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In the early 1970s researchers identified a large sample of U.S. 13-year-olds who were exceptionally talented in math—landing in the top 1 percent of mathematical reasoning scores on SAT tests. Forty years later those wunderkinder are now midcareer and have accomplished even more than expected, according to a recent follow-up survey. Researchers at Vanderbilt University's Peabody College published the update in the December 2014 issue of Psychological Science, writing: “For both males and females, mathematical precocity early in life predicts later creative contributions and leadership in critical occupational roles.”
SOURCE: “LIFE PATHS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF MATHEMATICALLY PRECOCIOUS MALES AND FEMALES FOUR DECADES LATER,” BY DAVID LUBINSKI, CAMILLA P. BENBOW AND HARRISON J. KELL, IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE, VOL. 25, NO. 12; DECEMBER 2014
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