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Income Shocks and the Intergenerational Transmission of Executive Function

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  • Ariel Kalil

    (Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago)

  • Mauricio Koechlin

    (Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago)

Abstract

Early childhood executive function (EF), the cognitive control processes underlying working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility, is associated with later-life health and economic outcomes. Using data from Baby's First Years, a randomized trial of unconditional cash transfers to low-income mothers, we examine intergenerational EF transmission from mothers to their four-year-old children (n=769). Cash transfers do not significantly moderate this transmission in the full sample, but among low-EF mothers, where transmission is strongest, transfers attenuate the mother-child association to the point of statistical nonsignificance. Exploratory analysis suggests that increased cognitive stimulation and structured routines may mediate this process. Income support for low-income families may foster intergenerational mobility by weakening the transmission of low self-regulation.

Suggested Citation

  • Ariel Kalil & Mauricio Koechlin, 2026. "Income Shocks and the Intergenerational Transmission of Executive Function," Working Papers 2026-30, Becker Friedman Institute for Research In Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:bfi:wpaper:2026-30
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