The laboratory study aimed to determine the impact of financial worries on cognitive abilities. The study involved wealthy and poor individuals who were asked to think about their daily financial needs. It was hypothesised that poverty leads to hindrance of cognitive ability. The laboratory study was conducted with customers at a shopping mall and consisted of four experiments. The individuals had average earnings ranging from $70,000 to $20,000. The study aimed to determine the influence of financial disparities on mental capabilities.
The laboratory study aimed to investigate the relationship between poverty and cognitive ability. In 4 experiments, participants were given different financial scenarios and tested on their cognitive ability using Raven's Progressive Matrices and spatial compatibility tasks. Results showed that in hard financial scenarios, poor participants performed worse compared to wealthy participants, while in easy scenarios, both groups performed similarly. The study concluded that financial concerns significantly affect the cognitive ability of poor individuals.
The results of the study support the hypothesis that poverty hinders cognitive ability. The study aimed to determine the effect of poverty on cognitive function by conducting both a laboratory study and a field study. In the laboratory study, four experiments were performed with wealthy and poor individuals who were asked to think about their daily financial needs and then perform digital tasks. Results showed that poverty affected cognitive function, as poor individuals performed worse in Raven and compatibility tests when faced with hard financial situations.
In the field study, 464 sugarcane farmers from India were selected and their cognitive behavior was tested before and after the harvesting season. Results showed that farmers performed better post-harvest than pre-harvest, suggesting that poverty exerts stress and hinders cognitive function. Further investigation is needed to determine other potential causes. Being financially poor not only means having no money to fulfil necessary needs but it also impairs one's mental ability to solve problems.
Poor people tend to be under more stress and appear less capable and energetic as they have a lot on their minds. Policymakers should take initiative for unprivileged people by taking into account various issues that poor people face, realizing their cognitive ability and making it easier for them to understand.