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Discusses what we do and do not know about giftedness in the early years, roughly birth to age 7. In this chapter, we focus on cognitive and academic giftedness because, with few exceptions—mainly case studies—that is the major kind of giftedness about which there exists coherent research-based knowledge. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

What does it mean to be gifted? Is there something different about the neurobiology of a gifted person compared to us average people? If so, what is it? These are questions that have been debated for years and ones that I have attempted to address here. The approach discussed in the current chapter takes into consideration a number of general neural operating principles that may be used to guide future studies of giftedness. In this chapter I present a theory of neural processing that is derived from the use of functional neuroimaging, particularly functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The major proposal of this chapter is that how well the neural system can adapt to changes in the environment will affect the quality and efficiency of its processing, thereby constituting a major source of individual differences in cognitive processing. Adaptability is assessed here by examining neural efficiency, the malleability of processing networks, and functional connectivity. These measures are used because how well someone can adapt to fluctuations in the computational demands is thought to be correlated with these measures. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

The problem of deciding what criteria to use to identify giftedness remains an intractable one in the field. Giftedness has traditionally been taken to mean intellectual giftedness, and the gifted have often been identified through IQ achievement, or other formal tests of school-based skills. To avoid an IQ bias, the discussion in this chapter relies heavily on studies whose gifted subjects were selected by other means. Even though their findings are drawn primarily from testlike settings, these researchers' observations of the students' thinking processes are detailed and comprehensive, thus allowing for comparisons with information from other sources. The following discussion takes into consideration not only intellectual abilities but also artistic talents in cases where both share similar cognitive characteristics. Studies on artistic talent use subjects who had distinguished themselves through class performance, auditions, or products. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

A discussion of all of the different conceptions of giftedness is beyond the scope of this chapter; therefore, only those conceptions for which there is evidence of use in the U.S. school system and/or those conceptions with evidence of empirical validation are described here. In addition to presenting a general overview of the influence of an individual's personal conception of giftedness, this chapter will address the terms used in the literature, particularly as these are associated with the major theorists in the field; the major questions that are addressed in research and the available empirical support for different conceptions; the limitations and the practical implications of the research; and the major references and resources for obtaining further information. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

The following chapter addresses the following questions: (1) How well do various forms of assessment predict behaviors that are associated with gifted students or that are required of students in the gifted program in which students are placed? (2) To what extent do various forms of assessment actually measure the constituents of giftedness? and (3) To what extent can identification procedures be made more equitable with respect to issues such as race and SES? Although there are numerous studies that deal with the identification of gifted students, I will focus on a few that are historically significant and that have affected practice in the field of gifted education before turning to some more recent studies that exemplify current concerns. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

The major research question related to self-concept and gifted students is the extent to which the self-concept facets of gifted students are comparable to the self-concept of average-ability students. A related question involves the extent to which giftedness interacts with the process of self-concept development. A third research question relates to the impact of placement of intellectually gifted students in gifted programs on their self-concept facets. A fourth research question focuses on the congruity between self-concept ratings and demonstrated accomplishments. A final research question relates to the generalizability of findings across various subgroups of gifted students (gifted females, culturally diverse gifted, students with gifts and disabilities, creatively gifted students). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

This chapter briefly outlines the history of research on expertise and provides examples of research merging the views of giftedness and expertise. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

Reviews the research on giftedness and talent in the arts. Topics addressed include: the nature and identification of giftedness/talent in the arts; and factors supporting artistic talent development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

This summary will explore the coexistence of intellectual giftedness and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), two disparate, complex conditions that present additional complexities when they are present in the same person. Because these complexities manifest themselves uniquely and on an individual basis, and because of the limited research on the combined gifted/ADHD condition, it is necessary to understand each construct singly in order to frame a discussion of the combined condition. Research pertaining to the underlying physiology, diagnostic methods, and intervention strategies that are relevant to the combined condition will be the focus of this discussion. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

This chapter addresses the major issues facing educators, administrators, and parents in nurturing mathematical talent in students at the elementary level. The focus is on presenting relevant research and guidance on the application of this research so that the reader will be able to make informed decisions that will benefit young mathematically gifted students. Providing appropriate curriculum for mathematically gifted students is complex, in part because the definition of mathematical giftedness is not universal. How one defines mathematical giftedness in turn affects how students are identified for services and how the actual services, including the curriculum, are rendered. Thus, to get a true picture of the research associated with curriculum for elementary mathematics gifted education, several areas need to be addressed. To varying degrees, the research addresses the following questions related to providing appropriate curriculum for mathematically gifted elementary students: (1) How can we identify students who are mathematically gifted? (2) What kinds of programming options for these students have research support? (3) What instructional approaches and grouping models work best for these options? and (4) What research-based curriculum is appropriate for mathematically gifted elementary students? (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

In this chapter, we report and synthesize the major findings in the specific domain of mathematics with direct implications for the secondary curriculum. We draw on the relevant literature from international journals in mathematics education, gifted education, and philosophy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

As conceptions of giftedness expanded, researchers provided support for views of giftedness that went beyond high cognitive potential, and more persons became interested in affective issues, moral and ethical development, and what we will describe as intelligences outside the normal curve. A better understanding of people who use their gifts in socially constructive ways can help us create conditions that expand the number of people who contribute to the growth of social as well as economic capital. In the sections that follow, we examine the scientific research that defines several categories of personal characteristics that have been associated with such commitments and form the basis for Operation Houndstooth Theory: Optimism, Courage, Romance With a Topic or Discipline, Sensitivity to Human Concerns, Physical/Mental Energy, and Vision/Sense of Destiny. We will refer to these traits as co-cognitive factors because they interact with and enhance the cognitive traits that we ordinarily associate with the development of human abilities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

Schools must look further than the current "gifted" population and closer than do the current instruments in the identification process. This is precisely what our new identification battery of gifted and talented students, the Aurora Battery, is intended to make possible. Developed from Sternberg's theory of successful intelligence, this group-administered assessment battery is designed to recognize abilities in analytical, creative, and practical domains using figures, words, and numbers. The augmented view of intelligence adopted by the assessment, in combination with the specificity of its tasks, is expected to capture a more diverse population of students with a more varied and better-qualified array of skills. We present here the impetus for creating this assessment: historical shifts in definitions of giftedness, the increasingly recognized ethical imperative to correct underrepresentation of certain groups, the shortcomings of current assessments, and the promise of future reward that greater investment in gifted children represents. We also discuss the assessment's theoretical grounding, development, and potential applications. The Aurora Battery may offer a new and better assessment alternative for schools interested in better recognizing all gifts and better meeting the needs of all gifted students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

This chapter will illustrate how one team of researchers and curriculum developers designed a program addressing the needs of different learner profiles that enabled teachers to serve—and assess—all of the students in their classroom, including gifted students. The program was not designed for the exclusive use in gifted classrooms, but rather, offers a model for teaching that will benefit both gifted students and children not identified as such. First, we provide a brief review of existing definitions of giftedness. We then present the principles of Teaching for Successful Intelligence (TSI) and show how this instructional approach can help teachers meet the needs of students of varying levels of ability. Finally, we present concrete examples from an elementary school intervention based on TSI. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)