This diploma thesis aims to compare the results in the field of cognitive functions obtained by static and dynamic assessment of children with attachment disorder at preschool age. The ACFS-cz assessment battery was used for the dynamic assessment, specifically four subtests: Categorisation, Short-term auditory memory (Story Retelling), Short-term visual memory, Sequential Pattern Completion. The method of static assessment was Woodcock- Johnson IV COG, specifically four subtests: Visualization, Verbal Attention, Picture Recognition, Analysis-Synthesis. The research sample consisted of 16 preschool children (3 to 6 respectively 8 years) placed in institutional care. The results showed that there were no differences between the of the ACFS-cz pretest scores and the Woodcock-Johnson IV COG scores. While the comparison of the results of the ACFS-cz posttest with Woodcock- Johnson IV COG showed significant differences in the three examined areas (Categorisation, Short-term auditory memory, Short-term visual memory). The outcomes of the dynamic assessment lead to suitable interventions for the cognitive development of children in institutional care. Keywords ACFS, Woodcock-Johnson IV COG, cognitive functions, attachment disorder, preschool age.

Cognitive impairment is considered as essential feature of non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD). It is a result of underlying pathological processes in the brain of PD patients and it leads to decreased quality of life. In this thesis an analysis of the structure and profile of cognitive impairment is presented with special emphasis on executive functions and memory. We take diagnostic entities developed for the description of PD cognitive spectrum such as mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) and dementia (PD-D) as examples of heterogeneity and different severity of cognitive impairment in PD. However, neuropsychological methods in Czech version that would measure these diagnotic units were not adequatly validated. In the experimental part we test a hypothesis, if gait disorder with falls in PD is interconnected with cognitive impairment, and if PD-fallers have more severe cognitive deficit than PD-non-fallers. On the basis of nine validity or normative data studies we show psychometric properties and clinical utility of several basic neuropsychological methods in the Czech population for memory (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, California Verbal Learning Test, Second Edition, Memory For Intentions Screening Test and Enhanced Cued Recall Test), sustained attention and executive functions...

Human aging is associated with structural and functional brain deteriorations and a corresponding cognitive decline. Exergaming (i.e., physically active video-gaming) has been supposed to attenuate age-related brain deteriorations and may even improve cognitive functions in healthy older adults. Effects of exergaming, however, vary largely across studies. Moreover, the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms by which exergaming may affect cognitive and brain function are still poorly understood. Therefore, we systematically reviewed the effects of exergame interventions on cognitive outcomes and neurophysiological correlates in healthy older adults (>60 years). After screening 2709 studies (Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, Pubmed, Scopus), we found 15 eligible studies, four of which comprised neurophysiological measures. Most studies reported within group improvements in exergamers and favorable interaction effects compared to passive controls. Fewer studies found superior effects of exergaming over physically active control groups and, if so, solely for executive functions. Regarding individual cognitive domains, results showed no consistence. Positive effects on neurophysiological outcomes were present in all respective studies. In summary, exergaming seems to be equally or slightly more effective than other physical interventions on cognitive functions in healthy older adults. Tailored interventions using well-considered exergames and intervention designs, however, may result in more distinct effects on cognitive functions.

