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The Role of Noncognitive Skills in Explaining Cognitive Test Scores

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Author Info
Borghans Lex
Meijers Huub
Weel Bas ter (ROA rm)

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Abstract

AbstractThis paper examines whether noncognitive skills — measures both by personality traits andeconomic preference parameters — influence cognitive tests performance. The basic idea isthat noncognitive skills might affect the effort people put into a test to obtain good results. We experimentally varied the rewards for questions in a cognitive test to measure to what extent people are sensitive to financial incentives. To distinguish increased mental effort from extra time investments we also varied the question’ time constraints. Subjects withfavorable personality traits such as high performance-motivation and an internal locus of control perform relatively well in the absence of rewards; consistent with a model in which trying as hard as you can is the best strategy. In contrast, favorable economic preference parameters (low discount rate, low risk aversion) are associated with increases in time investments when incentives are introduced, consistent with a rational economic model in which people only invest when there are monetary returns. The main conclusion is that individual behavior at cognitive tests depends on noncognitive skills.

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Paper provided by Maastricht : ROA, Researchcentrum voor Onderwijs en Arbeidsmarkt in its series Research Memoranda with number 006.

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Date of creation: 2006
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Handle: RePEc:dgr:umaror:2006006

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Keywords: education training and the labour market

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Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Shane Frederick, 2005. "Cognitive Reflection and Decision Making," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 19(4), pages 25-42, Fall. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Shane Frederick & George Loewenstein & Ted O'Donoghue, 2002. "Time Discounting and Time Preference: A Critical Review," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 40(2), pages 351-401, June.
  3. James J. Heckman & Yona Rubinstein, 2001. "The Importance of Noncognitive Skills: Lessons from the GED Testing Program," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(2), pages 145-149, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Lex Borghans & Bas ter Weel & Bruce A. Weinberg, 2006. "Interpersonal Styles and Labor Market Outcomes," IZA Discussion Papers 2466, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
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  2. Thomas Dohmen & Armin Falk & David Huffman & Uwe Sunde, 2007. "Are Risk Aversion and Impatience Related to Cognitive Ability?," IZA Discussion Papers 2735, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
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