Does the feeling of scarcity really impede cognitive function? Using experimental evidence from Tanzanian fishers, this study examines the connection between poverty and cognitive function. Fishers in the experiment are tested on how exposure to a ‘scarcity trigger’ impacts cognition and productivity through measuring performance on problem solving tasks. The study also creates an index of distractions to test how existing problems in an individual’s life, which contribute to limited attention, relates to cognitive function and productivity. Experimental results do not find that mental and financial scarcities significantly impact test performance. Although the study finds no significant causal evidence, this paper goes into an in-depth review of similar experiments and shows with more statistical power the study would yield effect sizes similar to those found in existing literature. Results do suggest that scarcities may hinder problem-solving abilities; therefore, poverty alleviation programs should be designed to consider the potential cognitive impacts of scarcity.
","abstract_html":"<p>Does the feeling of scarcity really impede cognitive function? Using experimental evidence from Tanzanian fishers, this study examines the connection between poverty and cognitive function. Fishers in the experiment are tested on how exposure to a ‘scarcity trigger’ impacts cognition and productivity through measuring performance on problem solving tasks. The study also creates an index of distractions to test how existing problems in an individual’s life, which contribute to limited attention, relates to cognitive function and productivity. Experimental results do not find that mental and financial scarcities significantly impact test performance. Although the study finds no significant causal evidence, this paper goes into an in-depth review of similar experiments and shows with more statistical power the study would yield effect sizes similar to those found in existing literature. Results do suggest that scarcities may hinder problem-solving abilities; therefore, poverty alleviation programs should be designed to consider the potential cognitive impacts of scarcity.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Graves, Virginia"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in International and Development Economics (MSIDEC)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Economics","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Yaniv Stopnitzky"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2015,"date_issued":"2015-05-22T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2015-05-22T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:43:04Z","subjects":["Scarcity","Cognition","Behavioral Economics","Experimental Economics","Tanzania","Growth and Development"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://repository.usfca.edu/thes/129","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Yaniv Stopnitzky"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Graves, Virginia"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2015-05-18T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Economics"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in International and Development Economics (MSIDEC)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Scarcity","Cognition","Behavioral Economics","Experimental Economics","Tanzania","Growth and Development"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://repository.usfca.edu/thes/129"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Does the feeling of scarcity really impede cognitive function? Using experimental evidence from Tanzanian fishers, this study examines the connection between poverty and cognitive function. Fishers in the experiment are tested on how exposure to a ‘scarcity trigger’ impacts cognition and productivity through measuring performance on problem solving tasks. The study also creates an index of distractions to test how existing problems in an individual’s life, which contribute to limited attention, relates to cognitive function and productivity. Experimental results do not find that mental and financial scarcities significantly impact test performance. Although the study finds no significant causal evidence, this paper goes into an in-depth review of similar experiments and shows with more statistical power the study would yield effect sizes similar to those found in existing literature. Results do suggest that scarcities may hinder problem-solving abilities; therefore, poverty alleviation programs should be designed to consider the potential cognitive impacts of scarcity.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Does Poverty Really Impede Cognitive Function? Experimental Evidence from Tanzanian Fishers"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Yaniv Stopnitzky"],"dc:creator":["Graves, Virginia"],"dc:date.available":["2015-05-18T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Does the feeling of scarcity really impede cognitive function? Using experimental evidence from Tanzanian fishers, this study examines the connection between poverty and cognitive function. Fishers in the experiment are tested on how exposure to a ‘scarcity trigger’ impacts cognition and productivity through measuring performance on problem solving tasks. The study also creates an index of distractions to test how existing problems in an individual’s life, which contribute to limited attention, relates to cognitive function and productivity. Experimental results do not find that mental and financial scarcities significantly impact test performance. Although the study finds no significant causal evidence, this paper goes into an in-depth review of similar experiments and shows with more statistical power the study would yield effect sizes similar to those found in existing literature. Results do suggest that scarcities may hinder problem-solving abilities; therefore, poverty alleviation programs should be designed to consider the potential cognitive impacts of scarcity.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://repository.usfca.edu/thes/129"],"dc:subject":["Scarcity","Cognition","Behavioral Economics","Experimental Economics","Tanzania","Growth and Development"],"dc:title":["Does Poverty Really Impede Cognitive Function? Experimental Evidence from Tanzanian Fishers"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Economics"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in International and Development Economics (MSIDEC)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:43:04Z"}