Creativity and Occupational Accomplishments Among Intellectually Precocious Youths: An Age 13 to Age 33 Longitudinal Study.

TLDR

This longitudinal study follows the top 1 % of intellectually precocious youths from age 13 to 33 to examine how early ability differences predict later academic and occupational outcomes. Phase 1 assessed 1,243 boys and 732 girls at age 13 to predict doctorates, income, patents, and tenure at top U.S. universities, while Phase 2 evaluated discriminant functions based on age‑13 ability, preferences, and age‑23 educational criteria to forecast occupational group membership at age 33.

Abstract

This study tracks intellectually precocious youths (top 1%) over 20 years. Phase 1 (N 1,243 boys, 732 girls) examines the significance of age 13 ability differences within the top 1% for predicting doctorates, income, patents, and tenure at U.S. universities ranked within the top 50. Phase 2 (N 323 men, 188 women) evaluates the robustness of discriminant functions developed earlier, based on age-13 ability and preference assessments and calibrated with age-23 educational criteria but extended here to predict occupational group membership at age 33. Positive findings on above-level assessment with the Scholastic Aptitude Test and conventional preference inventories in educational settings generalize to occupational settings. Precocious manifestations of abilities foreshadow the emergence of exceptional achievement and creativity in the world of work; when paired with preferences, they also predict the qualitative nature of these accomplishments.