Cardiovascular disease has been a leading cause of death worldwide over the last decades (Roth et al., 2015; WHO, 2021a). In countries with middle or elevated gross domestic product indices, stroke and myocardial infarction represent the prevalent causes of death. Over the years, the scientific community has identified significant cognitive and emotional impacts on survivors of coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease. We know that ageing populations and high-stress levels associated with contemporary lifestyles play a crucial role in the prognosis and recovery of individuals with myocardial infarction. These factors are associated with an increased societal burden related to survivors’ care. As they age, a higher proportion of women than men are affected by coronary heart disease, including myocardial infarction. Nonetheless, women remain under-represented in studies addressing trajectories of recovery associated with myocardial infarction. The arching goal of this thesis is to expand the knowledge on the association of various environmental and physical factors with a history of myocardial infarction in a sample of Canadian women. The accomplished research is presented in the form of two empirical studies carried out on samples of Canadian women with and without a history of myocardial infarction, as well as two systematic reviews of the literature. The first study established the state of knowledge on the Trier Social Stress Test paradigm, a tool that we later used in our laboratory study. Through an in-depth examination of the protocols used by different research groups, this systematic review identified essential elements for valid conclusions and proposed a set of recommendations for standardizing the use of the Trier Social Stress Test in research. The second systematic review updated the current scientific knowledge concerning the cognitive consequences of women with a history of coronary heart disease. Despite cardiovascular disease, including coronary heart disease, remainsunderstudied in women, the last decade has seen an emergence of research supporting cognition to be affected. Our findings support subtle cognitive impairments in women with a history of coronary heart disease. Our literature review was conducted to facilitate interpreting the results obtained in a sample of women with a history of MI in this thesis’ fourth study. Regarding data collection, an online questionnaire validated the presence of specific risk factors and symptoms associated with myocardial infarction in a sample of middle-aged Canadian women (N = 366). Finally, a laboratory study measured alterations in the physiological responses (i.e., heart rate variability and salivary cortisol secretion) associated with exposure to a social stressor (i.e., Trier Social Stress Test) in women with a history of myocardial infarction and age-matched controls (N = 29). This body of data and analytic reviews contribute to expanding the knowledge of physiological and cognitive impairments in women with a MI history. Our research also helps improve testing paradigms to examine deficits and identify areas where further research is needed. Our findings support women experiencing different symptoms than those described in men, and it pleads for these to be no longer described as "atypical." Our work highlights a similar prevalence of certain factors (e.g., hypertension) in Canadian women and women from other parts of the world. In terms of the laboratory study, our results indicate subjective/perceived levels of stress intensity to be comparable between the myocardial infarction and non-myocardial infarction women groups. However, we only found tendencies in changes related to measured physiological variables.

Le projet de thèse porte sur la consommation de substances psychoactives chez les adolescents et le lien séquentiel entre la consommation de drogues, la performance cognitive, et la santé mentale des jeunes. Les objectifs de la thèse sont : 1) de tester la relation entre la prise de cannabis, ou d’alcool, et la performance cognitive, et d’en observer la séquence, 2) de vérifier si la relation entre la consommation et la performance cognitive permet, en partie, de comprendre l’apparition de symptômes de psychopathologie chez les jeunes, et 3) de définir les pratiques les mieux fondées empiriquement pour prévenir la consommation de substances chez les adolescents. Le premier chapitre de la thèse évalue la relation et la séquence entre les habitudes de consommation d’environ 4000 jeunes de la région métropolitaine de Montréal (Qc, Canada) et la trajectoire de leur développement cognitif sur une période de quatre ans. Dans un deuxième chapitre, la thèse évalue comment la relation entre la consommation et la performance cognitive de ces mêmes jeunes peut expliquer, sur une période de cinq ans, une partie de la relation observée entre la consommation et l’apparition de symptômes de psychopathologie. Dans un dernier chapitre, la thèse fait la revue des données portant sur trois types d’interventions préventives afin d’identifier comment la recherche empirique peut bonifier les efforts de prévention de la toxicomanie chez les adolescents. Les données ont été extraites d’une cohorte d’adolescents issus de la population générale, suivis longitudinalement, dans le cadre de l’étude Co-Venture (n = 3826, âgés de 12 ans à l’admission dans l’étude, suivis annuellement pendant 5 ans). Les résultats ont démontré que, bien que certains facteurs semblent prédisposer un sous-groupe de jeunes à une consommation hâtive ainsi que des difficultés neuropsychologiques, la consommation de drogues, notamment de cannabis, semble liée, de façon à la fois ponctuelle et durable, à un délai du développement