Noncognitive Skills at the Time of COVID-19: An Experiment with Professional Traders and Students

Angrisani, Marco; Cipriani, Marco; Guarino, Antonio; Kendall, Ryan; Ortiz de Zarate Pina, Julen

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Noncognitive Skills at the Time of COVID-19: An Experiment with Professional Traders and Students

Abstract: We study the stability of noncognitive skills by comparing experimental results 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 noncognitive skills remain constant (except conscientiousness). Our findings provide evidence against the stability of noncognitive skills, particularly among professional traders.

Keywords: Non-cognitive skills; COVID-19; professional traders;

JEL Classification: G40; D91; C93;