2 Lo sforzo educativo ridimensionato SAGGIO

Lo sforzo educativo ridimensionato

THE CASE AGAINST GUILT: A PARENT’S GUIDE TO BEHAVIORAL GENETICS – Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: Why Being a Great Parent is Less Work and More Fun Than You Think – Bryan Caplan

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Punti chiave: La paura di essere giudicati come genitori pigri – Quanto conta il nostro sforzo educativo? Poco, meno di quel che pensiamo – La natura vince… alla lunga – Genetica comportamentale: studi su gemelli e adottati – La natura umana è flessibile – Natura, famiglia, ambiente non condiviso (libertà fortuna) – Salute, intelligenza, successo, voti, reddito, carattere, Felicità, autostima, valori, riconoscimento ai genitori, sesso, amore, divorzio, orientamento sessuale – Il test di Segan

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KIDS BORN TODAY REQUIRE FOOD AND SHELTER, JUST AS THEY DID a hundred thousand years ago. Meeting these basic needs is far easier than it once was

Note:CIBO E VESTITI

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Moms’ and dads’ central objection is that if they cut corners, they risk their children’s future…Their heads fill with images of lazy parents…

Note:PERCHÈ NON PRENDERSELA COMODA

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Nature wins, especially in the long run.

Note:LA NATURA VINCE

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This may sound discouraging. No parent wants to hear that his sacrifices have been in vain.

Note:IL LATO SPIACEVOLE DELLA FACCENDA

HOW TO TELL NATURE FROM NURTURE

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In contrast, we tend to see their psychological and behavioral similarity as proof of the power of parenting.

Note:FISICO E PSICOLOGIA

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the typical family seamlessly blends biology and upbringing.

Note:INUTILE STUDIARE LA FAMIGLIA TIPO

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two kinds of families are special: Families that adopt, and families with twins.

Note:CIÒ CHE SERVE

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there are two kinds of twins: identical and fraternal. Identical twins share all of their genes…Fraternal twins share only half of their genes…

Note:DUE TIPI DI GEMELLI

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if identical twins resemble each other more than fraternal twins, the reason is probably nature.

Note:LA PROVA DEL NOVE

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twins who were separated and raised by different families.

Note:L’ESPERIMENTO PERFETTO

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If identical twins raised apart are more similar than fraternal twins raised apart, the reason almost has to be nature. If twins raised together are more similar than twins raised apart, the reason almost has to be nurture.

Note:CONDIZIONE

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The result is a new discipline—behavioral genetics

Note:È NATA UNA NUOVA DISCIPLINA

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Identical twins are much more similar than fraternal twins—even when separated at birth—and their similarity often increases as they age.

Note:ESITO

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By the time adoptees reach adulthood, however, this resemblance largely fades away.

Note:NATURA FLESSIBILE

EXPLAINING VARIATION

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If you raise a child in a closet and make sure he never hears a word, he won’t learn how to speak.

Note:SCARTIAMO I CASI ESTREMI

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Most twin and adoption studies focus on people raised in advanced Western countries in modern times…If a mix-up sent a Haitian baby to food-rich America, and an American baby to hungry Haiti, the effect on height could be massive…

Note:IL CONTESTO

NURTURE AND ENVIRONMENT ARE NOT THE SAME

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No two people have exactly the same environment. Two children who live under one roof have different teachers and friends.

Note:L’AMBIENTE È UNICO

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researchers equate “nurtured in the same way” with “were raised by the same people.”

Note:CONVENZIONE

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Any feature of children’s environment that varies despite the fact that they were raised by the same people. Researchers call such features “unique environment” or “nonshared environment,”

Note:AMBIENTE ORIGINALE O NON CONDIVISO

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Anything from peers, germs, and television to parental favoritism, dumb luck, and free will could qualify as unique environment.

Note:LIBERTÀ

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Instead of picturing a two-way race between nature and nurture, picture a three-way race

Note:TRE FATTORI… NON DUE

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The fact that genes don’t explain everything does not imply that family environment explains the rest.

Note:SPIEGAZIONI RESIDUALI

NATURE AND NURTURE: DIRECT VERSUS INDIRECT EFFECTS

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If researchers report that genes affect income, for example, the reason might be that genes matter for intelligence, and intelligence matters for income.

EFFETTI DIRETTI E INDIRETTI…. PROBLEMA IRRILEVANTE?

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Since researchers bundle together direct and indirect effects, their results are a lot stronger than they look. Suppose an adoption study finds that nurture doesn’t influence smoking. A parent could not reasonably object, “Right, but since peers influence smoking, and parents influence peers, I still matter.” The flaw in this argument is that a normal adoption study includes any and all indirect effects.