cognitif, plus particulièrement des fonctions exécutives. Cette association avec le cannabis semble, en faible partie, jouer un rôle médiateur dans la relation qui unit cette consommation et l’émergence de symptômes de psychopathologie chez les adolescents. Toutefois, des facteurs prédisposants semblent contribuer à l’association entre ces trois variables. Bien que la recherche identifie que plusieurs programmes de prévention peuvent être efficaces, la majorité d’entre eux présentent des effets modestes et ponctuels. Les programmes les plus probants semblent s’inscrire dans le registre des approches de prévention ciblées. Pour bonifier nos méthodes de prévention de la toxicomanie chez les adolescents, nous pourrions tenir compte de certains facteurs prédisposants et les utiliser comme cible d’intervention; par exemple, le fonctionnement cognitif basal pourrait constituer une piste intéressante. De plus, le tempérament ou la personnalité semblent mieux établis pour prévenir la consommation de façon durable et pour aborder les enjeux cognitifs et psychologiques associés à la consommation abusive de substances. Mots-clés : Alcool, cannabis, adolescence, fonctions cognitives, symptômes de psychopathologie, devis longitudinaux, médiation, prévention / This thesis project addresses adolescents’ substance misuse and the sequential link between drug use, cognitive performance, and mental health outcomes in youth. The objectives of this thesis are: 1) to test the relation and sequence between cannabis or alcohol use and cognitive outcomes, 2) to verify if the relation between substance use and cognitive outcomes could help understand, in part, why young substance users report psychopathology symptoms, and 3) to review evidence-based interventions to prevent adolescent substance misuse and to assess what contribution could stem from the collected empirical data. The first chapter of this thesis assesses the relation and sequence between substance use behaviour of nearly 4000 youth from the Montreal metropolitan area (QC, Canada) and their cognitive development over four years. In a second chapter, this thesis analyzes how the association between substance use and cognitive outcomes could partially explain, over five years, the link observed between substance use and the appearance of psychopathology symptoms. In a final chapter, this thesis reviews data surrounding three types of preventative interventions to identify how empirical research could improve addiction prevention strategies. The data was extracted from a group of adolescents issued from the general population followed longitudinally in the scope of the Co-Venture study (n = 3826, from 12 years of age upon admission to the study, followed up annually for a period of five years). The results demonstrated that, although certain factors seem to predispose a sub-group of young people to early consumption and neuropsychological difficulties, drug consumption, especially cannabis consumption, seem to reliably predict a delay in the development of cognitive faculties, particularly the executive functions of the brain. This association with cannabis appears, to a small extent, to partially mediate the link already observed between said consumption and the emergence of psychopathology symptoms in adolescents. Still, predisposing factors seem to contribute to the association between these three variables. Although research would appear to show that several prevention strategies could be effective, most of them present modest and punctual results. The best-substantiated programs appeared to be those that adhered to a targeted prevention approach. To improve our methods of substance use prevention, one could take predisposing factors into account and use them to inform specialized intervention. Baseline cognitive functioning could constitute a particularly promising avenue. All the same, certain predisposing factors such as temperament or personality seem better equipped to prevent early-onset substance misuse and to address the psychological and cognitive issues associated with adolescent substance intake. To improve addiction prevention methods in adolescents, one could factor into account predisposing factors and use them to inform specialized intervention; for example, baseline cognitive functioning could constitute a promising avenue. In addition, temperament or personality traits seem better established to prevent early-onset substance use and to address the psychological and cognitive issues associated with adolescents’ substance misuse. Key words: Alcohol, cannabis, adolescence, cognitive functions, psychopathology symptoms, longitudinal data, mediation, prevention

Master dissertation consists of theoretical and empirical parts. Theoretical part observes medical and psychological issues of HIV infection, development scheme of cognitive function in teenage, development points of cognitive functions of children and teenagers with positive HIV status. Empirical part observes comparative results of HIV positive and negative status teenager’s cognitive functions research. The research showed that HIV-positive teenagers' cognitive functions are developed worse, than healthy. / Магистерская диссертация содержит теоретическую и эмпирическую часть. В теоретической части представлен обзор медико-психологических особенностей ВИЧ-инфекции, закономерностей развития когнитивных функций в подростковом возрасте, особенностей развития когнитивных функций у ВИЧ-инфицированных детей и подростков. В эмпирической части описываются сравнительные результаты исследования когнитивных функций у подростков с положительным и отрицательным ВИЧ-статусом. Исследование показало, что у ВИЧ-инфицированных подростков когнитивные функции развиты хуже, чем у здоровых.

