Temperature and Low-Stakes Cognitive Performance
Resource type
Journal Article
Authors/contributors
- Zhang, Xin (Author)
- Chen, Xi (Author)
- Zhang, Xiaobo (Author)
Title
Temperature and Low-Stakes Cognitive Performance
Abstract
This study offers some of the first evidence in a developing country context that transitory exposure to high temperatures may disrupt low-stakes cognitive activities across a range of age cohorts. By matching eight years of repeated cognitive tests among all the participants in a nationally representative longitudinal survey in China with weather data according to the exact time and geographic location of their assessment, we show that exposure to a temperature above 32°C on the test date, relative to a moderate day within 22°C–24°C, leads to a sizable decline in their math scores by 0.066 standard deviations (equivalent to 0.23 years of education). Further, the effect on the math test scores is more salient for individuals who are older or less educated.
Publication
Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists
Volume
11
Issue
1
Pages
75-96
Date
2024-01-01
DOI
ISSN
2333-5955
Call Number
openalex: W4377027833
Extra
openalex: W4377027833
Citation
Zhang, X., Chen, X., & Zhang, X. (2024). Temperature and Low-Stakes Cognitive Performance. Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, 11(1), 75–96. https://doi.org/10.1086/726007
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