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If you have an example of a study that removes ability AND motivation bias from it's assessment of whether a college education is worth it, then I would love to

by socrates1998 12y ago

If you have an example of a study that removes ability AND motivation bias from it's assessment of whether a college education is worth it, then I would love to look at it. Until then, I am highly skeptical of a "correlation" between college degrees and success/wealth. Like I said before, I don't have to prove anything. The economists have to prove there is a correlation, I am assuming that there isn't a correlation until there is a study that takes out these biases. The sad part is that economists have published so many bad studies about this "correlation" that the media narrative is that a college education is almost always worth the price.

sanxiyn 12y ago
I am curious: do you find twin studies unconvincing? I think it does a good job of removing genetic and family background bias.
- socrates1998 12y ago
  You mean as in studying genetically identical twins raised in the same family? It would maybe be a step in the right direction, but motivation is going to be different between twins, often vastly different. And I know how difficult it is to quantify "motivation", but really, I don't know a way around it. But getting back to the issue: Is a college education worth the time, money and opportunity cost that we put into it? And is it possible to design a study that could confirm or deny it? The problem is that almost all motivated and/or smart 18 year olds go to college. Is there a sample size large enough to find the ones that don't? And even if you did, you would run into the opposite effect, motivated and smart 18 year olds that don't go college usually are outliers that have something else to do, like getting into a special program, a good job or being a professional chess player. So, when you find these people, they would be the opposite sort of bias. Their circumstances would be so unique that they would prejudice the study against college. Right now, college is the default option for people who can get in, so by its very nature, it biases the population. I don't see a way around it, but I am open to ideas.

sanxiyn 12y ago

I am curious: do you find twin studies unconvincing? I think it does a good job of removing genetic and family background bias.

socrates1998 12y ago
You mean as in studying genetically identical twins raised in the same family? It would maybe be a step in the right direction, but motivation is going to be different between twins, often vastly different. And I know how difficult it is to quantify "motivation", but really, I don't know a way around it. But getting back to the issue: Is a college education worth the time, money and opportunity cost that we put into it? And is it possible to design a study that could confirm or deny it? The problem is that almost all motivated and/or smart 18 year olds go to college. Is there a sample size large enough to find the ones that don't? And even if you did, you would run into the opposite effect, motivated and smart 18 year olds that don't go college usually are outliers that have something else to do, like getting into a special program, a good job or being a professional chess player. So, when you find these people, they would be the opposite sort of bias. Their circumstances would be so unique that they would prejudice the study against college. Right now, college is the default option for people who can get in, so by its very nature, it biases the population. I don't see a way around it, but I am open to ideas.