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Reviews the book, Educational psychology and developmental psychology, Vol. 55: Professional interests in highly gifted adolescents by Jörn R. Sparfeldt (2006). Highly gifted children and adolescents often are seen as being at risk for underachievement or other developmental problems, including diffuse professional interests because they have too many options to choose among. However, giftedness might also help in developing professional interests. The existing literature on possible links between giftedness and professional interests suffers from methodological problems such as selective samples or missing comparison groups. Sparfeldt's peer-reviewed monograph thus fills an empirical gap. The author used data from the Marburg Highly Gifted Project. Most comparisons were drawn between 107 gifted and 107 average adolescents who were identified from a large sample at grade 3 and confirmed at grade 9, and between 134 highly and 122 normally achieving youths. The results showed few differences between gifted and high-achieving, respectively, youth and the comparison groups. Gifted adolescents had more various general interests, but a clearer profile of professional interests than normally intelligent adolescents. Gifted and highly-achieving youths had stronger intellectual and cultural professional interests, but valued self-actualization, leadership, and safety in the profession less than the comparison groups. In conclusion, gifted adolescents appear not as an at-risk group, falsifying the common cliché. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The purpose of this study is to examine the underlying construct of over excitabilities (OEs) and to identify individual- and family-level factors that may explain gifted students’ patterns of OEs. Data are collected from a convenience sample of identified gifted students ( N = 143) and their parents ( N = 161) using a Likert-type questionnaire, the Over excitabilities Questionnaire II, developed to measure levels of the five intensities of the OEs. Multivariate and univariate analyses of variance and hierarchical linear modeling are used to differentiate between gender and age groups and to explain between- and within-group variance on the five subscales of the OEs: Psychomotor, Intellectual, Imaginational, Sensual, and Emotional. Results suggest that there were significant differences between gender and age groups and that most of the variance among students on the OEs was explained by family membership. This study represents an important step in our understanding of affective characteristics of giftedness and creativity. Putting the Research to Use: Dabrowski’s over excitabilities represent a multifaceted lens through which to view the intensities of gifted children. The challenge for researchers and practitioners is to examine these intensities and promote intervention strategies that will enhance students’ positive characteristics while teaching them to compensate for the negative. To address this challenge, researchers should explore and explain these sensitivities to gifted students, their parents, and their teachers. Those in charge of identifying gifted, talented, and creative students should use the over excitabilities as an additional tool in a multifaceted and inclusive model of identification. Furthermore, teachers must be aware that characteristics indicating a learning disability or behavioral disorder may be characteristics of giftedness manifested through these over excitabilities. Finally, students and their parents should be assisted in understanding and celebrating students’ unique sensitivities and intensities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

The eight articles appearing in this issue cross the entire spectrum of contemporary research in the field of giftedness. The first article of this issue features the first systematic neurophysiological study on the problem of underachievement ever conducted in the field of giftedness research. Starting with the phenomenon of neural efficiency, the authors examine the cortical activities of persons with differential grades of cognitive abilities and scholastic ability levels on various types of cognitive tests. The fourth contribution focuses on a personality variable often investigated in conjunction with the gifted: motivation. One of the articles present a highly promising method in the form of data mining. In particular, the prospect of being able to identify subgroups and non-linear correlations will certainly be appealing and beneficial for more than a few of our readers. Another interesting article also stems from the area of athletics. The authors results indicate the existence of extremely individual developmental trajectories in the development of expertise. One of the upcoming issues of High Ability Studies will feature a target article composed by Florida State University. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

The constructs of risk and resilience and their implication in the life of individuals who are gifted, learning disabled, and gifted/learning disabled will be explored in this paper. The intent is to understand further how the constructs of risk and resilience affect individuals who are gifted/learning disabled. The paper includes a discussion of risk and resilience, followed by a discussion of learning disabilities, giftedness, and learning disabilities combined with giftedness. Each of these sections addresses the risk factors that hinder normal development and make the individual more vulnerable and the protective factors that serve to buffer the individual's response to adversity. Interventions that may foster resilience in the individual who is gifted/learning disabled are proposed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

