| Title: |
Using Experimental Variation to Examine the (Co-)Development of Cognitive and Social-Emotional Skills in Early Childhood. EdWorkingPaper No. 26-1369 |
| Language: |
English |
| Authors: |
Emma R. Hart; Caroline M. Botvin; Drew H. Bailey; Tyler W. Watts; Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University |
| Source: |
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. 2026. |
| Availability: |
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: annenberg@brown.edu; Web site: https://annenberg.brown.edu/ |
| Peer Reviewed: |
N |
| Page Count: |
59 |
| Publication Date: |
2026 |
| Sponsoring Agency: |
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (DHHS/NIH); National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Graduate Education (DGE) |
| Contract Number: |
1R01HD09593001A1; 2036197 |
| Document Type: |
Reports - Research |
| Education Level: |
Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education |
| Descriptors: |
Federal Programs; Low Income Students; Social Services; Children; Experience; Early Intervention; Surveys; Preschool Education; Family (Sociological Unit); Skill Development; Early Childhood Education; Thinking Skills; Social Emotional Learning; Longitudinal Studies; Transfer of Training |
| Laws, Policies and Program Identifiers: |
Head Start |
| Abstract: |
Questions about the stability of psychological constructs, skill generalization, and transfer have long motivated psychological research. Despite a proliferation of theory, the field has rarely established causal effects. We employed a novel approach to test the stability and co-development of cognitive and social-emotional skills in early childhood using longitudinal randomized controlled trial data from the nationally representative Head Start Impact Study (n = 4,667). Capitalizing on the study's clustered design, we computed treatment effects on both skills for each cluster (k = 84). Using meta-analytic techniques, we found that changes to children's cognitive skills persisted at a rate of approximately 40% one year after program end and 30% two years after program end. Changes to social-emotional skills persisted at a rate of approximately 20% at both timepoints, though estimates were statistically non-significant. We observed more consistent, but not statistically significant, support for cognitive to social-emotional skill transfer. While models relying on exogenous variation attenuated traditional correlational estimates of same-skill associations, correlational estimates of cross-skill associations appeared to be less biased. |
| Abstractor: |
As Provided |
| Notes: |
https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/web/ICPSR/studies/36968 |
| Entry Date: |
2026 |
| Accession Number: |
ED678245 |
| Database: |
ERIC |