Магистерская диссертация состоит из введения, двух глав, заключения, списка литературы (57 источников) и приложения, включающего в себя таблицы с результатами диагностики и примеры организации образовательной деятельности в ДОУ с использованием ИКТ. Объем магистерской диссертации 72 страницы. Во введении раскрывается актуальность темы исследования, разработанность проблематики, ставятся цель и задачи исследования, определяются его объект и предмет, формулируется гипотеза, указываются методы и эмпирическая база. Первая глава посвящена теоретическим аспектам проблемы развития когнитивных функций детей дошкольного возраста с использованием информационно-коммуникационных технологий. В ней рассматриваются такие вопросы как особенности когнитивных функций детей дошкольного возраста, информационно-коммуникационные технологии и их использование в образовательном процессе, использование ИКТ в период пандемии, работа психолога по психологическому сопровождению внедрения ИКТ в ДОУ. Выводы по первой главе представляют собой итоги изучения теоретического материала. Вторая глава посвящена эмпирической части исследования. В ней представлено описание организации и методов проведенного исследования и результатов, полученных по всем использованным методикам: изучение непроизвольного и произвольного запоминания (методики Л.А. Головей и Е.Ф. Рыбалко), изучение оперативной слуховой памяти (методика Л.А. Головей и Е.Ф. Рыбалко), изучение наглядно-образной памяти (тест «Телевизор», авторы М.В. Луткина, Е.К. Лютова), исследование устойчивости внимания (методика «Лабиринт», которая является субтестом из детского варианта теста Дж. Векслера), исследование концентрации внимания (методика Л.А. Головей и Е.Ф. Рыбалко), исследование вербального мышления (методика Я. Йерасика). В качестве методов статистической обработки данных использованы Т-критерий Вилкоксона и U-критерий Манна-Уитни. Представлены результаты сравнительного анализа показателей респондентов экспериментальной и контрольной групп до и после проведения формирующего эксперимента. Выводы по главе 2 включают в себя основные результаты эмпирического исследования. По результатам исследования подтвердилась гипотеза о том, что уровень когнитивных функций (памяти, внимания, мышления) у детей, при обучении которых применялись ИКТ, выше, чем у детей, при обучении которых ИКТ не использовались. В заключении в обобщенном виде изложены результаты исследования; дана характеристика авторского проекта «Развиваемся, играя», в рамках которого занятия с детьми проводились с использованием ИКТ; обоснована практическая значимость полученных результатов; описаны возможные перспективы дальнейшего исследования данной проблематики. / The master's thesis consists of an introduction, two chapters, a conclusion, a list of references (57 sources) and an annex. The latter includes diagnostic results tables and examples of educational activities organization in pre-school institutions involving ICT. The volume of the master's thesis is 72 pages. The introduction reveals the relevance of the research topic as well as the depth of the research in the given field. It sets the purpose and objectives of the research, identifies its object and subject. A hypothesis is formulated and methods of the research in together with its empirical base are indicated in the introduction of the thesis. The first chapter is devoted to the theoretical aspects of cognitive functions development by preschool children with the help of information and communication technologies. It explores the features of the cognitive functions in preschool children, information and communication technologies and their use in the educational process and discusses the reliance on ICTs during the pandemic. The first chapter deals with the work of a psychologist providing psychological support during the introduction of ICTs to pre-school education. The conclusions made in the first chapter are backed up by comprehensive analysis of the existing theoretical material. The second chapter is the empirical part of the research. The methods used are the following: a study of involuntary and voluntary memorizing (Golovei L. A. and E. F. Rybalko’s method), the study of auditory operative memory (L. A. Golovey and E. F. Rybalko’s method), the study clearly-shaped memory test (so called "TV" method designed by M. V. Lytkina, Lyutova E. K.), the study of attention stability (the method of "Labyrinth", which is a subtest from the children's version of the test by John. Wexler), the study of the attention span (Golovei L. A. and E. F. Rybalko’s method), the study of verbal thinking (I. Jersika’s method). The Wilcoxon T-test and the Mann-Whitney U-test were used for statistical data processing. Besides, comparative analysis of the indicators of respondents in the experimental and control groups prior to and after the formative experiment are described in the second chapter. The conclusion of Chapter 2 discusses main results of the empirical study. The results of the study confirmed the hypothesis that the level of cognitive functions (memory, attention, thinking) in children who were taught using ICT is higher than in children who were not taught with the help of ICT. Conclusion contains summarized results of the research; detailed analysis of the author's project “Developing by playing", in which classes with children were conducted with the usage of ICT, justification of the practical significance of the obtained results and description of possible prospects for further research of this problem.