One of the principle reasons responsible for the fact that nurturing the gifted and talented in Germany has (once again) advanced to a pedagogic concern in the 1990's lies in the dichotomy of equality and excellence. Are these two pedagogic goals actually incompatible, as often maintained in open discussions? After a long period of oscillation between these two poles, in the age of information a new emphasis has increasingly been placed on excellence. "It becomes more and more important for bright students to be using their abilities to stimulate this new era with economic and political productivity. But this will not happen if the current 'laissez faire' approach to gifted students continues into the next decade" (Gallagher, 2000, p. 691). Following a short definition of giftedness and related conceptions, arguments for gifted education stemming from the areas of learning psychology and instructional psychology will be discussed. The central problems concerning identification and programming will then be addressed in greater detail. Hypotheses will be developed, on the basis of the ATI model that gifted students need creative, stimulating learning environments. Various approaches will be presented here and discussed in the context of TIMSS and PISA. The second part of the article will deal with guidance and counseling issues with respect to the special needs of gifted children and adolescents and their social contact persons (peers, parents, teachers). In conclusion, German program evaluation, studies in the fields of gifted education, counseling and nurturing giftedness and talent will be presented. The outcomes of these studies and their consequences for improvements for the quality of gifted and talented education and counseling in Germany will be discussed. Excellence is one of the most important educational-psychological challenges of the new century. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Robert Albert examined key conceptual shifts in the pertinent professional literature language over the first part of the 20th century in his 1969 American Psychologist article, "Genius: Present-Day Status of the Concept and Its Implications for the Study of Creativity and Giftedness." His findings indicated profound changes in pertinent terminology in the professional knowledge base after 1945 from an emphasis on concepts such as genius, eminence, fame, and distinction to giftedness, talent, and creativity. The goal of the current project was to investigate empirically changes in conceptions of exceptional ability and performance, as reflected in the professional literature published since 1969. Over 28,000 articles were culled from three data bases: Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), PsycINFO and Exceptional Children Educational Resources (ECER). Conceptual themes and types of research were analyzed for a sample of the articles, drawn from the midpoint year of each decade. Significant results include: an increase in the number of articles relating to creativity; a rise in the number of practice-oriented articles; and a small but steady increase in the number of articles employing qualitative research methods. Articles were also analyzed for evidence of a "paradigm shift" also discussed in the literature; however, the paradigm shift was not significantly reflected in practice. Implications are addressed relative to the conceptual trends in the literature and qualities of the knowledge base. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

