As you probably know, I am interested in smart
thinking. I spend a lot of time writing
about how to improve your thinking skills.
I also argue that anyone can get smarter by learning more about the mind
and how it works.
One of the things we value in the modern world is academic
success. The people we think of as smart
are often the ones who do well in school settings. An open question is how early success in
school settings affects success in later life.
Early in the history of the study of intelligence testing,
Lewis Terman followed the careers of a number who scored at the genius level on
the IQ tests that he helped to develop.
Many of these high-IQ individuals were quite successful in their careers,
though others were not. And there were
also very successful individuals who did not score highly on the IQ tests.
As interesting as the Terman Genius study is, there are few
studies that have looked at people who score well on tests of achievement and
aptitude early in life. So, it is hard
to get a clear sense of how early academic success predicts later performance
in life.
A fascinating paper in the May, 2013 issue of Psychological Science
by Harrison Kell, David Lubinski, and Camilla Benbow does just that. They tracked a group of people who took the
Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) at the age of 13. The SAT (as it was given back then) had two
scores—a verbal score and a math score.
The people they
tracked were those who got a score that placed them in the top 0.01% (that is 1
in 10,000) on either the verbal or math portion of the test (or both). So, these individuals were not just
high-scorers for their age group, but extremely high-scorers. Twenty years after taking the SAT, this
sample of 320 people was surveyed about their achievements. In addition, the researchers used databases
to get additional information about employment, publications, patents, and
awards.
Several interesting things emerged from this analysis.
The people who did extremely well on the verbal section of
the SAT tended to go into careers in the arts, the humanities and the social
sciences. Those who did well on the math
portion of the test tended to go into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics) fields. Many of those
who became lawyers did very well on the verbal section of the SAT, and
moderately well on the mathematics section of the test at age 13.
This group was highly accomplished in their fields. The group that did well in mathematics
generated large numbers of patents and large numbers of publications in
journals in the STEM disciplines. Those
that did well on the verbal section of the test went on to publish books,
plays, short stories, and publications in the humanities at a high rate. These individuals also received a number of
grants and awards to support their work.
Finally, many of these individuals went on to get tenure prestigious
research universities.
There is no comparison group in this study. The researchers just tracked the
accomplishments of this group. However, the rates of publication and
achievement of tenure are higher in this group than in the general population,
so this group of individuals was clearly operating at a high level.
What kinds of conclusions should we draw from data like
this?
On the one hand, kids who show high levels of academic
achievement early in their careers are on a path toward greatness. If we nurture those students, they have the
study skills and interest in learning that will allow them to work at the
highest levels of the fields they choose.
It is well-worth finding ways to help these students to continue their
studies and to make their contribution to the world.
On the other hand, that does not mean that we should focus
selectively on high achievers at the expense of everyone else. Smart thinking is ultimately a skill that
anyone can acquire. Anyone who is
motivated to learn can ultimately do great things in a field of study. Early success may be a marker of great things
to come in the future. But, a person who
is not in the top 0.01% at the age of 13 is not destined for mediocrity.
One danger in labeling certain kids as “gifted” early on in
their lives is that the kids who do not get that label can believe that they do
not possess the talents required for greatness.
With effort and guidance, there is greatness in all of us. And for a fascinating discussion of this
issue, check out Scott Barry Kaufman’s new book Ungifted.
