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Do Smart Parents Raise Smart Children?: The Intergenerational Transmission of Cognitive Abilities

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Author Info
Silke Anger
Guido Heineck

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Abstract

Complementing prior research on income mobility and educational transmission, we provide evidence on the intergenerational transmission of cognitive abilities using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study. Our estimates suggest that individuals¿ cognitive skills are positively related to the abilities of their parents, even when educational attainment and family background is controlled for. We differentiate between mothers¿ and fathers¿ IQ transmission and find different effects on the cognition of sons and daughters. We show that cognitive skills which are based on past learning are more strongly transmitted from parents to children than cognitive skills which are related to innate abilities. Our findings are not compatible with a pure genetic model, but rather point to the importance of parental investments for the cognitive outcomes of children.

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File URL: http://www.diw.de/documents/publikationen/73/diw_01.c.95403.de/diw_sp0156.pdf
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Paper provided by DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) in its series SOEPpapers with number 156.

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Length: 37 p.
Date of creation: 2009
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Handle: RePEc:diw:diwsop:diw_sp156

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Related research
Keywords: Cognitive abilities; intergenerational IQ transmission; skill formation;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
J10 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - General
J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
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    Other versions:
  2. Merve Cebi, 2007. "Locus of Control and Human Capital Investment Revisited," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 42(4). [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Gerrit Mueller & Erik Plug, 2006. "Estimating the effect of personality on male and female earnings," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, ILR Review, ILR School, Cornell University, vol. 60(1), pages 3-22, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  5. Samuel Bowles & Herbert Gintis, 2002. "The Inheritance of Inequality," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 16(3), pages 3-30, Summer. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Erik Plug & Wim Vijverberg, 2003. "Schooling, Family Background, and Adoption: Is It Nature or Is It Nurture?," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 111(3), pages 611-641, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  7. Miles Corak, 2006. "Do Poor Children Become Poor Adults? Lessons from a Cross Country Comparison of Generational Earnings Mobility," IZA Discussion Papers 1993, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  8. James J. Heckman & Jora Stixrud & Sergio Urzua, 2006. "The Effects of Cognitive and Noncognitive Abilities on Labor Market Outcomes and Social Behavior," NBER Working Papers 12006, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  9. Agee, Mark D & Crocker, Thomas D, 2002. "Parents' Discount Rate and the Intergenerational Transmission of Cognitive Skills," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 69(273), pages 143-54, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Sandra E. Black & Paul J. Devereux & Kjell G. Salvanes, 2008. "Like Father, Like Son? A Note on the Intergenerational Transmission of IQ Scores," NBER Working Papers 14274, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  11. Bruce Sacerdote, 2002. "The Nature and Nurture of Economic Outcomes," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(2), pages 344-348, May. [Downloadable!]
  12. Eric A. Hanushek & Ludger Woessmann, 2008. "The Role of Cognitive Skills in Economic Development," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 46(3), pages 607-68, September.
  13. Cameron, Stephen V & Heckman, James J, 1993. "The Nonequivalence of High School Equivalents," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 11(1), pages 1-47, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  14. Ermisch, John & Francesconi, Marco, 2001. "Family Matters: Impacts of Family Background on Educational Attainments," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 68(270), pages 137-56, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. Torberg Falch & Sofia Sandgren, 2006. "The effect of education on cognitive ability," Working Paper Series 7306, Department of Economics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology. [Downloadable!]
  16. Sarah Brown & Steve McIntosh & Karl Taylor, 2007. "FOLLOWING IN YOUR PARENTS’ FOOTSTEPS? Empirical Analysis of Matched Parent-Offspring Test Scores," Working Papers 2007017, The University of Sheffield, Department of Economics, revised Dec 2007. [Downloadable!]
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  17. Green, David A. & Craig Riddell, W., 2003. "Literacy and earnings: an investigation of the interaction of cognitive and unobserved skills in earnings generation," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 10(2), pages 165-184, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  18. Bronars, Stephen G. & Oettinger, Gerald S., 2006. "Estimates of the return to schooling and ability: evidence from sibling data," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(1), pages 19-34, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  19. Jo Blanden & Paul Gregg & Lindsey Macmillan, 2007. "Accounting for Intergenerational Income Persistence: Noncognitive Skills, Ability and Education," IZA Discussion Papers 2554, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
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  20. Anne Case & Christina Paxson, 2008. "Stature and Status: Height, Ability, and Labor Market Outcomes," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 116(3), pages 499-532, 06. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  21. James Heckman & Edward Vytlacil, 2001. "Identifying The Role Of Cognitive Ability In Explaining The Level Of And Change In The Return To Schooling," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 83(1), pages 1-12, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. S. Anger & F. Frick & J. Goebel & M. Grabka & O. Groh-Samberg & H. Haas & E. Holst & P. Krause & M. Kroh & H. Lohmann & J. Schupp & I. Sieber & T. Siedler & C. Schmitt & C.K. Spieß & I. Tucci & G.G. , 2009. "Developing SOEPsurvey and SOEPservice: The (Near) Future of the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP)," SOEPpapers 155, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). [Downloadable!]
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