Cognitive Reflection and 2D:4D: Evidence from a Large Population Sample

37 Pages Posted: 6 Apr 2022

See all articles by Levent Neyse

Levent Neyse

German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin); WZB Berlin Social Science Center; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Frank M. Fossen

University of Nevada, Reno; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Magnus Johannesson

Stockholm School of Economics - Department of Economics

Anna Dreber

Stockholm School of Economics - Department of Economics

Date Written: March 22, 2022

Abstract

Bosch-Domènech et al. (2014) reported a negative association between 2D:4D, a suggested marker of prenatal testosterone exposure, and the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) in a sample of 623 university students. In this pre-registered study, we test if we can replicate their findings in a general population sample of over 2,500 individuals from Germany. We find no statistically significant association between 2D:4D and the CRT in any of our primary hypothesis tests, or in any of our pre-registered exploratory analyses and robustness tests. The evidence is strong (based on the 99.5% confidence intervals in all three primary hypothesis tests) against effect sizes in the hypothesized direction larger than 0.075 CRT units (0.073 of the CRT standard deviation) for a one standard deviation change in 2D:4D.

Keywords: Cognitive Reflection Test, 2D:4D, Replication, Prenatal Testosterone, Sex

JEL Classification: D03, D87

Suggested Citation

Neyse, Levent and Fossen, Frank M. and Johanneson, Magnus and Dreber, Anna, Cognitive Reflection and 2D:4D: Evidence from a Large Population Sample (March 22, 2022). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4063697 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4063697

Levent Neyse

German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) ( email )

Mohrenstraße 58
Berlin, 10117
Germany

WZB Berlin Social Science Center ( email )

Reichpietschufer 50
D-10785 Berlin, 10785
Germany

IZA Institute of Labor Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Frank M. Fossen

University of Nevada, Reno ( email )

1664 N. Virginia Street
Reno, NV 89557-0030
United States

HOME PAGE: http://business.unr.edu/faculty/ffossen/

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

HOME PAGE: http://www.iza.org/en/webcontent/personnel/photos/index_html?key=2906

Magnus Johanneson

Stockholm School of Economics - Department of Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 6501
Sveavagen 65
S-113 83 Stockholm
Sweden
+46 8 736 9443 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.hhs.se/Faculty/showperson.htm?personid=198

Anna Dreber (Contact Author)

Stockholm School of Economics - Department of Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 6501
Sveavagen 65
S-113 83 Stockholm
Sweden

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