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Intellectual giftedness is associated with strong strategic verbal memory while attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with strategic verbal memory deficits; however, no previous research has explored how this contradiction manifests in gifted populations with diagnoses of ADHD. The purpose of this study was to explore strategic verbal memory processes among intellectually gifted youth with and without ADHD to provide clarification regarding this specific aspect of neuropsychological functioning within this population. One hundred twenty-five youth completed neuropsychological evaluations including the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition and California Verbal Learning Test-Children’s Version (CVLT-C). Results revealed significant differences between groups, with intellectually gifted youth with ADHD achieving lower T scores on CVLT-C Trials 1 through 5 compared with intellectually gifted youth without ADHD, and intellectually gifted youth with ADHD achieving higher T scores than youth of average intellectual abilities with ADHD. Additionally, repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed a main effect improvement among gifted youth with ADHD in short-delay recall when provided with organizational cues. Findings revealed new evidence about the role of twice exceptionality (specifically intellectual giftedness and ADHD) in strategic verbal memory and have important implications for parents, educators, psychologists and neuropsychologists, and other mental health professionals working with this population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

According to the Actiotope Model of Giftedness, person-environment interactions are the core of excellence. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the resources that support the achievement of goals and to provide more efficient resources. These resources are named educational (localized in the environment) and learning (localized in the individual) capitals. The Questionnaire of Educational and Learning Capital (QELC) was developed based on the Actiotope Model of Giftedness and these capitals. The aim of this study is to present gender and age differences in relation to educational and learning capitals, in a Turkish sample of 1,620 students at three different grade levels: fourth graders (231 girls, 239 boys; mean age = 10.15, SD = 0.40), seventh graders (353 girls, 376 boys; mean age = 13.08, SD = 0.34), and 10th graders (274 girls, 147 boys; mean age = 16.20, SD = 0.54). Results of the confirmatory factor analysis showed the expected two-factor structure (educational and learning capitals) of the original German version of QELC. The Cronbach's alpha result for the Turkish version of the QELC was .97. The findings suggest that gender differences are more important in the seventh grade (first year of adolescence) in favor of girls in economic, cultural, social, organismic, and telic capitals. Results about age differences showed that the younger the students are, the more their achievement is positively affected by the capitals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

By surveying a representative sample of Finnish parents, this study set out to compare two social representations of intelligence current in our educational discourse: the established one, ‘the idea of natural giftedness’, and an emerging one, ‘the idea of the multifariousness of abilities and support for social equality.’ It was found that the parents’ social positions and their views on the malleability of intelligence contributed to their endorsement of the two representations. The idea of natural giftedness was endorsed particularly by academically educated fathers and those viewing intelligence as a genetically determined capability, while the idea of the multifariousness of abilities and support for social equality was endorsed by mothers and those with the view that intelligence can be developed through practice. It was suggested that these two polemical representations appear to embody opposite views in regard to the deeprooted controversy between nature and nurture and reproduce the basic cultural separation between the abilities of ‘head’ and ‘hand’. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Recent handbooks of giftedness or expertise propose a plethora of conceptions on the development of excellent performance but, to our knowledge, there are no comparative studies that provide empirical evidence of their validity to guide researchers and practitioners in their adoption of a particular conception. This study sought to close that gap by conducting an empirical comparison of the major approaches to giftedness and expertise currently in use: the IQ model, the performance model, the moderator model, and the systemic model. The four models were tested in a longitudinal study with a sample of N = 350 German students attending university preparatory schools; 25% of the sample had been assigned to special classes for the gifted. The construct and predictive validity of the four models were tested by means of structural equation modeling. Theoretical considerations along with our results indicated a differentiation among the models whereby some could only predict while others could also explain the emergence of excellent performance and thereby yield valuable information for the design of interventions. The empirical comparison of the approaches showed that they were unequally suited for the two challenges. For prediction purposes, the performance approach proved best while, for explanations, the moderator and systemic approaches were the most promising candidates. Even so, the latter did demonstrate conceptual and/or methodological problems. The IQ approach was superseded by the other approaches on both prediction and explanation. Implications and limitations of the findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

