A study has concluded that the mathematical skills that a seven-year-old has can predict the amount of money that he will have in his adult life.
Children who were better in reading and math at age seven have better socioeconomic status at age 42, regardless of other advantages they had in their childhood lives.
The problem
The study set out to answer a question: Can we predict the probability that a child will have a successful life? It's no secret that the assets you are born with (intelligence and socioeconomic status) are important. But to what extent do other skills, such as basic academic skills, influence?
Methodology
This study defines success in terms of socioeconomic status. Stuart Ritchie and Timothy Bates of the University of Edinburgh used data from more than 17.000 residents of England, Scotland and Wales, who were followed from the time they were born to the present day, more than 50 years later. It established Five indicators of success at various points in the participants' lives:
1) Socioeconomic class at birth: if your parents owned or rented a home, the number of rooms the home had and the father's occupancy.
2) Reading and math skills at age seven: The way the tests were conducted and how their teachers rated their ability in the subjects were also assessed.
3) Intelligence at 11 years: your IQ.
4) Academic motivation at age 16: the grade agrees with phrases like, "School is a waste of time."
5) The socioeconomic level at 42 years: what kind of job they had, their income, and whether they owned a home or rented.
Result
An increase in reading and math skills was associated with a salary increase of around 7750 dollars.
Consequences
The skills we learn in school have a measurable effect on adult success. As a next step, the authors plan to use twin studies to examine the genetic basis for academic ability. They hope to more accurately measure the impact of genetics and external interventions.