Shocking news and cognitive performance
Poutvaara, Panu; Ropponen, Olli (2018)
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Poutvaara, Panu
Ropponen, Olli
Elsevier
2018
Kuvaus
peerReviewed
Tiivistelmä
We study how shocking news affects cognitive performance. Identifying these effects makes societies more resilient by helping to adjust policy responses to reduce indirect costs of future atrocities. Our analysis is based on a school shooting that coincided with national matriculation exams, allowing a difference-in-differences analysis. We find a substantial negative effect on males: their average performance dropped by seven percent. The average performance of females was unaffected. Our findings suggest that a shocking event may call for psychological support for young people even in communities that are not directly affected.
JEL
D8, H42, I19, I21, J16
Avainsanat
Shocking news, School shootings, Cognitive performance, Gender differences