An introduction is given to the papers included in the present issue of High Ability Studies, which continues the tradition of presenting target articles which have been reviewed and commented on by eminent colleagues. In this issue Françoys Gagné (see record 2004-22507-002) submits his DMGT Model to discussion. To supplement the peer commentaries, additional questions are posed to which Professor Gagné presents his opinions. In his article 'Intelligence current in creative activities' Jiannong Shi (see record 2004-22507-011) undertakes a remarkable attempt to establish a theoretical bridge between the concepts of intelligence and creativity. In their highly interesting contribution 'Shona culture of Zimbabwe's view of giftedness' Constantine Ngara and Marion Porath (see record 2004-22507-012) make the case for fusing together the cultural and scientific views of giftedness in the school curriculum in order to develop a diversity of talents in students. Additional contributions include 'A review of primary and secondary influences on sport expertise' by Joe Baker and Sean Horton (see record 2004-22507-013), 'Cross-cultural predictors of mathematical talent and academic productivity' by Petri Nokelainen, Kirsi Tirri and James Reed (see record 2004-22507-014)and 'Explaining high abilities of Nobel laureates' by Larisa V. Shavinina (see record 2004-22507-015). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Teacher nomination is an important procedure in identifying highly gifted students for enrichment programs. In this study, teachers at college-prep high schools (German Gymnasium) nominated students for summer schools of the German Pupils Academy. The qualities of teacher decisions were examined by comparing them with the results of a cognitive ability test and with student self-nominations. Teachers identified all students as being highly gifted according to psychometric test criteria. In contrast to the perfect effectiveness of teacher nominations, the efficiency was quite low. Teacher nominations as well as self-nominations of students resulted in high proportions of candidates who did not meet psychometric criteria for high giftedness. The willingness of students to enrol at the Pupils Academy was largely determined by motivational variables like self-efficacy. The effectiveness of all student decisions concerning giftedness were considerably beyond those of teachers. In nominating students, teachers should try to obtain more information about students' self-perceptions of own abilities and motivations concerning gifted programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Reviews three books: "Reaching New Horizons: Gifted and Talented Education for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students," (2001) edited by Jaime Castellano and Eva Díaz; "Gifted Bilingual Students: A Paradox?," (2001) by Esther Kogan; "Expanding Definitions of Giftedness: The Case of Young Interpreters from Immigrant Communities," (see record 2003-04866-000) by Guadalupe Valdés. The first volume begins with two chapters by Diaz which discuss a historical and a contemporary context for the education of culturally and linguistically diverse students with gifted potential. The next two chapters provide a framework for conceptualisation of cognitive development and creativityin bilingual children. The rest of the chapters in the volume deal with identification and nurturing of gifted bilinguals. Kogan's monograph is similar in its focus yet it does not offer the same depth and comprehensiveness of treatment. The book begins with a brief sketch of the sociohistoric background for bilingual education in the US and then proceeds to describe the current context, with the focus on the Hispanic population. Valdés' volume is somewhat different in focus from the previous two. The book reports the findings from a five-year study of giftedness among linguistically and culturally diverse populations, with the focus on young interpreters from immigrant communities (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of gifted adolescents toward being labeled as gifted and talented, to evaluate how gifted students perceive that others view their giftedness, and to determine whether these attitudes and perceptions vary depending on the child's level of giftedness. Sixty-six sixth- through eighth-grade public-school students, identified as either gifted or highly gifted, were surveyed on the positive and negative attributes of being labeled gifted and talented. The highly gifted and moderately gifted groups exhibited measurable differences in their perceptions of the positive aspects of the gifted label. Furthermore, the study suggests that negative stereotyping, often associated with the gifted label, can be minimized in a carefully integrated gifted program. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

While conceptualizations of giftedness have been broadened to include many forms of giftedness, a reconceptualization of gifted programs has not followed. The paper argues that the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education, combining important features of the fields of early childhood education and gifted education, is a good fit for gifted young children. This approach is proposed for gifted young children because of its view of children as competent and full of potential, its emphasis on the development of symbolic languages early in life, and its conduciveness to higher-level thinking. The paper suggests that the Reggio approach not only enhances intellectual development, but also nurtures multiple forms of knowledge representation in early childhood, thus laying foundations for diverse talent development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

This article serves as a primer to make the neuroimaging literature more accessible to the lay reader and to increase the evaluative capability of the educated consumer of cognitive neuroscience. This special issue gives gifted education practitioners and researchers a primary source view of current neuroscience relevant to modem definitions and conceptions of giftedness while helping readers understand the methods of modem cognitive neuroscience. A second goal of this special issue is to increase readers' scientific literacy to generate a clearer understanding of both the utility and limitations of neuroimaging studies and a set of operating principles to employ when reading about neuroimaging studies from both primary and secondary sources. The potential for cognitive neuroscience to impact education has been an issue of high interest and rigorous debate, and international communities of educators and scientists have convened to explore potential intersections. Added to this, multiple and myriad definitions of giftedness make the exercise of exploring the nature of human ability and performance psychometrically and scientifically challenging. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

The CFT 20-R is often used to assess fluid intelligence. Hence, it can also be utilized to assess giftedness. The present study is concerned with an investigation of psychometric properties of the test with respect to measurement invariance between students of normal and higher intelligence. Analyses were conducted both at the item and scale level. A sample of N = 1886 male and female students from the lower, middle, and higher track of the German education system were administered the short form of the CFT 20-R. Comparing students of normal (IQ < 120) and higher (IQ ≥ 120) intelligence, DIF analyses at the item level revealed that measurement invariance was largely observed with respect to item difficulties but not discrimination parameters. Partial strong measurement invariance was observed at the subtest level. The CFT 20-R is therefore well-suited for a first screening of intellectual giftedness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

