A magazine, The Atlantic, provides a clearly written summary of a recent longitudinal study. The headline reads: 'Study: Math Skills at Age 7 Predict How Much Money You’ll Make.' A... A magazine, The Atlantic, provides a clearly written summary of a recent longitudinal study. The headline reads: 'Study: Math Skills at Age 7 Predict How Much Money You’ll Make.' According to the summary, the researchers measured children’s IQ, math skills, reading skills, and SES (socioeconomic status) at age 7, and then measured their income at age 42. This study was able to predict people’s midlife income based on their mathematical proficiency at age seven. There were other possibly relevant factors, but 'even when those were controlled for, the association between basic math and reading skills and future socioeconomic status remained, and remained significant.' Read more

Understand the Problem

The question summarizes a study that investigates the relationship between math skills at age 7 and income at age 42, emphasizing the predictive power of early math skills despite controlling for other factors.

More Information

The study, covered by The Atlantic, explores the correlation between math skills at age 7 and income at age 42. Researchers assessed IQ, reading skills, and socioeconomic status, but math skills remained a significant predictor even when these factors were accounted for.

Tips

A common mistake is to assume other factors like IQ and socioeconomic status would diminish the predictive power of early math skills when, in fact, math skills remained a significant independent predictor.

Sources

• Study: Math Skills at Age 7 Predict How Much Money You'll Make - The Atlantic - theatlantic.com