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THE INFLUENCE OF EARLY PUBERTY ON TEST PERFORMANCE AT AGE ELEVEN
Author(s) -
NISBET J. D.,
ILLESLEY R.
Publication year - 1963
Publication title -
british journal of educational psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.557
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 2044-8279
pISSN - 0007-0998
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8279.1963.tb00577.x
Subject(s) - psychology , developmental psychology , test (biology) , growth spurt , menarche , age groups , menstruation , demography , medicine , paleontology , sociology , biology
S ummary . It has been suggested that the earlier onset of puberty among girls may now be affecting performance in tests at the age of 11 plus. This question was examined by the analysis of test scores at ages 7, 9, 11 and 13 from a year‐group of girls numbering 1,385, for whom age at first menstruation and father's occupation were known. The very early maturers proved to have a slightly higher average test score than the others, but they were superior at all ages and not only at 11. While the results at age 13 do not rule out the possibility of a later pubertal spurt, it can be concluded that early onset of puberty does not confer any advantage in selection tests at age 11.