Principal Publications on Key Topics

The publications on this page are organized by topic and provide key background information and findings from the SMPY.

For more a more extensive list of all publications by the SMPY co-directors, use the links below.

Theoretical Model

Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C.P. (2000). States of excellence. American Psychologist, 55(1), 137-150. View in PDF

Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C.P. (2001). Choosing excellence. American Psychologist, 56, 76-77. View in PDF

Major Longitudinal Follow Ups

Lubinski, D., Benbow, C. P., McCabe, K. O., & Bernstein, B. O. (2023). Composing meaningful lives: Exceptional women and men at age 50. Gifted Child Quarterly, 67(4), 278–305. View in PDF

Lubinski, D., Benbow, C. P., & Kell, H. J. (2014). Life paths and accomplishments of mathematically precocious males and females four decades later. Psychological Science, 25(12), 2217–2232. View in PDF

Lubinski, D., Benbow, C. P., Webb, R. M., & Bleske-Rechek, A. (2006). Tracking exceptional human capital over two decades. Psychological Science, 17(3), 194-199. View in PDF

Lubinski, D., Webb, R. M., Morelock, M. J., & Benbow, C. P. (2001). Top 1 in 10,000: A 10-year follow-up of the profoundly gifted. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(4), 718-729. View in PDF

Benbow, C. P., Lubinski, D., Shea, D. L., & Eftekhari-Sanjani, H. (2000). Sex differences in mathematical reasoning ability: Their status 20 years later. Psychological Science, 11(6), 474-480. View in PDF

Lubinski, D., & Humphreys, L. G. (1990). A broadly based analysis of mathematical giftedness. Intelligence, 14, 327-355. View in PDF

Major Reviews

Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2021). Intellectual precocity: What have we learned since Terman? Gifted Child Quarterly, 65(1), 3-28. [Invited submission for the centennial of Terman’s landmark study.] View in PDF

Lubinski, D. (2016). From Terman to today: A century of findings on intellectual precocity. Review of Educational Research, 86(4), 900-944. View PDF of article. and View supplemental materials.

Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2006). Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth after 35 years: Uncovering antecedents for the development of math-science expertise. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 1(4), 316-345. View in PDF

Benbow, C. P. (1988). Sex differences in mathematical reasoning ability among the intellectually talented: Their nature, effects, and possible causes. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 11(2), 169-183, 225-232. View in PDF

Educational Philosophy

Benbow, C. P., & Stanley, J. C. (1996). Inequity in equity: How ‘equity’ can lead to inequity for high-potential students. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 2(2), 249–292. View in PDF

Stanley, J. C. (2000). Helping students learn only what they don’t already know. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 6(1), 216-222. View in PDF

Stanley, J. C., & Benbow, C. P. (1982). Educating mathematically precocious youths: Twelve policy recommendations. Educational Researcher, 11(5), 4-9. View in PDF

Educational Acceleration, Interventions, & Well-Being

Educational Efficacy of Acceleration

Park, G., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2013). When less is more: Effects of grade skipping on adult STEM accomplishments among mathematically precocious youth. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(1), 176-198. View in PDF

Wai, J., Lubinski, D., Benbow, C.P., & Steiger, J.H. (2010). Accomplishment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and its relation to STEM educational dose: A 25-year longitudinal study. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(4), 860-871. View in PDF

Bleske-Rechek, A., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2004). Meeting the educational needs of special populations: Advanced Placement’s role in developing exceptional human capital. Psychological Science, 15(4), 217-224. View in PDF

Swiatek, M. A., & Benbow, C. P. (1991). Ten-year longitudinal follow-up of ability matched accelerated and unaccelerated gifted students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 83(4), 528-538. View in PDF

Swiatek, M., & Benbow, C. P. (1991). A 10-year longitudinal follow-up of participants in a fast-paced mathematics course. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 22(2), 138-150. View in PDF

Psychological Well-Being

Noreen, G. D., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2025). In their own voice: Educational perspectives from intellectually precocious youth as adults. Gifted Child Quarterly, 69(4), 307-332. View in PDF

