The factors influencing development of basic skills from birth to age 37 were examined by analyzing a sample of 1,700 people who were part of the National Child Development Study (NCDS), a longitudinal study in which data on more than 17,000 people who were born in Great Britain in a single week in 1958 were collected when they were 7, 11, 16, 23, 33, and 37 years old. Data from the study were subjected to multiple regression analysis to determine the extent of the impact of family and home circumstances, education and early schooling, transition from school to work, and adult working life on adults' acquisition of basic skills. Early cognitive performance variables proved the most dominant predictors of later reading and math skills in both childhood and adulthood. Cognitive attainments in schooling mediated much of the influence of family disadvantage, parental support, and schooling. (Thirty-four figures/tables are included. Appended are the following: information about scoring of the adult literacy and numeracy assessments; tests of attainment administered to the NCDS cohort at ages 7, 11, and 16; the Rutter Scale; regression analysis results; and predictors of early cognitive skills. Contains 12 references.) (MN)