This has implications for subsequent trajectories of human development.12 Both the architecture of skills (coping abilities and cognitive and noncognitive competences) and the process of skill formation are strongly influenced by neural circuits that develop as a result of dynamic interactions between genes and early-life environments and experiences. This Report offers guidelines on how this knowledge should guide policy. Policymakers need to move beyond a one dimensional focus of measuring human development by scores on achievement tests, like the Programme for International Student Assessment, and consider a much broader array of essential life skills.