Kell, H. J., McCabe, K. O., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2022). Wrecked by success? Not to worry. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17(5), 1291-1321. View in PDF

Bernstein, B. O., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2021). Academic acceleration in gifted youth and fruitless concerns regarding psychological well-being: A 35-year longitudinal study. Journal of Educational Psychology, 113(4), 830-845. View in PDF

Richardson, T. M., & Benbow, C. P. (1990). Long-term effects of acceleration on the social-emotional adjustment of mathematically precocious youths. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82(3), 464-470. View in PDF

Identifying & Developing STEM Talent

McCabe, K. O., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2020). Who shines most among the brightest?: A 25-year longitudinal study of elite STEM graduate students. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 119(2), 390-416. View in PDF

Bernstein, B. O., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2019). Psychological constellations assessed at age 13 predict distinct forms of eminence 35 years later. Psychological Science, 30(3), 444-454. View in PDF

Webb, R. M., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2002). Mathematically facile adolescents with math/science aspirations: New perspectives on their educational and vocational development. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94(4), 785-794. View in PDF

Lubinski, D., Benbow, C. P., Shea, D. L., Eftekhari-Sanjani, H., & Halvorson, M. B. J. (2001). Men and women at promise for scientific excellence: Similarity not dissimilarity. Psychological Science, 12(4), 309-317. View in PDF

Benbow, C. P., & Arjmand, O. (1990). Predictors of high academic achievement in mathematics and science by mathematically talented students: A longitudinal study. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82(3), 430-441. View in PDF

Profoundly Gifted

Makel, M. C., Kell, H. J., Lubinski, D., Putallaz, M., & Benbow, C. P. (2016). When lightning strikes twice: Profoundly gifted, profoundly accomplished. Psychological Science, 27(7), 1004-1018. View in PDF

Kell, H. J., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2013). Who rises to the top? Early indicators. Psychological Science, 24(5), 648-659. View in PDF

Lubinski, D., Webb, R. M., Morelock, M. J., & Benbow, C. P. (2001). Top 1 in 10,000: A 10-year follow-up of the profoundly gifted. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(4), 718-729. View in PDF

Spatial Ability

Kell, H. J., Lubinski, D., Benbow, C. P., & Steiger, J. H. (2013). Creativity and technical innovation: Spatial ability’s unique role. Psychological Science, 24(9), 1831-1836. View in PDF

Wai, J., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2009). Spatial ability for STEM domains: Aligning over 50 years of cumulative psychological knowledge solidifies its importance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101(4), 817-835. View in PDF

Webb, R. M., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2007). Spatial ability: A neglected dimension in talent searches for intellectually precocious youth. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99(2), 397-420. View in PDF

Shea, D. L., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2001). Importance of assessing spatial ability in intellectually talented young adolescents: A 20-year longitudinal study. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93(3), 604-614. View in PDF

Casey, M. B., Nuttall, R., Pezaris, E., & Benbow, C. P. (1995). The influence of spatial ability on gender differences in mathematics college entrance test scores across diverse samples. Developmental Psychology, 31(4), 697-705. View in PDF

Humphreys, L. G., Lubinski, D., & Yao, G. (1993). Utility of predicting group membership and the role of spatial visualization in becoming an engineer, physical scientist, or artist. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78(2), 250-261. View in PDF

Lubinski, D., & Humphreys, L. G. (1990). Assessing spurious “moderator effects”: Illustrated substantively with the hypothesized (“synergistic”) relation between spatial visualization and mathematical ability. Psychological Bulletin, 107(3), 385-393. View in PDF

Ability Threshold Hypothesis: Falsified

Ferriman-Robertson, K., Smeets, S., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2010). Beyond the threshold hypothesis: Even among the gifted and top math/science graduate students, cognitive abilities, vocational interests, and lifestyle preferences matter for career choice, performance, and persistence. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 19(6), 346-351. View in PDF