Note:ROBUSTEZZA DEI RISULTATI

MEASURING NATURE AND NURTURE EFFECTS

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The clearest measures come from a thought experiment I call “Switched at Birth”

Note:ESPERIMENTO IDEALE PER LE PROBABILITÀ

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if your counterpart in the thought experiment is in the 51st through 55th percentiles, I’ll call that a “small” effect. If he’s in the 56th through 65th percentiles, I’ll call that a “moderate” effect. Anything more I’ll call “large.”

Note:CONVENZIONE

THE PARENTAL WISH LIST: CAN PARENTS MAKE THEIR DREAMS COME TRUE?

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you’d still prefer your kids to become healthy, smart, happy, successful, virtuous adults who share your values and appreciate..The underlying assumption is that parents have the power to grant their own wishes…

Note:LA LISTA

WISH #1: HEALTH

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Parents pressure their kids to eat right, get fresh air and exercise, brush their teeth, and stay away from tobacco and drugs…The main rationale for health-related nagging is to instill healthy habits…

Note:MANGIAR SANO ECC…..

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Parents don’t affect life expectancy. Major twin studies find no influence of family environment on life span.

Note:SPERANZA DI VITA

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Parents have little or no effect on overall health. There’s more to health than staying alive.

Note:SALUTE GENERICA

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Parents don’t affect height, weight, or teeth. We all want our kids to grow up to be tall and fit, with sparkling white teeth.

Note:PESO ALTEZZA DENTI

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Parents might have a small effect on smoking, drinking, and drug problems.

Note:FUMARE BERE DROGARSI

WISH #2: INTELLIGENCE

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One misreported study about “the Mozart effect” led moms to play the classics for babies and fetuses alike.

Note:MOZART EFFECT

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parents have little or no long-run effect on their children’s intelligence.

Note:INTELLIGENZA

WISH #3: HAPPINESS

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Good parents want to make their children happy. In the short run, they often succeed.

Note:FELICITÀ NEL BREVE

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The most striking evidence on nature, nurture, and happiness comes from the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart. Twins raised apart were more alike in happiness than twins raised together.

Note:PARADOSSO

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The same goes for self-esteem.

Note:STIMA

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Unhappy adults like to blame their problems on their parents’ lack of love and support. According to the best evidence, however, both groups are wrong.

Note:GENITORI COME FONTE DI INFELICITÀ

WISH #4: SUCCESS

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Strangers often advise you to follow your dreams, but parents are more likely to tell you to get your head out of the clouds…Being a successful lawyer is more fun than being a failed actor….

Note:IL CLASSICO CONSIGLIO

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success roughly equals high income and a fancy degree.

Note:SUCCESSO

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Successful parents may give their kids a small edge, but heredity is much more important. Kids literally inherit educational and financial success from their parents.

Note:IL SUCCESSO EREDITATO

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Parents have little effect on how much school their kids get.

Note:SCUOLA SCELTA

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twin researchers conclude that children’s families have no long-run effect on educational success.

Note:POCA INFLUENZA

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Parents have no effect on grades.

Note:VOTI

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Parents have little or no effect on how much money their kids make when they grow up.

Note:REDDITO

WISH #5: CHARACTER

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We want our children to grow up to be men and women of substance—of character.

Note:IL DESIDERIO DI UN GENITORE

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“Maybe I can’t affect his IQ or his income, but I can control whether he grows up to be a decent person.”

Note:L’ULTIMO BALUARDO DEI GENITORI

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Parents have little or no effect on conscientiousness or agreeableness.

Note:EMPATIA E SELF CONTROL

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Parents have little or no effect on criminal behavior.

Note:COMPORTAMENTO CRIMINALE

WISH #6: VALUES

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When your side does it, it’s “education”; when other sides do it, it’s “brainwashing.”

Note:EDUCAZIONE E LAVAGGIO DEL CERVELLO

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Parents have a big effect on religious labels, but little on religious attitudes and behavior.

Note:RELIGIONE

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Parents have a big effect on political labels, but little on political attitudes and behavior.

Note:POLITICA

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Parents have little effect on traditionalism and modernism.

Note:IDEOLOGIA

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Like other personality traits, openness is largely unresponsive to upbringing.

Note:CURIOSITÀ

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Parents have moderate influence over when their daughters start having sex, but little over their sons.

Note:SESSO E AMORE

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Parents have little or no effect on teen pregnancy.

ote:GRAVIDANZE

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Parents have little or no effect on adult sexual behavior.

Note:ANCORA SESSO

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Parents may have a small effect on sexual orientation.

ote:ORIENTAMENTO SESSUALE

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genes are far from the whole story—if you’re gay, your identical twin is usually still straight.

Note:NON SOLO GENI

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Parents have little or no effect on marriage, marital satisfaction, or divorce.

Note:DIVORZIO

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Parents have little or no effect on childbearing.

Note:GRAVIDANZE

WISH #7: APPRECIATION

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To me, it’s more important to deserve my children’s appreciation than to get it.

Note:L’AMORE DEI FIGLI PER I GENITORI

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Out of all the wishes on the Parental Wish List, “good memories” are one of the few that clearly depend upon how you raise your child.