This article discusses the phenomenon of giftedness in an educational context. Although a general understanding of the phenomenon of giftedness is evident in the literature, missing is a body of information on the thoughts and actions of gifted persons in those situations that one suspects influence the emergence of extraordinary accomplishment. In this article, the author proposes a change in direction for the study of the advanced development. Grounded in the theoretically based research of Feldman and Vygotsky, the author argues that one focuses on the ordinary parts of life that contribute to extraordinary achievements. Extraordinary accomplishment is something that fascinates most people. Extraordinary accomplishment is a recurrent theme in human history. The extraordinary achievements that mark human activity serve as signs of the ability of humans to invent new ways of being in the world. The field of gifted-person education is concerned with understanding and promoting the emergence of such innovative actions and thoughts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

The terms gifted or gifted and talented are bestowed students who display a variety of characteristics, including high performance capabilities in an intellectual, creative or artistic area. Although certain characteristics can be generalized some gifted students may not possess the same characteristics as other gifted individuals and they may not appear to have the same observable differences. Depending on how their giftedness has been dealt with previously, they even may appear quite "ungifted". Many gifted students resist routine and exhibit nonconformist behavior. Others may withdraw, and passively be doing a minimum of what is required. These students may have developed an undesirable behavior due to lack of challenges in school being more or less arrested in their intellectual development. Therefore, it is important to identify these students as early as possible in order to secure a positive schooling experience. Based on theoretical work on giftedness and clinical experience (Clark, 2008; Silverman, 1984) a 56-item unipolar scale was developed. This scale was administrated to 149 gifted and talented students plus 253 parents and 122 teachers of gifted and talented students. On this unipolar scale the three groups of informants was asked to mark 0 (not true), 1, (somewhat or sometimes true) or 2 (very true or often true). Based on this information three checklists were developed each with the 25 items that received the highest ranking. One for students, one for parents, and one for teachers. Hereby the checklists can contribute to a fast identification of gifted and talented students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

There appears to be differing approaches, in modern education, to the identification and development of gifted students, but researchers are beginning to find some cohesiveness through approaches that examine giftedness from within broad views of human cognition and behavior. This paper takes such an approach by considering learning and memory as concerned with the processing of environmental information and its accumulation across society, where such cultural accumulation results from environmental interaction. This paper outlines a framework, developed from studies of learning and memory and environmental interaction, which is based in a novel description of information and information processing systems. This framework may be useful in providing a new way of thinking about human cognition and behavior in an evolutionary context as well as in relation to the overall accumulation of culture across human society. This framework may be useful, therefore, in examining giftedness by providing useful insights into the identification and development of gifted students, in particular, those with the high levels of expertise considered valuable as human cultural accumulation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

This paper presents part of a multidimensional examination of mathematical giftedness. The present study examined the memory mechanisms associated with general giftedness (G) and excellence in mathematics (E) in four groups of 10th–12th grade students (16–18 years old) varying in levels of G and E. The participants first underwent the Raven test for general ability evaluation and SAT-M—the mathematical excellence tests in order to design the study groups. Afterwards, the students were tested on a battery of three memory tests including tests for short-term (STM) and working memory (WM). The results reveal that the G factor is related to high STM for both phonological loop and phonological central executive mechanisms. It was also found that the E factor is associated with high visual–spatial memory (VSM), in particular with the visual central executive mechanism. An interaction effect was found between G and E factors regarding WM. The central executive mechanism appeared to be related to both G and E factors. In addition, gender differences were shown within the groups. Male participants performed better than their female counterparts on a phonological storage task and a phonological central executive mechanism task. The results can contribute to the theoretical knowledge regarding similarities and differences in memory mechanisms in G and E groups. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Science laboratory learning has been lauded for decades for its role in fostering positive student attitudes about science and developing students’ interest in science and ability to use equipment. An expanding body of research has demonstrated the significant influence of laboratory environment on student learning. Further research has demonstrated differences in student perceptions based on giftedness. To explore the relationship between giftedness and students’ perceptions of their learning environment, we examined students’ perceptions of their laboratory learning environment in biology courses, including courses designated for high-achieving versus regular-achieving students. In addition, to explore the relationship between students’ perceptions and the extent of their experience with laboratory learning in a particular discipline, we examined students’ perceptions of their laboratory learning environment in first-year biology courses versus elective biology courses that require first-year biology as a prerequisite. We found that students in high-achieving courses had a more favourable perception of all aspects of their learning environment when compared with students in regular courses. In addition, student perceptions of their laboratory appeared to be influenced by the extent of their experience in learning science. Perceptions were consistent amongst regular- and high-achieving students regardless of grade level. In addition, perceptions of students in first year and beyond were consistent regardless of grade level. These findings have critical applications in curriculum development as well as in the classroom. Teachers can use student perceptions of their learning environment to emphasize critical pedagogical approaches and modify other areas that enable enhancement of the science laboratory learning environment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