Park, G., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2008). Ability differences among people who have commensurate degrees matter for scientific creativity. Psychological Science, 19(10), 957-961. View in PDF

Park, G., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2007). Contrasting intellectual patterns predict creativity in the arts and sciences: Tracking intellectually precocious youth over 25 years. Psychological Science, 18(11), 948-952. View in PDF

Wai, J., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2005). Creativity and occupational accomplishments among intellectually precocious youths: An age 13 to age 33 longitudinal study. Journal of Educational Psychology, 97(3), 484-492. View in PDF

Benbow, C. P. (1992). Academic achievement in mathematics and science of students between ages 13 and 23: Are there differences among students in the top one percent of mathematical ability? Journal of Educational Psychology, 84(1), 51-61. View in PDF

Health & Well-Being

Noreen, G. D., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2025). In their own voice: Educational perspectives from intellectually precocious youth as adults. Gifted Child Quarterly, 69(4), 307-332. View in PDF

Kell, H. J., McCabe, K. O., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2022). Wrecked by success? Not to worry. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17(5), 1291-1321. View in PDF

Lubinski, D., & Humphreys, L. G. (1992). Some bodily and medical correlates of mathematical giftedness and commensurate levels of socioeconomic status. Intelligence, 16, 99-115. View in PDF

Educational/Occupational Interests & Values

Achter, J. A., Lubinski, D., Benbow, C. P., & Eftekhari-Sanjani, H. (1999). Assessing vocational preferences among gifted adolescents adds incremental validity to abilities: A discriminant analysis of educational outcomes over a 10-year interval. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91(4), 777-786. View in PDF

Schmidt, D. B., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C.P. (1998). Validity of assessing educational-vocational preference dimensions among intellectually talented 13-year olds. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 45(4), 436-453. View in PDF

Lubinski, D., Schmidt, D. B., & Benbow, C. P. (1996). A 20-year stability analysis of the Study of Values for intellectually gifted individuals from adolescence to adulthood. Journal of Applied Psychology, 81(4), 443-451. View in PDF

Lubinski, D., Benbow, C. P., & Ryan, J. (1995). Stability of vocational interests among the intellectually gifted from adolescence to adulthood: A 15-year longitudinal study. Journal of Applied Psychology, 80(1), 196-200. View in PDF

Multipotentiality & Moral Reasoning

Achter, J. A., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (1996). Multipotentiality among the intellectually gifted: “It was never there and already it’s vanishing”. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 43(1), 65-76. View in PDF

Sanders, C. E., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (1995). Does the Defining Issues Test measure psychological phenomena distinct from verbal ability?: An examination of Lykken’s query. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69(3), 498-504. View in PDF

Creativity & Leadership

Kell, H. J., Lubinski, D., Benbow, C. P., & Steiger, J. H. (2013). Creativity and technical innovation: Spatial ability’s unique role. Psychological Science, 24(9), 1831-1836. View in PDF

Kell, H. J., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2013). Who rises to the top? Early indicators. Psychological Science, 24(5), 648-659. View in PDF

Basic Science of Human Individuality

Lubinski, D. (2025). Education, intelligence, placement, and selection: A discussion of paradoxes and fairness. Intelligence, 108, 1-7. View in PDF

Lubinski, D. (2020). Understanding educational, occupational, and creative outcomes requires assessing intra-individual differences in abilities and interests. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(29), 16720-16722. View in PDF

Lubinski, D. (2010). Neglected aspects and truncated appraisals in vocational counseling: Interpreting the interest-efficacy association from a broader perspective: Comment on Armstrong and Vogel (2009). Journal of Counseling Psychology, 57(2), 226-238. View in PDF

Lubinski, D. (2004). Introduction to the special section on cognitive abilities: 100 years after Spearman’s (1904) “‘General intelligence,’ objectively determined and measured”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86(1), 96-111. View in PDF

Lubinski, D. (2000). Scientific and social significance of assessing individual differences: “Sinking shafts at a few critical points”. Annual Review of Psychology, 51, 405-444. View in PDF

