Author:
Falk, Armin (University of Bonn)
Kosse, Fabian (LMU Munich)
Schildberg-Hörisch, Hannah (University of Düsseldorf)
Zimmermann, Florian (University of Bonn)
Abstract:
This study presents descriptive and causal evidence on the role of the social environment in shaping the accuracy of self-assessment. We introduce a novel incentivized measurement tool to measure the accuracy of self-assessment among children and use this tool to show that children from high socioeconomic status (SES) families are more accurate in their self-assessment, compared to children from low SES families. To move beyond correlational evidence, we then exploit the exogenous variation of participation in a mentoring program designed to enrich the social environment of children. We document that the mentoring program has a causal positive e ffect on the accuracy of children’s self-assessment. Finally, we show that the mentoring program is most e ffective for children whose parents provide few social and interactive activities for their children.
Keywords:
Self-Assessment; Beliefs; Experiments; Randomized Intervention; Children
JEL-Classification:
D03; C21; C91; I24