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

21 Pages Posted: 23 Feb 2013

See all articles by Friedhelm Pfeiffer

Friedhelm Pfeiffer

Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW); University of Mannheim - Department of Economics; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

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: early life adversity, implementation intentions, life cycle, skill formation

JEL Classification: D87, I12, I21, J13

Suggested Citation

Pfeiffer, Friedhelm, On the Power of Childhood Impressions for Skill Formation: Initial Evidence and Unsettled Questions. IZA Discussion Paper No. 7217, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2223144 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2223144

Friedhelm Pfeiffer (Contact Author)

Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) ( email )

D-68161 Mannheim
Germany
++49 (0)621/1235-150 (Phone)
++49 (0)621/1235-225 (Fax)

University of Mannheim - Department of Economics

D-68131 Mannheim
Germany

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

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