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Parental Guidance and Supervised Learning

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Author Info

  • Alessandro Lizzeri

    (New York University)

  • Marciano Siniscalchi

    (Northwestern University)

Abstract

We propose a simple theoretical model of supervised learning that is potentially useful to interpret a number of empirical phenomena relevant to the nature-nurture debate. The model captures a basic trade-off between sheltering the child from the consequences of his mistakes and allowing him to learn from experience. We characterize the optimal parenting policy and its comparative-statics properties. We then show that key features of the optimal policy can be useful to interpret provocative findings from behavioral genetics. (c) 2008 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology..

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Bibliographic Info

Article provided by MIT Press in its journal Quarterly Journal of Economics.

Volume (Year): 123 (2008)
Issue (Month): 3 (August)
Pages: 1161-1195

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Handle: RePEc:tpr:qjecon:v:123:y:2008:i:3:p:1161-1195

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Blog mentions

As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
  1. Endogenous parenting and twin adoption studies
    by Tyler Cowen in Marginal Revolution on 2011-03-01 09:41:00
  2. Endogenous parenting and twin adoption studies
    by Tyler Cowen in Marginal Revolution on 2011-03-01 09:41:00
  3. Endogenous parenting and twin adoption studies
    by Tyler Cowen in Cafe Hayek on 2011-03-01 09:41:00
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Cited by:
  1. Philippe Jehiel & David Ettinger, 2007. "Towards a Theory of Deception," Levine's Bibliography 843644000000000126, UCLA Department of Economics.
  2. Marco Cosconati, 2011. "Parenting Style and the Development of Human Capital in Children," 2011 Meeting Papers 854, Society for Economic Dynamics.
  3. Marcello Sartarelli, 2011. "Do Performance Targets Affect Behaviour? Evidence from Discontinuities in Test Scores in England," DoQSS Working Papers 11-02, Department of Quantitative Social Science - Institute of Education, University of London.

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