The hippocampus is a brain area fundamental for cognitive functions, such as learning, memory, spatial navigation and emotion regulation, and is mainly affected in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). AD is an irreversible neurodegenerative disease, characterized by pathological protein aggregations and cognitive impairments. To date, there is no treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. The search for a therapy is urgently needed to alleviate the suffering of patients and relieve the burden on society. Neural stem cells (NSCs) in the hippocampal neurogenic niche sustain continuous neurogenesis in adulthood. Adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) is functionally associated with many cognitive and emotional functions in humans and rodents. In particular, hippocampal neurogenesis is impaired in AD patients and AD mouse models and may be a putative therapeutic target for curing AD. In my project, endogenous hippocampal neurogenesis is manipulated in the 3xTg AD mouse model by a chronic, genetically-driven expansion of hippocampal NSCs. Exploiting intrinsic NSCs potential to generate newborn neurons increases the neurogenesis in 3xTg AD mice. The boosted neurogenesis ameliorates the anxiety-like behavior, improves spatial navigational performances and restores the connectivity of the hippocampal network in AD. Altogether, this study demonstrates the beneficial effect of enhancing neurogenesis by exploiting the endogenous NSCs reserve to rescue AD phenotypes and elucidates the functional contribution of neurogenesis to learning and memory. The findings support and highlight the therapeutic potential of enhancing neurogenesis in the treatments of neurodegenerative diseases.

In recent years, there has been a growing commitment to studying the economic lives of the poor by better understanding their psychological lives (Banerjee and Duflo, 2007; Schilbach et al., 2016). These developments stem from the failure to empirically detect poverty traps, which have been at the core of the development literature for decades (Dean et al., 2017). Instead, empirical studies document the existence of very large rates of returns to investment, which, however, are not matched by observed consumption growth rates (Kremer et al., 2019). Several behaviors of the poor, which do not fit with traditional models, puzzled economists. Why do poor micro-entrepreneurs keep borrowing at extremely high interest rates instead of saving some of their profit to borrow less with each passing day (Ananth et al., 2007)? If using fertilizer has such high rates of return, why don't poor farmers purchase it (Duflo et al., 2008)? If the poor remain poor because they do not get enough calories, why do they spend their money on other things besides food (Banerjee and Duflo, 2007)? Such questions led to the rise of the subfield of Behavioral Development Economics, which applies insights from psychology and behavioral economics to study the economic behavior of the poor; trying to explain why and how it departs from standard economic models. Behavioral biases, studied extensively in Behavioral Economics, may be much more consequential for the poor. Failing to resist to the temptation of a hedonistic reward after a hard day of work will have very different implications for a poor person than for a rich one. This thesis aims to contribute to this new strand of literature, in particular to one of its branches titled "the psychology of poverty", which studies the impact poverty has on cognitive function and economic behavior. One influential theory in this field is the scarcity/mental bandwidth theory (Mullainathan and Shafir, 2013), which states that poverty implies not only lack of financial resources, but also lack of mental resources to focus on other things besides pressing concerns. At any time, a poor person's mind will be preoccupied with worries about bills, school fees or health problems; and how to best manage all of them with very limited resources. While this makes the poor better at decisions regarding the pressing issue at hand (Mullainathan and Shafir, 2013), it also makes them neglect other important domains which may not appear urgent enough (Shah et al., 2012, 2015). While the theory may help explain many puzzling behaviors of the poor, up to now there has been little evidence on real-world economic outcomes. The first two chapters of this thesis try to bring the framework closer to real-world economic decisions even though restricted to the lab setting. The main challenge with studying the psychology of poverty outside the lab is the fact that even exogenous changes in income will affect several other channels besides mental bandwidth, making it very challenging to pin down the precise mechanism. Given this, the first two chapters are limited to varying mental bandwidth in a lab setting, keeping income fixed. The novel aspect is that the decisions participants make mimic closely everyday life purchasing decisions, involving real products. I note however, that due to limited funding and ethical considerations, in both chapters decisions are only weakly