Lubinski, D. (1996). Applied individual differences research and its quantitative methods. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 2(2), 187-203. View in PDF

Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (1995). An opportunity for empiricism: Review of Howard Gardner’s Multiple intelligences: The theory in practice. Contemporary Psychology, 40(10), 935-938. View in PDF

Behavioral Genetics

Zabaneh, D., Krapohl, E., Gasper, H., Curtis, C., Lee, S., Patel, H., Newhouse, S., Wu, H. M., Simpson, M., Putallaz, M., Lubinski, D., Plomin, R., & Breen, G. (2018). A genome-wide association study of extremely high intelligence. Molecular Psychiatry, 23, 1226-1232. View in PDF

Zabaneh, D., Krapohl, E., Simpson, M. A., Miller, M. B., Iacono, W. G., McGue, M., Putallaz, M., Lubinski, D., Plomin, R., & Breen, G. (2017). Fine mapping genetic associations between the HLA region and extremely high intelligence. Scientific Reports, 7, e41182. View in PDF

Spain, S. L., Pedroso, I., Kadeva, N., Miller, M. B., Iacono, W. G., McGue, M., Stergiakouli, E., Smith, G. D., Putallaz, M., Lubinski, D., Meaburn, E. L., Plomin, R., & Simpson, M. A. (2016). A genome-wide analysis of putative functional and exonic variation associated with extremely high intelligence. Molecular Psychiatry, 21, 1145-1151. View in PDF

Haworth, C. M. A., Wright, M. J., Luciano, M., Martin, N. G., de Geus, E. J. C., van Beijsterveldt, C. E. M., Bartels, M., Posthuma, D., Boomsma, D. I., Davis, O. S. P., Kovas, Y., Corley, R. P., DeFries, J. C., Hewitt, J. K., Olsen, R. K., Rhea, S-A, Wadsworth, S. J., Iacono, W. G., McGue, M., Thompason, L. A., Hart, S. A., Petrill, S. A., Lubinski, D., & Plomin, R. (2010). The heritability of general cognitive ability increases linearly from childhood to young adulthood. Molecular Psychiatry, 15, 1112-1120. View in PDF

Haworth, C. M. A., Wright, M. J., Martin, N. W., Martin, N. G., Boomsma, D. I., Bartels, M., Posthuma, D., Oliver, S. P., Brant, A. M., Corley, R. P., Hewitt, J. K., Iacono, W. G., McGue, M., Thompson, L. A., Hart, S. A., Petrill, S. A., Lubinski, D., & Plomin, R. (2009). A twin study of the genetics of high cognitive ability selected from 11,000 twin pairs in six studies from four countries. Behavior Genetics, 39, 359-370. View in PDF

Lubinski, D. (2009). Exceptional cognitive ability: The phenotype. Behavior Genetics, 39, 350-358. View in PDF

Petrill, S. A., Plomin, R., McClearn, G. E., Smith, D. L., Vignetti, S., Chorney, M. J., Chorney, K., Thompson, L. A., Detterman, D. K., Benbow, C. P., Lubinski, D., Daniels, J., Owen, M. J., & McGuffin, P. (1996). DNA markers associated with general and specific cognitive abilities. Intelligence, 23, 191-203. View in PDF

Cognitive Processing

Dark, V. J., & Benbow, C. P. (1994). Type of stimulus mediates the relationship between working-memory performance and type of precocity. Intelligence, 19(3), 337-357. View in PDF

Casey, M. B., Winner, E., Benbow, C. P., Hayes, R., & DaSilva, D. (1993). Skill at image generation: Handedness interacts with strategy preference for individuals majoring in spatial fields. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 10(1), 57-77. View in PDF

Dark, V. J., & Benbow, C. P. (1991). Differential enhancement of working memory with mathematical versus verbal precocity. Journal of Educational Psychology, 83(1), 48-60. View in PDF

Dark, V. J., & Benbow, C. P. (1990). Enhanced problem translation and short-term memory: Components of mathematical talent. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82(3), 420-429. View in PDF

