Spatial Ability: A Neglected Dimension in Talent Searches for Intellectually Precocious Youth

Students identified by talent search programs were studied to determine whether spatial ability could uncover math–science promise. In Phase 1, interests and values of intellectually talented adolescents (617 boys, 443 girls) were compared with those of top math–science graduate students (368 men, 346 women) as a function of their standing on spatial visualization to assess their potential fit with math–science careers. In Phase 2, 5-year longitudinal analyses revealed that spatial ability coalesces with a constellation of personal preferences indicative of fit for pursuing scientific careers and adds incremental validity beyond preferences in predicting math-science criteria. In Phase 3, data from participants with Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores were analyzed longitudinally, and a salient math–science constellation again emerged (with which spatial ability and SAT-Math were consistently positively correlated and SAT-Verbal was negatively correlated). Results across the 3 phases triangulate to suggest that adding spatial ability to talent search identification procedures (currently restricted to mathematical and verbal ability) could uncover a neglected pool of math–science talent and holds promise for refining our understanding of intellectually talented youth.