incentivized: only 1% of participants actually receive the goods they selected. The first chapter explores the relationship between the psychology of poverty, investment in human capital, and financial incentives. Empirical evidence indicates that the poor are less attentive parents, investing less in the human capital of their children (McLoyd, 1998; Evans, 2004). This contributes to the inter-generational transmission of poverty because investing in human capital has extremely high rates of return, highest in early childhood (Cunha and Heckman, 2007; Cunha et al., 2010). The question is why don't the poor invest more? Traditional answers to this question put the blame on lack of knowledge of parenting practices, wrong beliefs on the expected returns or lower altruism. We propose an alternative explanation based on the scarcity theory. Poor parents may fail to invest the required time and resources in their child because their minds are preoccupied with other more urgent concerns. When there is uncertainty about how the next bill will be paid, spending time doing educational activities with the child may shift out of focus. When such behaviors keep repeating on a regular basis, a gap emerges between poor and non-poor children in the amount of cognitive and emotional stimulation they receive. The challenge is how to test this hypothesis. Given the identification issues with disentangling such channels with observational data, we bring it to the lab. Parents of toddlers, living in the UK, are invited to participate in an online experiment. First, they are asked to answer how their family would deal with various hypothetical financial scenarios which vary in severity (hard for the treatment group, easy for the control group). Among the treated, the scenarios aim to bring financial worries to mind, trying to capture what people living in poverty experience on a regular basis. After completing the scenarios, parents receive a budget of pounds 30 to be spent as they choose in an experimental market on 3 types of goods: necessities, child investment goods, and luxury goods. Half of parents are incentivized to purchase more child investment goods by being offered a 50% discount. This treatment investigates if financial worries change how parents respond to such incentives, and is motivated by the results in Das et al. (2013) which find that accounting for household re-optimization in response to a policy is crucial when evaluating its effects. We find that the incentive increases investment in human capital among lower income parents only when financial worries are not salient. When worries become salient, low income parents do not invest more but instead use the additional money to increase their demand of necessities. In addition, they also lower their demand for luxury goods to zero. When no discount is offered, we do not find financial worries to lower investment, which is likely to be explained by floor effects. Among higher income parents, financial worries do not affect behavior. The effects among lower income participants are driven by those who were further away from their last paycheck at the time of the experiment - an indicator of real world monetary scarcity. This finding increases the external validity of our main results. The second chapter departs from studying the human capital of children, focusing instead on the human capital of adultsootnote{However, the behavior studied is likely to have negative externalities also on children (e.g. domestic violence).}. Addictive (or temptation) goods have been at the core of academic and policy debates for decades. With Becker and Murphy (1988), addiction was rationalized as a utility maximizing decision where the individual fully internalizes the costs of consuming such goods. In this framework, the only scope for intervention is to balance out the externalities -- the costs that individuals place on society through consumption decisions (e.g. healthcare costs). Gruber (2001) questioned theoretically and empirically the rational framework, showing that with inconsistent time preferences, individuals do not fully internalize the cost of their behavior. Further studies have confirmed these findings which increased the scope of policy interventions (Gruber and Kőszegi, 2004; O’Donoghue and Rabin, 2006; Allcott et al., 2019a). The most widely used policy tools to limit the over-consumption of temptation are "sin" taxes, popular among governments because they bring large revenues. However, such taxes have sparked debates regarding their effects on income distribution. Since the poor tend to spend a higher share of their budget on temptation, they are likely to pay a higher cost. On the other hand, they are also the ones expected to benefit more in terms of health by consuming less. Traditionally, such taxes were placed on tobacco and alcohol. Recently, several governments have started adding taxes also on the consumption of unhealthy foods, such as sugary drinks and beverages. Crucial to determining the effect of the tax is the elasticity of demand with respect to price and the degree to which individuals are not internalizing