In this article, we introduce a systemic framework for the development of learning potential to professional excellence inspired by the Actiotope model of giftedness. First, we critically reflect on three theoretical approaches representing different psychological constructions of learning potential. We label these approaches theories of giftedness, theories of practice, and theories of motivation. We explore contradictory ways in which these theories construct key factors that determine the successful development of human potential. Based on this comparison, we discuss the limitations of these theories stemming from their philosophical, methodological, and ideological backgrounds, including disproportionate emphasis on selected developmental factors, implicit one-way causality, and the dominant role of an individual over social influences. We further argue that the contradictory conclusions of these approaches may be reconciled within a systemic framework that acknowledges the reciprocal interactions between the key developmental factors proposed by these approaches, including learning outcomes, achievement motivation, practice and the social environment (including developmental resources and demands). We apply our systemic model in the context of the development of academic careers, in which we document the importance of the proposed components and how their interactions result in the processes of “cumulative advantage”, as well as the context-dependency of the model. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

There are different views on whether perfectionism is a characteristic of intellectually gifted students. Over the last decades, comparative studies of intellectually gifted and non-gifted students have produced inconsistent results. This heterogeneity in findings might be explained by underpowered studies and the multidimensional nature of perfectionism, comprising two broader dimensions: perfectionistic concerns and perfectionistic strivings. Whereas perfectionistic concerns are clearly maladaptive, perfectionistic strivings frequently positively relate to academic and psychological adjustment. We meta-analytically aggregated 32 effect sizes from 10 comparative studies ( N = 4340) to investigate to what extent intellectually gifted and non-gifted students differ in perfectionistic concerns and perfectionistic strivings. Intellectually gifted students displayed equal levels of perfectionistic concerns compared to non-gifted students ( g = −0.117, 95% CI [−0.337, 0.103], p = .252) but displayed elevated levels of perfectionistic strivings ( g = 0.332, 95% CI [0.092, 0.572], p = .012). The magnitude of the effect sizes indicates that perfectionism is not a core characteristic of giftedness. In particular, giftedness is not related to inherently maladaptive forms of perfectionism. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Few studies have examined the self-perceptions of autistic adults. This study aimed firstly to investigate domain-specific self-concepts and global self-esteem in autistic adults. The second aim was to examine associations between autism self-appraisals, perceived social support and global self-concept and self-esteem. The third was to determine which domains of self-concept were most closely associated with self-esteem. Participants included 71 autistic adults aged 18–70 years and 65 age, sex and education matched typically developing individuals. Participants completed an online survey of autism characteristics, global self-esteem and domain-specific self-concepts (i.e. likeability, task accomplishment, power, giftedness, invulnerability, and morality), self-appraisals about autism, and perceived social support. Autistic participants reported significantly lower power and global self-esteem than typically developing individuals after controlling for autism characteristics. More positive self-appraisals about autism (i.e. greater perceived benefits and lower helplessness) were significantly related to better global self-concept and self-esteem. Global self-esteem was significantly and positively associated with perceptions of giftedness, emotional resilience and power. These findings suggest that autistic adults may perceive themselves as having a low sense of power in their relationships and have negative global perceptions of their self-worth. However, those able to find positive meaning or benefits associated with autism are likely to have more positive global self-perceptions. This study provides new insights into how autistic adults perceive themselves which may guide the focus of psychosocial interventions that seek to recognize and promote unique talents and emotional resilience. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

