CBPP Seminar Series: Marco Castillo presents 'Negative childhood experiences and risk aversion,' Nov. 22

Friday, Nov. 22, 12-1 p.m. Rasmuson Hall, Room 303

Marco Castillo, associate professor at George Mason University, will discuss his research in a talk titled, "Negative childhood experiences and risk aversion: Evidence from children exposed to domestic violence."

Castillo on his research: "Negative childhood experiences can have a large and durable effect on the cognitive and psychological development of children. I show that these experiences can have an effect on their risk attitudes as well. Using a longitudinal study of a representative sample of more than 2,000 Peruvian children, I show that exposure to domestic violence not only negatively affects the cognitive development of children but also affects their willingness to take risks. In an incentivized economic experiment, children living in households that experienced domestic violence behave more risk aversely than other children. The magnitude of the effect is as large as that of gender on lottery choices and this effect is not mediated by cognitive abilities. Preferences can be another channel through which parents can affect their children's life outcomes."

A WolfLync stream of this seminar may be made available upon request. Contact Jennifer Wisel at (907) 786-4170 for more information.

November Archive