Economic analysis has so far said little about how an individual's cognitive skills (CS) are related to the individual's economic preferences in different choice domains, such as risk taking or saving, and how preferences in different domains are related to each other. Using a sample of 1,000 trainee truckers we report three findings. First, there is a strong and significant relationship between an individual's CS and preferences. Individuals with better CS are more patient, in both short-and long-run. Better CS are also associated with a greater willingness to take calculated risks. Second, CS predict social awareness and choices in a sequential Prisoner's Dilemma game. Subjects with better CS more accurately forecast others' behavior and differentiate their behavior as a second mover more strongly depending on the first-mover's choice. Third, CS, and in particular, the ability to plan, strongly predict perseverance on the job in a setting with a substantial financial penalty for early exit. Consistent with CS being a common factor in all of these preferences and behaviors, we find a strong pattern of correlation among them. These results, taken together with the theoretical explanation we offer for the relationships we find, suggest that higher CS systematically affect preferences and choices in ways that favor economic success.cognitive ability ͉ discount rate ͉ Prisoner's Dilemma ͉ risk aversion ͉ turnover E conomic, financial, and many other decisions in life require choosing between options that vary along several distinct dimensions, such as the probability or the delivery times of the outcomes. Variation in these factors affects the choices of different individuals differently; for example, some people are more prudent in risk taking, whereas others are more patient in their choices of saving versus consumption. Individuals also vary in their cognitive skills (CS). Economists have only recently begun to analyze how the general CS of an individual might be related to that individual's economic preferences and whether and how the preferences of the same individual in different choice domains, such as risk taking or saving, might be related to each other (1-5). Psychologists have studied the relationship between various CS and job success, among other outcome variables, but without focusing on the link between CS and preferences (6). Similarly, little is known about how CS influence behavior in strategic interactions. However, an understanding of the effects CS may have on preferences (7) and strategic behavior, and the relations that may exist among preferences, is of considerable potential importance in constructing theories of human decision making and in selecting managerial and public policies.We examine whether and how CS are related to attitudes toward risk and intertemporal choices and how choices in these distinct domains are related to each other in a large sample (n ϭ 1,066) of trainee tractor-trailer drivers at a sizable U.S. trucking company (see SI Appendix and ref. 8). We also examine how CS ...

Explanations of poverty, growth and development depend on the assumptions made about individual preferences and the willingness to engage in strategic behaviour. Economic experiments, especially those conducted in the field, have begun to paint a picture of economic agents in developing communities that is at variance with the traditional portrait. We review this growing literature with an eye towards preference-related experiments conducted in the field. We also offer lessons on what development economists might learn from experiments. We conclude by sharing our thoughts on how to conduct experiments in the field and then offer a few ideas for future research.

DO; for the RESILIENT InvestigatorsBackground-Controversy still exists regarding the best endovascular treatment strategy for patients with symptomatic disease of the superficial femoral artery. There are conflicting data regarding the benefits of superficial femoral artery stenting and the role of primary stenting compared with balloon angioplasty with provisional stent implantation.

No abstract

Most infrarenal AAAs (66%) can be treated with endovascular devices currently available commercially or through US Food and Drug Administration-approved clinical trials. However, patients who are at high risk for surgery and might benefit most from endovascular repair are less likely to qualify for the procedure (49%). Men (70%) are more likely than women (40%) to meet the anatomic criteria for endografting. Difficulties with vascular access and attachment site geometry predominate as reasons for exclusion. Our findings suggest that smaller profile devices, which can negotiate small and tortuous iliac arteries, are needed. Proximal and distal attachment site problems require devices that can accommodate wide and angulated attachment necks and achieve short seal zones.