Using Experimental Variation to Examine the (Co-)Development of Cognitive and Social-Emotional Skills in Early Childhood. EdWorkingPaper No. 26-1369
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| Title: | Using Experimental Variation to Examine the (Co-)Development of Cognitive and Social-Emotional Skills in Early Childhood. EdWorkingPaper No. 26-1369 |
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| 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 |
| 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. |
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