Abstract
Dimensional continuity was examined longitudinally at grades 7,9, and 11 using an inventory of social, academic and recreational activities administered to male and female dents. Indices indicating degree of factor presence, overall similarity of loading patterns, and structural stability of factors shown to result in a transitional’ shift’ or discontinuity, its locus at the time of high school entry (i.e., 9th grade). Although the finding was applicable to either sex, the nature of the discontinuity differed, in terms of factor presence, for those activities customarily shown to be sex-linked (e.g., social achievements for females, sports activities for males). The demonstrated changes in dimensional configurations raise challenging issues for conventional longitudinal study practices that assume uniform interpretability of the same scales at differing developmental stages.