Revisiting The Bell Curve Debate Regarding the Effects of Cognitive Ability on Wages

Dependent Variable:
Log of hourly wage rate

Description of Variable

Log of hourly rate of pay of current/most recent job in dollars per hour
for each survey year

Test Results

AFQT_n

General Intelligence

AFQT score, normalized

First component of principle analysis of AVSAB subtest (g)

Age_n
SES _n

Age, normalized

Composite measure based on father’s education, mother’s education,
log of family income and the Duncan SEI score associated with
father’s occupation; normalized

Family Income_n
Mother's Edu_n
Father's Edu_n
Parents' SEI_n

Log of 1979 total net family income in 2002 dollars, normalized

Years of education of respondent’s mother, normalized

Years of education of respondent’s father, normalized

Duncan SEI in deciles assigned to highest of parents’ occupations,
normalized

Siblings_n
Black

Black*test

Black*edu

Hispanic
Hispanic*test

Hispanic*edu
Male

Male*test

Male*edu

Two-Parent Family

Northeast Region
Northcentral Region
South Region

Number of siblings in 1979, normalized

Dummy=1 for Black

Black*test result (AFQT or g depending on specification)

Black*education level

Dummy=1 for Hispanic

Hispanic*test result (AFQT or g depending on specification)

Hispanic*education level

Dummy=1 for male

Male* test result (AFQT or g depending on specification)

Male* education level

Dummy=1 for living with both parents until age 18

Dummy=1 for respondent living in the Northeast Region at age 14

Dummy=1 for respondent living in the North Central Region at age 14

Dummy=1 for respondent living in the South Region at age 14

Education

Job Tenure (and squared)
Labor Market Exp (and
squared)

Married

Children

Urban

Local Unemployment

Years of education completed up to each survey year

Number of weeks in current/most recent job in each survey year
Labor market experience (age minus schooling minus 6) in each
survey year

Dummy=1 for being married in each survey year

Number of children respondent has in each survey year

Dummy=1 for residence in urban area in each survey year
Unemployment rate for local labor market in each survey year based
on assignment of mean values to a categorical NLSY variable that
identifies six levels of unemployment in three-percentage-point
increments