their choices (Allcott et al., 2019a). The second chapter integrates the economics of temptation with the scarcity theory, and investigates if financial worries affect (i) the demand for temptation and (ii) the elasticities of demand with respect to price (sin taxes). The first question is not straightforward in the scarcity framework. While poverty is scarcity of financial resources, it is also scarcity of immediate gratification. The poor have stressful lives and jobs which are often less rewarding and highly physically demanding. Compensating for these struggles is harder since they can only access a small set of potential alternatives to addictive goods (e.g. going to nice restaurant and travelling are not really in the choice set of the poor). Following a similar design as in the first chapter but with a less specific population (adults living in the UK), we randomly trigger financial worries before asking participants to choose between necessities and temptation goods in an experimental market. The basket of temptation goods offered includes tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy foods and we simulate "sin taxes" by randomly increasing the price of temptation by 10% or 20%. We find that triggering financial worries lowers the demand for temptation but also dampens demand elasticities. The effects are stronger among low income participants. When financial worries are salient, their demand curve is actually slightly upward sloping. The finding is puzzling: financial worries appear to limit over-consumption of temptation, but they also hurt the poor the most when additional taxes are introduced. We find suggestive evidence that both effects are mediated by an increased focus on urgent necessities. The first two chapters integrated the scarcity framework into public policies. The results are very consistent across studies and have clear policy implications. Among the poor, when monetary concerns are top of mind: (i) incentivizing investments in human capital may not achieve its desired outcome, (ii) (dis)incentivizing consumption of temptation through new taxes may harm the poor the most since they do not lower their demands in response to price increases, which leads, through taxation, to a transfer of funds from the poor to the nonpoor without having any corrective effects (see Bernheim and Rangel, 2004; Bernheim and Taubinsky, 2018). However, I must note that both chapters make only speculative policy recommendations given that they lack the normative counterfactual. Further research is needed to rigorously establish the welfare implications of financial worries. The third chapter takes a step back from economic decisions to studying how violence exposure affects cognitive function in children. Unfortunately violence and poverty are closely linked in a vicious cycle. Economically deprived neighborhoods are in general also more violent. In addition to monetary concerns, the minds of the poor are likely to be preoccupied with safety concerns. This study attempts to apply the framework in Mullainathan and Shafir (2013), focusing on security concerns instead of monetary ones. While the link between the scarcity framework and violence as scarcity of security is novel and up for debate, the chapter is closely connected with the literature on the impact of emotions on cognition and decision making (Loewenstein and Lerner, 2003; Lerner et al., 2003, 2015; Callen et al., 2014; Bogliacino et al., 2017). In a lab-in-the-field experiment, primary school children in El Salvador are randomly assigned to recall episodes of violence exposure before or after taking cognitive tests. I find that recalling violence exposure before taking the tests, increases cognitive performance by 0.2 standard deviations, effect significantly stronger for children reporting higher exposure. The estimates contrast previous findings on the effect of violence and cognitive function (Sharkey, 2010; Sharkey et al., 2012; Bogliacino et al., 2017) and call for further research in the field.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate acute effects of physical exercise of different intensities on working memory. Method: Twelve young adults, 20-40 years, 8 males and 4 females passed the screening and participated in a randomized experimental crossover within-subject design study with three experimental conditions. Working memory was measured with n-back consisting of three difficulty levels.  Results: No significant interaction effect within subjects between the three different exercise intensity conditions for accuracy or response time was found. A significant main effect of time was detected for n-back response time, F(1,11)=40.2, p=<.001, reflecting an overall shorter response time after exercise compared to before, independent of exercise intensity condition. A two-way interaction effect on accuracy was found between n-back session 1 and 2 in the low fitness group.  Conclusions: The exercise intensity does not seem to matter for the improvement of working memory performance. However, participants response time was shown to be faster following any given exercise intensity.