Spatial ability for STEM domains: Aligning over 50 years of cumulative psychological knowledge solidifies its importance.

The importance of spatial ability in educational pursuits and the world of work was examined, with particular attention devoted to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) domains. Participants were drawn from a stratified random sample of U.S. high schools (Grades 9–12, N 400,000) and were tracked for 11 years; their longitudinal findings were aligned with pre-1957 findings and with contemporary data from the Graduate Record Examination and the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth. For decades, spatial ability assessed during adolescence has surfaced as a salient psychological attribute among those adolescents who subsequently go on to achieve advanced educational credentials and…

• JT
  John Templeton Foundation
• EK
  Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

  Award: P30 HD 15051