On the Power of Childhood Impressions for Skill Formation: Initial Evidence and Unsettled Questions

Friedhelm Pfeiffer

No 7217, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: Manifold childhood impressions result from the interactions with adult caregivers and the environment. These impressions, be they beneficial or detrimental, shape individual skill formation and achievement over the life cycle. The novelty of the paper is that it bonds two different, hitherto separated, research lines, one from economics, one from psychology, to discuss the relationship between childhood impressions and later achievement. First, selected recent findings on early life adversity and skill formation are presented. Second, a tool for improving self-regulation, called implementations intentions, is introduced, which may have the power to counteract negative childhood impressions later in live. The attempt to integrate the two approaches results in a discussion of unsettled questions and an outlook for future research.

Keywords: life cycle; implementation intentions; early life adversity; skill formation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D87 I12 I21 J13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 21 pages
Date: 2013-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dem
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Published - published in: German Review of Social Policy, 2013, 62 (5), 131-139

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