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Cognitive consequences of the timing of puberty

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  • Koerselman, Kristian
  • Pekkarinen, Tuomas

Abstract

In this paper, we use British cohort data to study the degree to which children at different stages of pubertal development at age 11 and 16 differ in their cognitive and behavioral outcomes at age 16 as well as in their completed educational attainment and adult earnings. Controlling for age 7 cognitive skills, region of birth, father’s socioeconomic status and parents’ education, we show that boys’ late pubertal development is associated with lower levels of cognitive skills at 16, lower final educational attainment, and lower earnings in adulthood. For girls we find a similar negative relationship between late puberty and cognitive skills, but only imprecise relationships between the timing of puberty and adult outcomes. We fail to find evidence of strong associations with either motivation or problem behavior in adolescence for either gender, suggesting a more direct link between pubertal and cognitive development.

Suggested Citation

  • Koerselman, Kristian & Pekkarinen, Tuomas, 2018. "Cognitive consequences of the timing of puberty," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 1-13.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:labeco:v:54:y:2018:i:c:p:1-13
    DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2018.05.001
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Shelly Lundberg, 2017. "Father Absence and the Educational Gender Gap," Working Papers 2017-046, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group.
    2. Almond, Douglas & Currie, Janet, 2011. "Human Capital Development before Age Five," Handbook of Labor Economics, in: O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 15, pages 1315-1486, Elsevier.
    3. Tuomas Pekkarinen, 2008. "Gender Differences in Educational Attainment: Evidence on the Role of Tracking from a Finnish Quasi‐experiment," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 110(4), pages 807-825, December.
    4. Nicola Persico & Andrew Postlewaite & Dan Silverman, 2004. "The Effect of Adolescent Experience on Labor Market Outcomes: The Case of Height," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 112(5), pages 1019-1053, October.
    5. 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, June.
    6. Nicola Persico & Andrew Postlewaite & Dan Silverman, 2001. "The Effect of Adolescent Experience on Labor Market Outcomes: The Case of Height, Third Version," PIER Working Paper Archive 04-013, Penn Institute for Economic Research, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania, revised 15 Mar 2004.
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    Cited by:

    1. Oakley, Claire M. & Pekrun, Reinhard & Stoet, Gijsbert, 2024. "Sex differences of school grades in childhood and adolescence: A longitudinal analysis," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    2. Borra, Cristina & Iacovou, Maria & Sevilla, Almudena, 2023. "Adolescent development and the math gender gap," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    3. Holmes, Chanita C. & Tracey, Marlon R. & Belasen, Ariel R., 2020. "The value of early physical maturity to young adult labor market outcomes," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Puberty; Gender; Adolescence; Skills; Attainment; Earnings;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

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