Gender Differences

Ferriman, K., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2009). Work preferences, life values, and personal views of top math/science graduate students and the profoundly gifted: Developmental changes and sex differences during emerging adulthood and parenthood. Journal Personality and Social Psychology, 97(3), 517-532. View in PDF

Halpern, D. F., Benbow, C. P., Geary, D. C., Gur, R. C., Hyde, J. S., & Gernsbacher, M. A. (2007). The science of sex differences in science and mathematics. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 8(1), 1-51. View in PDF

O’Boyle, M. W., Benbow, C. P., & Alexander, J. E. (1995). Sex differences, hemispheric laterality, and associated brain activity in the intellectually gifted. Developmental Neuropsychology, 11(4), 415-443. View in PDF

Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (1992). Gender differences in abilities and preferences among the gifted: Implications for the math/science pipeline. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 1(2), 61-66. View in PDF

Benbow, C. P., & Minor, L. L. (1986). Mathematically talented males and females and achievement in the high school sciences. American Educational Research Journal, 23(3), 425-436. View in PDF

Benbow, C. P., & Stanley, J. C. (1983). Sex differences in mathematical reasoning ability: More facts. Science, 222, 1029-1031. View in PDF

Benbow, C. P., & Stanley, J. C. (1982). Consequences in high school and college of sex differences in mathematical reasoning ability: A longitudinal perspective. American Educational Research Journal, 19(4), 598-622. View in PDF

Benbow, C. P., & Stanley, J. C. (1980). Sex differences in mathematical ability: Fact or artifact? Science, 210(4475), 1262-1264. View in PDF

Neuroscience

Alexander, J. E., O’Boyle, M. W., & Benbow, C. P. (1996). Developmentally advanced EEG alpha power in gifted male and female adolescents. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 23, 25-31. View in PDF

Haier, R. J., & Benbow, C. P. (1995). Sex differences and lateralization in temporal lobe glucose metabolism during mathematical reasoning. Developmental Neuropsychology, 11(4), 405-414. View in PDF

O’Boyle, M. W., Gill, H. S., Benbow, C. P., & Alexander, J. E. (1994). Concurrent finger-tapping in mathematically gifted males: Evidence for enhanced right hemisphere involvement during linguistic processing. Cortex, 30(3), 519-526. View in PDF

O’Boyle, M. W., Alexander, J. E., & Benbow, C. P. (1991). Enhanced right hemisphere activation in the mathematically precocious: A preliminary EEG investigation. Brain and Cognition, 17(2), 138-153. View in PDF

O’Boyle, M. W., & Benbow, C. P. (1990). Enhanced right hemisphere involvement during cognitive processing may relate to intellectual precocity. Neuropsychologia, 28(2), 211-216. View in PDF

Benbow, C. P. (1987). Possible biological correlates of precocious mathematical reasoning ability. Trends in Neurosciences, 10(1), 17-20. View in PDF

Benbow, C. P. (1986). Physiological correlates of extreme intellectual precocity. Neuropsychologia, 24(5), 719-725. View in PDF

**Julian C. Stanley’s Festschrift, Interviews, & Obituary**

Benbow, C. P., & Lubinski, D. (Eds.). (1996). Intellectual talent: Psychometric and social issues. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Benbow, C. P., & Lubinski, D. (2006). Julian C. Stanley, Jr. (1918-2005). American Psychologist, 61(3), 251-252. View in PDF

Vanderbilt Peabody College. [@VUPeabody]. (2025, June 17). Julian Stanley’s Festschrift [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpdg5sYFfZs&list=PLE-9On9q0oOJLbC4FhbfU6mosSoFdQ7qo

Vanderbilt University. [@vanderbilt]. (2016, September 14). Camilla Benbow interviews Julian Stanley December 6 2002 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCnmOY7xGkk

Wainer, H. & Robinson, D. (2006). Profiles in research: Julian Cecil Stanley. Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, 31(2), 231-240. View in PDF

For more information about Dr. Stanley, please visit: https://my.vanderbilt.edu/smpy/researchers/julian-c-stanley/