CSDE Computational Demography Working Group (CDWG) Hosts Risto Conte Keivabu on The effect of temperature on cognitive abilities and expressed sentiment: evidence from text data (5/29/2024)

Posted: 5/23/2024 ()

On May 29th from 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM, Dr. Risto Conte Keivabu will join CDWG to present his research. Dr. Risto Conte Keivabu is a postdoc in the Laboratory of Digital and Computational Demography of Emilio Zagheni at the Max Planck Institute of Demographic Research in Rostock (Germany). His research interests are in climate change, socio-demographic inequalities and demography. More precisely, in his work he tries to understand the population consequences of climate change and environmental exposures. The event will take place in 223 Raitt (the Demography Lab) and on Zoom (register here). Learn more in the full story!

Title: The effect of temperature on cognitive abilities and expressed sentiment: evidence from text data

Abstract: The increase in extreme temperatures due to climate change is anticipated to affect various aspects of human life. One crucial aspect is cognitive performance and health, which have implications for labor productivity and overall well-being. In this talk, I aim to contribute to the growing literature exploring the relationship between temperature, cognitive abilities, and expressed sentiment. Unlike previous research, I examine the impact of temperature at the individual level using geo-referenced text data combined with detailed meteorological information. Specifically, I present evidence from two studies. First, I present work investigating the influence of temperature on cognitive abilities and expressed sentiment using transcripts of political discourses in eight countries. Also, the study uses available sociodemographic data on politicians in Germany to explore heterogeneous effects of heat and cold based on gender and age. Second, I present work that examines the impact of temperature on expressed sentiment and its variation by migration background using geotagged text data from Twitter. The studies demonstrate that extreme temperatures affect cognitive abilities and expressed sentiment, with heterogeneous impacts across the population. In conclusion, the use of individual-level geo-referenced textual data provides valuable insights into how predicted increases in future temperatures could influence multiple dimensions of human well-being.