Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP17968
Authors: Marco Angrisani; Marco Cipriani; Antonio Guarino; Ryan Kendall; Julen Ortiz de Zárate Pina
Abstract: We study the stability of non-cognitive skills by comparing experimental data gathered before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a sample of professional traders, we find a significant decrease in Agreeableness and Locus of Control and a moderate decrease in Grit. These patterns are primarily driven by those with more negative experiences of the pandemic. Other skills, such as Trust, Conscientiousness, and Self-Monitoring, are unchanged. We contrast these results with those from a sample of undergraduate students whose non-cognitive skills remain constant (except Conscientiousness). Our findings provide evidence against the stability of some non-cognitive skills, particularly among professional traders.
Keywords: experiments; noncognitive skills; professional traders
JEL Codes: C93; G41
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Covid19 pandemic (H12) | Agreeableness (professional traders) (G40) |
| Covid19 pandemic (H12) | Locus of control (professional traders) (G41) |
| Covid19 pandemic (H12) | Grit (professional traders) (G41) |
| Covid19 pandemic (H12) | Conscientiousness (undergraduate students) (D29) |
| Negative experiences of the pandemic (E71) | Noncognitive skills (professional traders) (G41) |