7%, 92.1%, 83.7%, and 73.4%, respectively. The price per dose at which vaccination would be cost-neutral is US$ 21.80 (688 NTD) and US$ 26.20 (827 NTD) from the healthcare and societal perspectives, respectively. At $25 per dose, the cost per QALY gained is US$ 2261 (71,335 NTD) from the healthcare perspective and cost saving from the societal perspective.

Key limitations:

The model only assesses the effect of RV5 on vaccinated children and does not account for herd immunity. However, given that high levels of coverage are anticipated in Taiwan, the effects of herd immunity are likely to be short-term.

Conclusion:

A pentavalent rotavirus vaccination program is likely to substantially reduce the healthcare burden associated with rotavirus gastroenteritis at a cost per QALY ratio within the range defined as cost-effective.     

Cost-effectiveness of a pentavalent rotavirus vaccine in Japan

Abstract

Objective:

To evaluate the impact of universal vaccination with a pentavalent rotavirus vaccine (RV5) on the healthcare burden and costs associated with rotavirus gastroenteritis (RGE) in Japan.

Methods:

The model included a hypothetical cohort of 1,091,156 children followed for their first 5 years of life. In the absence of universal vaccination, there were 19 deaths, 78,000 hospitalizations, and 678,000 outpatient visits due to RGE. The efficacy of RV5 is based on international clinical trial data, which was similar to the efficacy observed in clinical trials conducted in Japan. The primary outcome measure is the cost per quality-adjusted-life-year (QALY) gained. In the base case, the QALY loss per 1000 RGE episodes included 2.2 for children and 1.8 per parent.

Results:

Universal vaccination is projected to reduce hospitalizations by 92%, outpatient visits by 74%, and work-loss days by 73%. For the base case analysis, the total vaccination cost was ¥26 billion. The estimated reduction in medical costs was ¥16 billion. Of 2500 QALYs gained with the vaccination program, approximately half are directly attributed to the child. In the base case analysis, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) for vaccination vs no vaccination is ¥4 million and ¥2 million per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained from the healthcare payer and societal perspectives, respectively. The ICERs are ¥8 million and ¥4 million if parental disutilities are excluded.

Key limitation:

The QALY decrements for children and parents were evaluated using different instruments, and the QALY decrements do not vary based on episode severity. Given the interdependence between children and their parents, excluding parental disutilities may under-estimate the impact of RGE.

Conclusion:

Universal vaccination with RV5 in Japan is projected to have a substantial public health impact and may be cost-effective from both the payer and societal perspectives if parental disutilities are included in the cost-effectiveness ratios.     

Cognitive bubbles

Smith et al. (Econometrica 56(5):1119, 1988) reported large bubbles and crashes in experimental asset markets, a result that has been replicated many times. Here we test whether the occurrence of bubbles depends on the experimental subjects’ cognitive sophistication. In a two-part experiment, we first run a battery of tests to assess the subjects’ cognitive sophistication and classify them into low or high levels. We then invite them separately to two asset market experiments populated only by subjects with either low or high cognitive sophistication. We observe classic bubble and crash patterns in markets populated by subjects with low levels of cognitive sophistication. Yet, no bubbles or crashes are observed with our sophisticated subjects, indicating that cognitive sophistication of the experimental market participants has a strong impact on price efficiency.     

The formation and evolution of childhood skill acquisition: Evidence from India

Building on recent advances in the literature and using a rich data set for two cohorts of children aged between one and twelve for Andhra Pradesh, India, we investigate the determinants of children's cognitive as well as non-cognitive skills. We find evidence of self-productivity for cognitive skills and cross-productivity effects from cognitive on non-cognitive skills. Moreover, we demonstrate that parental investment has contemporaneously positive effects on skill levels for all age groups. Investigating other determinants of these skills, we find child health at age one to influence cognitive abilities at age five, whilst child health at age one is influenced by parental care already during pregnancy and earliest childhood. Understanding the determinants which account explicitly for the effect of a large number of child, caregiver and household characteristics provides insights with regard to possible policy interventions to improve the chances of children in poor environments of developing cognitive and non-cognitive skills crucial for success in many spheres of life.     

基于分类能力发展的幼儿认知教育研究

分类作为一种基本的认知能力,渗透在幼儿所有的认知活动中,是认识世界的基本方式。应用分类能力的基本理论与方法,对内蒙古包头市新苑幼儿园进行了儿童分类能力发展与幼儿认知教育影响进行相关性分析和研究,结果表明,分类能够帮助孩子形成、扩展和提升经验知识,进而促进其认知能力循序渐进发展。因此,培养分类能力对幼儿的发展十分重要。该研究可以为其他少数民族地区幼儿教育能力培养提供案例借鉴。     

多奈哌齐联合盐酸美金刚、高压氧治疗血管性认知障碍患者的临床效果

目的探讨多奈哌齐联合盐酸美金刚、高压氧治疗血管性认知障碍患者的临床效果。方法选取2018年10月至2020年5月于沈阳市第一人民医院就诊的血管性认知障碍患者116例作为研究对象,按照治疗方案不同分为对照组与试验组,对照组采取多奈哌齐联合盐酸美金刚治疗,试验组在此基础上给予高压氧治疗。根据蒙特利尔认知评估量表(MoCA)对两组患者治疗前后的认知功能进行评价,比较两组患者的基质金属蛋白酶-9(MMP-9)和基质金属蛋白酶组织抑制因子-1(TIMP-1),采用简易智力状态检查量表(MMSE)和日常生活活动能力量表(ADL)对患者的精神状态和日常生活能力进行评价。结果两组患者治疗前MoCA评分比较,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05);治疗后,两组MoCA评分升高,且试验组MoCA评分高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。两组患者治疗前MMP-9和TIMP-1比较,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05);治疗后,两组患者MMP-9和TIMP-1降低,且试验组两项指标低于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。两组患者治疗前MMSE与ADL比较,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05);治疗后,两组患者MMSE、ADL升高,且试验组两项指标高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论使用多奈哌齐联合美金刚、高压氧治疗血管性认知障碍,能有效改善患者的认知功能、精神状态和日常生活能力,疗效确切。     

建构主义下的英语阅读教学的研究及应用

建构主义理论起源于皮亚杰的儿童认知发展论,是认知学习论的一个重要分支。当前我国的英语阅读教学大部分采用传统教学模式,存在许多问题。运用建构主义为指导研究和探讨建构主义理论在英语阅读教学中的应用,对阅读教学改革有重要的借鉴意义。