Naomi Norsworthy

Born in New York City in 1877, Naomi Norsworthy became one of the notable women working in psychology at a time when the profession was only beginning to open up to them. She studied at Columbia University and became associated with Teachers College, where her work centered on children, education, and mental development.

She is especially known for research in educational and developmental psychology, including studies of children who were then described as "mentally deficient," as well as work on gifted children and learning. Alongside her research, she taught and contributed to the growing effort to make psychology useful in schools and everyday educational practice.

Norsworthy died in New York in 1916, still in her thirties. Soon afterward, Frances Caldwell Higgins published The Life of Naomi Norsworthy, a memorial volume that reflects the high regard in which colleagues and friends held her.