Note:L’AMBIENTE QUI È DECISIVO

BEYOND THE EXTRAORDINARY

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“Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” But behavioral genetics comfortably passes Sagan’s test.

SEGAN TEST

Perché al cine i popcorn costano di più?

WHY POPCORN COSTS MORE AT THE MOVIES AND WHY THE OBVIOUS ANSWER IS WRONG – The Armchair Economist (revised and updated May 2012): Economics & Everyday Life – Steven E. Landsburg

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Punti chiave: La discriminazione di prezzo spiega tutto – isolare i clienti secondo le loro caratteristiche – I clienti dei blockbuster hanno una domanda di popcorn più robusta – Un minimo di monopolio è sempre richiesto: in concorrenza perfetta discriminare è impossibile – 

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Popcorn is expensive because, once you have entered the movie theater, the theater owner has a monopoly.

Note:LA SPIEGAZIONE PIÙ COMUNE

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Once you enter the theater, the owner has a monopoly on a lot of things. He is the only supplier of rest rooms, for example. Why doesn’t he charge you a monopoly price to use the rest room?

Note:E IL MONOPOLIO DEL BAGNO?

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When I go to watch a movie and buy a quart of popcorn, I am quite indifferent between paying $1 for the popcorn and $7 for the ticket or paying $3 for the popcorn and $5 for the ticket.

Note:PREZZO BIGLIETTO E PREZZO POPCORN

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some moviegoers like popcorn more than others.

Note:IL FATTO CENTRALE

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the purpose of expensive popcorn is to extract different sums from different customers.

Note:SCOPO

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In a seller’s paradise, each customer would be charged exactly his reservation price

Note:PREZZO MASSIMO

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When you buy a Polaroid camera or a ticket to Disneyland, your expenses have only just begun.

Note:DISNEYLAND

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Expensive film extracts more from the heavy users, and Polaroid sensibly believes that the heaviest users are willing to pay the most.

Note:ABBINATI ALLA POLAROID

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why should a coupon for 50 cents off a bottle of detergent be a more effective lure than an ad announcing that the price of detergent had been slashed by 50 cents?

Note:PERCHÈ I BUONI SCONTO?

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Discount coupons are intended not to lure customers in general but to lure a certain class of customers—namely, those who would shop elsewhere in the absence of a bargain. The device works only if the discounts end up in the right hands

Note:ALLETTARE I TERZI INCONSAPEVOLI

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Sometimes an easily identifiable group, such as students or senior citizens, is particularly sensitive to price. In such cases, sellers give discounts to those groups directly.

Note:VECCHI E STUDENTI

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Did you buy this book in hardcover or in paperback? It might interest you to know that the production costs for the two kinds of binding are very close to equal. By pricing the hardback several dollars higher, the publisher effectively charges different prices to different classes

Note:COPERTINA RIGIDA

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Airlines charge different prices depending on whether you stay over a Saturday, hotels charge different prices depending on whether you make reservations in advance, car rental agencies charge different prices depending on whether you belong to a frequent flyer program, doctors charge different prices depending on your income and your insurance status, and universities charge different prices depending on your grades and your family’s income.

Note:ESEMPI DI DISCRIMINAZIONE

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But if this is the whole story, then why don’t popcorn lovers simply patronize a different theater?…The theater that sold a quart for $2.50 instead of $3 could attract all of the big popcorn eaters… Why don’t we see popcorn price wars?…

Note:PROBLEMA

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So one more ingredient must be added to the price discrimination story. Price discrimination can work only when the seller has a monopoly of the appropriate kind.

Note:UNA FORMA DI MONOPOLIO DEVE ESISTERE

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The standard textbook example of a perfectly competitive industry is wheat farming. No wheat farmer has any control over market conditions, and no wheat farmer represents a significant share of the market. That is precisely the reason why wheat farmers do not give senior citizen discounts.

Note:CONCORRENZA PERFETTA

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if price discrimination is as common as our many examples seem to indicate, we are forced to conclude that monopolies are everywhere.

Note:MONOPOLI OVUNQUE

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One product at two prices requires monopoly power, but two products at two prices is the normal order of things.

Note:DIFFERENZIAZIONE DEL PRODOTTO

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Doctors charge wealthy patients more than they charge poor patients. Is this price discrimination? Perhaps. But perhaps wealthy patients are in general more demanding

Note:FINTE DISCRIMINAZIONI

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And finally and once again, why is popcorn so expensive at the movie theater? If this be price discrimination, whence the monopoly power?

Note:DA DOVE IL MONOPOLIO DEL CINEMA?

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The Locay/Rodriguez response is that popcorn eaters cannot go to another theater without splitting up their social groups.

Note:SPLIT GROUP

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Let’s stick to theaters with low-priced popcorn, and I’ll occasionally pay for your tickets.

OBIEZIONE COASIANA