The aim of this study was to explore the effect of level of mathematical giftedness and gender on students' self-concept (represented by personal competence perceptions, fear of negative evaluation and self-esteem), while taking into account their general school achievement. Participants in the study were high school students forming three groups: highly gifted (N = 62), moderately gifted (N = 99) and non-gifted students (N = 77). Mathematically gifted students did not differ from their non-gifted peers in their personal competence, fear of negative evaluation and their self-esteem evaluations. The effect of gender was significant only for the fear of negative evaluation, indicating that female students show more intense fear than their male peers. For the measure of self-esteem significant interaction between gender and mathematical giftedness level was found. For male students the highest self-esteem estimates were in the highly gifted students group and the lowest in the moderately gifted students group. Among the girls, moderately gifted girls had the highest self-esteem followed by highly gifted girls and then, with the lowest self-esteem, by non-gifted. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

It is of major importance to use psychological tests and questionnaires that are carefully constructed so that their reliability and validity can be determined in different (sub)cultures (Campbell & Tirri, 2004). However, a necessary prerequisite for this is the development of solid conceptual constructs. Otherwise, the researcher runs into the danger of empirically collecting data and loosing touch with reality. A theory-free empirical approach also makes it difficult to relate findings to other psychological research. We first show why and how the Munich Dynamic Ability-Achievement Model (MDAAM) evolved from the Munich Model of Giftedness (MMG). We will then illustrate how the MDAAM can stimulate and structure theoretical and empirical research. The MDAAM can be used as an integrative model of giftedness, talent, expertise, and achievement and could this way bridge the gap between the process-oriented approaches of cognitive studies as well as expertise research and psychometric studies in the field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Definitions of giftedness and self-perceptions of abilities were examined among adults who have been participating in a longitudinal study of academically talented students since their high-school graduation in 1988. For the present study, participants answered open-ended questions and completed scales measuring adult giftedness and adult self-perceptions of abilities in 12 different domains. Gender differences in perceptions were examined. When participants were asked if they believed they were gifted in high school and now, more men than women responded affirmatively to both questions. Further, significant gender differences were identified for perceived competencies in four areas: job competence, nurturance, athletic competence, and morality. Implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Giftedness researchers have long debated whether there is empirical evidence to support a distinction between giftedness and attained level of achievement. In this paper we propose a general theoretical framework that establishes scientific criteria for acceptable evidence of superior reproducible performance, which any theory of exceptional performance must explain. We review evidence for superior reproducible performance, generally emerging only after extended periods of deliberate practice that result in subsequent physiological adaptations and complex cognitive mechanisms. We also apply this framework to examine proposed evidence for innate talents. With the exception of fixed genetic factors determining body size and height, we were unable to find evidence for innate constraints to the attainment of elite achievement for healthy individuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

This study reports on an analysis of the standardization sample of a rating scale designed to assist in identification of gifted students. The Gifted Rating Scales--Preschool/Kindergarten Form (GRS-P) is based on a multidimensional model of giftedness designed for preschool and kindergarten students. Results provide support for: the internal structure of the scale; no age differences across the 3-year age span 4:0-6:11; gender differences on only one of the five scales; artistic talent; and small but statistically significant race/ethnicity differences with Asian Americans rated, on average, 1.5 scale-score points higher than whites and Native Americans and 7 points higher than African American and Hispanic students. The present findings provide support for the GRS-P as a valid screening test for giftedness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Conceptual models of giftedness that cannot explain the full spectrum of depicted behaviors are incomplete. The same is true for frameworks that purport to analyze those behaviors. Within giftedness, extraordinary and rare talents afford us the opportunity to extend and modify models and frameworks. This article presents an analysis of the first 2 years of writing of a precocious child whose prolific language, complex sentence structures, and sophisticated conceptual development belie his age. Attempts to conduct comparative analyses found that existing frameworks could not explain the data's holistic and thematic tones. This led to the construction of a new synthetic-analytic framework for precocious writing that more fully depicts the known spectrum of writing elements exhibited by highly gifted children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

A serious critique often made against giftedness research is an alleged neglect of the aspects of developmental psychology. We are therefore more than pleased that Marion Porath has agreed to assemble a series of papers on this topic and serve as Guest Editor for this edition of High Ability Studies. This edition is made complete by a fascinating case study submitted by Larisa V. Shavinina which she developed on the basis of the concept of entrepreneurial giftedness, and therewith fills a gap in our field of research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)