1. Why are parents more susceptible to “fearmongering” than other people?
Parents have a unshakeable bond to their children. Any threat that is projected can be over exaggerated but a concerned parent.
2. What market forces give rise to parenting books that appeal to a parent’s fears and inadequacies rather than books which present an objective and evenhanded articulation of the state of the science of good parenting?
Parenting experts contradict themselves. A new parent may not know how their baby should be sleeping. The wisdom that it is better to a newborn sleep on his stomach may change just because of a "expert's" opinion. Parenting books themselves could also give completely different opinions on the same subject at the same time. Parents want or need to know what to do it is almost impossible to keep up with the "right parenting" habits.
3. How does the information in this chapter regarding the contradictory and confusing assemblage of information from parenting experts support the major theme of this book?
(Hint: incentives matter)
It doesn't matter what the experts are saying as long as there is a scared parent their books will sell. The experts varied opinions will be respected by different types of parents. However, they all have something in common, they want the best for their child.
4. Based on the example of perfect parenting in this chapter, provide examples that illustrate how the combination of asymmetric information and fear can lead to inefficient outcomes.
In the gun and swimming pool example, in theory it is safer for children to play in a swimming pool than in a house with a gun. The fear of your child being shot is more frightening so it would be logical that it is safer in a swimming pool. However, statistics show that more child deaths happen in swimming pools than by gun play.
The hype of the dangers of a gun in the home make asymmetric information a problem not telling how dangerous the swimming pool is.
5. When looking at statistical data over a period of time, what does “correlation” mean? How is it different from “causation?”
Causation is basically refered to as cause and effect. For example, if a child that is brought up in a home around education, books, etc. and goes on in life ot become very successful it would stand to reason it was the way he was brought up. Correlation is the mutual relation between two or more things.
6. What tool does an economist use to make sense of data which include many variables? In general terms, how does regression analysis sort out the data?
In the example of children, schoolwork is used to make since of the parenting data. Schoolwork brings it to a basic level is the child doing well or not.
7. Describe the difference between normative and positive analysis.What can you learn about the utility of this distinction from this chapter on perfect parenting?
Normative economic analysis refers to economic theories that cannot be proven whereas positive economic analysis refers to economic theories that can be proven. Perfect parenting is almost impossible to analysis due to the many factors that it brings up. Data can show theories of what makes a good parent but different variables to a specfic child may mean that some data is useless or unimportant.
8. Describe, in general terms, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS)? Who conducted it, who was the target of the study, and what was the purpose of the study?
The ECLS was a study taken by the U.S. Department of Education that measured the progress of 20,000 student from kindergarten to fifth grade. The purpose of the study was to see what effects a child's proformance in school: parents education, whether they took their children to museums, etc.
9. According to the data in this chapter, what are the main differences between a school which overwhelmingly has black students versus a school which overwhelmingly has white students?
The schools with more black students to do worse do to lack of funding, inner school problem such as gangs, and loitering non-students.
10.Academically, how well does an average black student do in a “bad” school? How is this different from an average white student in a “bad” school?
The black students who did poorly in the "bad" schools had the same poor grades as the white students.
11.According to the data developed from the ECLS, what is more important regarding a child’s success on standardized tests: what a parent does for a child or what a parent is? In your opinion, what might be an explanation for such a strange conclusion?
According to the data it is what a parent is. In my opinion, this does not say that all parents who try make a better education for their children then they did all fail it just means that parents who are higher educated have more resources and money to put into their children and their education.
12.According to the data developed from the ECLS, having lots of books in the home is correlated with higher scores on a child’s tests, reading to the child nearly every day is not. If a parent were only interested in having his or her child achieve higher scores on standardize tests, what would you imagine his or her benefit/cost considerations to be when it came to the purchase of books and this use of his or her time?
Parents have a unshakeable bond to their children. Any threat that is projected can be over exaggerated but a concerned parent.
2. What market forces give rise to parenting books that appeal to a parent’s fears and inadequacies rather than books which present an objective and evenhanded articulation of the state of the science of good parenting?
