The Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY) is a prospective longitudinal survey study of persons (mostly in the United States) identified by scores of 700 or higher on a section of the SAT Reasoning Test before age 13 years. It is one of the longest-running longitudinal studies of gifted youth in world history. Study scholars have used survey data from study participants to advance hypotheses about talent development and occupational preferences.

History

The Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth was founded by Julian Stanley in 1971 at

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

, with funding from the recently established Spencer Foundation. In 1986, the study headquarters moved to

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of th ...

, where

Camilla Benbow Camilla Persson Benbow is a Swedish-born (Scania) American educational psychologist and a university professor. She studies the education of intellectually gifted students. Biography Camilla Benbow is the Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Educatio ...

led the study until 1990. Since that year, the study has been led by Benbow and

David Lubinski David J. Lubinski is an American psychology professor known for his work in applied research, psychometrics, and individual differences. His work (with Camilla Benbow) has focussed on exceptionally able children: the nature of exceptional abi ...

. In 1998, the study headquarters moved again, this time to

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

Study ascertainment

SMPY is the longest-running current longitudinal study of gifted children in the United States. Subjects are identified by high scores on the

SAT Reasoning Test The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...

, which they take at or before the age of 13 years. Eligibility for the study is contingent on scoring at least 700 out of a possible 800 standard score points on the SAT by age 13 years (with prorated eligibility for higher scores up to age 13 years and 10 months). Participation in the Talent Search testing that involves children of that age sitting the SAT is voluntary. Participation in SMPY is voluntary for students who attain eligible scores. Although after the first year, Stanley decided to include students with exceptional scores in either the mathematics or verbal sections of the SAT test, for inclusion in what is called the

Study of Exceptional Talent The Julian C. Stanley Study of Exceptional Talent (SET) is an outgrowth of the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY) at Johns Hopkins University. Founded in 1971 by Professor Julian Stanley, SMPY pioneered the concept of above-grade-leve ...

, the name SMPY has been retained for the ongoing follow-up surveys. Follow-up surveys were sent to study participants after five, ten, twenty, and thirty-five years. Benbow and Lubinski and their colleagues have used the survey responses to explore individual differences among intellectually able individuals. The study population is analyzed by division into several subgroups.

Findings

The survey responses suggest that the profoundly gifted have different educational needs and accomplish much more in school and work than moderately gifted. Talented males and females also have differing abilities, interests, and lifestyle preferences, although they often express similar levels of intellectual satisfaction and achieve advanced educational credentials at similar rates. The sex differences other investigators have found on the things-people dimension in normative populations have been manifested in education and work, among the adolescents Benbow, Lubinski, and their associates have studied. SMPY has found that talented individuals with marked tilts tend to pursue careers that draw upon their cognitive strengths. Highly able youth with notably stronger mathematical than verbal ability often study and work in science and engineering, whereas adolescents with better scores on the verbal section than the mathematical one frequently went into the humanities, arts, social science, or law. Individuals with comparable mathematical and verbal ability did not follow such clear-cut trajectories, although many males with the "high-flat" ability profile pursued educational and vocational pursuits in science.

References

Bibliography

* See for review. * * {{Cite book , last=Hunt , first=Earl , title=Human Intelligence , publisher=Cambridge University Press , location=Cambridge , isbn=978-0-521-70781-7 , year=2011 , page=346 , chapter 10
"What Use is Intelligence?"

External links