TY  - JOUR
AU  - Heckman,James J.
AU  - Pinto,Rodrigo
AU  - Savelyev,Peter A.
TI  - Understanding the Mechanisms through Which an Influential Early Childhood Program Boosted Adult Outcomes
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 18581
PY  - 2012
Y2  - November 2012
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w18581
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w18581.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
James J. Heckman
Department of Economics
The University of Chicago
1126 E. 59th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
Tel: 773/702-0634
Fax: 773/702-8490
E-Mail: jjh@uchicago.edu

Rodrigo Pinto
Department of Economics
The University of Chicago
1126 E. 59th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
E-Mail: rodrig@uchicago.edu

Peter A. Savelyev
Department of Economics
Vanderbilt University
VU Station B #351819
2301 Vanderbilt Place
Nashville, TN 37235-1819
Tel: (615) 322-1529
Fax: (615) 343-8495
E-Mail: peter.savelyev@vanderbilt.edu
AB  - A growing literature establishes that high quality early childhood interventions targeted toward disadvantaged children have substantial impacts on later life outcomes. Little is known about the mechanisms producing these impacts. This paper uses longitudinal data on cognitive and personality traits from an experimental evaluation of the influential Perry Preschool program to analyze the channels through which the program boosted both male and female participant outcomes. Experimentally induced changes in personality traits explain a sizable portion of adult treatment effects.
ER  -