Parenting experts contradict themselves. A new parent may not know how their baby should be sleeping. The wisdom that it is better to a newborn sleep on his stomach may change just because of a "expert's" opinion. Parenting books themselves could also give completely different opinions on the same subject at the same time. Parents want or need to know what to do it is almost impossible to keep up with the "right parenting" habits.
3. How does the information in this chapter regarding the contradictory and confusing assemblage of information from parenting experts support the major theme of this book?
(Hint: incentives matter)
It doesn't matter what the experts are saying as long as there is a scared parent their books will sell. The experts varied opinions will be respected by different types of parents. However, they all have something in common, they want the best for their child.
4. Based on the example of perfect parenting in this chapter, provide examples that illustrate how the combination of asymmetric information and fear can lead to inefficient outcomes.
In the gun and swimming pool example, in theory it is safer for children to play in a swimming pool than in a house with a gun. The fear of your child being shot is more frightening so it would be logical that it is safer in a swimming pool. However, statistics show that more child deaths happen in swimming pools than by gun play.
The hype of the dangers of a gun in the home make asymmetric information a problem not telling how dangerous the swimming pool is.
5. When looking at statistical data over a period of time, what does “correlation” mean? How is it different from “causation?”
Causation is basically refered to as cause and effect. For example, if a child that is brought up in a home around education, books, etc. and goes on in life ot become very successful it would stand to reason it was the way he was brought up. Correlation is the mutual relation between two or more things.
6. What tool does an economist use to make sense of data which include many variables? In general terms, how does regression analysis sort out the data?
In the example of children, schoolwork is used to make since of the parenting data. Schoolwork brings it to a basic level is the child doing well or not.
7. Describe the difference between normative and positive analysis.What can you learn about the utility of this distinction from this chapter on perfect parenting?
Normative economic analysis refers to economic theories that cannot be proven whereas positive economic analysis refers to economic theories that can be proven. Perfect parenting is almost impossible to analysis due to the many factors that it brings up. Data can show theories of what makes a good parent but different variables to a specfic child may mean that some data is useless or unimportant.
8. Describe, in general terms, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS)? Who conducted it, who was the target of the study, and what was the purpose of the study?
The ECLS was a study taken by the U.S. Department of Education that measured the progress of 20,000 student from kindergarten to fifth grade. The purpose of the study was to see what effects a child's proformance in school: parents education, whether they took their children to museums, etc.
9. According to the data in this chapter, what are the main differences between a school which overwhelmingly has black students versus a school which overwhelmingly has white students?
The schools with more black students to do worse do to lack of funding, inner school problem such as gangs, and loitering non-students.
10.Academically, how well does an average black student do in a “bad” school? How is this different from an average white student in a “bad” school?
The black students who did poorly in the "bad" schools had the same poor grades as the white students.
11.According to the data developed from the ECLS, what is more important regarding a child’s success on standardized tests: what a parent does for a child or what a parent is? In your opinion, what might be an explanation for such a strange conclusion?
According to the data it is what a parent is. In my opinion, this does not say that all parents who try make a better education for their children then they did all fail it just means that parents who are higher educated have more resources and money to put into their children and their education.
12.According to the data developed from the ECLS, having lots of books in the home is correlated with higher scores on a child’s tests, reading to the child nearly every day is not. If a parent were only interested in having his or her child achieve higher scores on standardize tests, what would you imagine his or her benefit/cost considerations to be when it came to the purchase of books and this use of his or her time?
Parents with many books in the home have a greater likelihood to value education because are have a higher education. The fact that they read to their children doesn't have anything to do with their test scores.
13.According to the data developed from the ECLS, a low birth weight is correlated with lower test scores on standardized tests, but the attendance by a child in the Head Start program is not. If you were a government official with limited financial resources, how would this inform your decisions regarding the allocation of government funds?
The data would say that although Head Start is used, it is not needed. The education of children at Head Start doesn't matter, it would be more suited as day care without any education based classes.
It is actually MUCH safer for your kids to play in a pool, because the health benefits dwarf the drowning risk, by at least an order of magnitude. I've done the calculations over on my blog, if you care to take a look.
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