The term »giftedness« triggers a variety of stereotyped ideas (for example, the little Mozart) in each of us. Depictions of the highly gifted take rarely socio-emotional aspects associated with this integral personality trait into account. The peculiarities in the processes of perception, thinking and feeling of a highly gifted person often lead to everyday difficulties or abnormalities. This happens primarily when the person in question or their parents are unaware of the particular predisposition and any impending adjustment difficulties may begin to manifest in the context of psychiatric diagnoses. The present article is based on a concept of talent, which is to be understood in high accordance with the concept of »high sensitivity«. In addition, the author conceptualizes concrete aspects of intervention that are used in her music therapy work with giftedness and high sensitivity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract) Resumen en idioma originalDer Begriff »Hochbegabung« (HB) löst in jedem von uns eine Vielzahl klischeebesetzter Vor-stellungen aus (z.B. der kleine Mozart). Nur selten berücksichtigen Darstellungen über Hoch-begabte sozio-emotionale Aspekte, welche mit diesem integralen Persönlichkeitsmerkmal einhergehen. Die Besonderheiten in den Wahrnehmungs-, Denk- und Empfindungsprozes-sen einer hochbegabten Person führen nämlich nicht selten zu Alltagsschwierigkeiten oder-auffälligkeiten. Dies geschieht in erster Linie, wenn die betreffende Person oder deren Eltern nichts von der besonderen Veranlagung wissen und sich anbahnende Anpassungsschwie-rigkeiten ggf. bereits im Kontext psychiatrischer Diagnosen beginnen zu manifestieren. Der vorliegende Beitrag legt einen Begabungsbegriff zugrunde, der in hoher Übereinstimmung mit dem Konzept der »Hochsensitivität« (HS) zu verstehen ist. Zudem konzeptualisiert die Autorin konkrete Interventionsaspekte, die in ihrer musiktherapeutischen Arbeit mit HS und HB zur Anwendung kommen. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

The aim the current research was to investigate the evidence of validity based on relationship with other variables—concurrent criterion validity of the Scale to Identify Giftedness Characteristics (SIGC). The sample was composed by two groups. 405 students from a city of São Paulo State composed the control group and 80 children from Santa Catarina and Distrito Federal States, which attended the NAAH/S and a resource classroom to gifted children constituted the criterion group. The participants answered the SIGC and the results indicated higher averages obtained by the criterion group. The results showed that the scale discriminates the groups with or without giftedness indicators. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract) Resumen en idioma originalO objetivo desse estudo foi investigar evidências de validade baseadas nas relações com outras variáveis – validade de critério concorrente para a Escala de Identificação de Características associadas às Altas Habilidades/Superdotação (EICAH/S). A amostra foi composta por dois grupos, sendo que 405 estudantes de uma cidade do interior do Estado de São Paulo compuseram o grupo controle e 80 crianças provenientes dos Estados de Santa Catarina e Distrito Federal que frequentavam o NAAH/S e as salas de recursos de atendimento às altas habilidades/superdotação (AH/S) constituíram o grupo critério. Os participantes responderam à EICAH/S, cujos resultados apontaram para médias significativamente superiores a favor do grupo critério nos dois fatores (cognitivo e socioemocional) e na pontuação total da escala, demostrando a eficácia da escala em discriminar os indivíduos com e sem indicadores de AH/S. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Gifted children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often referred to as twice-exceptional, the term that highlights the co-occurrence of exceptional challenges and exceptional giftedness. This study performed secondary data analysis on samples of twice-exceptional children from the Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study and the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study datasets. The results provide a descriptive profile of twice-exceptional (e.g. demographics, average academic performance, and services utilized), trajectory plots that indicate how academic performance changes over time, and multilevel analyses that model growth in academic outcomes using demographics, school services, and giftedness as predictors. Some of the key findings are that twice-exceptional students show not only higher initial levels of academic performance, but they improve over time relative to the non-gifted ASD counterparts and—with the exception of Letter Word Matching—even relative to the general population. Moreover, they benefit from mental health services disproportionately. Together, the results offer a deeper understanding of the twice-exceptional autistic population, their academic performance over time, and the services that they utilize. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

In this article, we report on a scoping review of empirical literature addressing the relationship between teachers' inclusion-related knowledge, skills, and attitudes and student outcomes. Using six common electronic databases for education (ProQuest, JSTOR, SAGE Journals Online, ScienceDirect, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES), we searched for peerreviewed, English-language publications between 1 January 2008 and 1 January 2018 (a 10-year period). A total of 25 articles met the search criteria for this scoping review and were consequently subject to a more detailed examination. This more detailed examination focused upon five student variables (intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder [ASD], other mental health disorders, and giftedness) and five possible student outcomes (social well-being, functional or life skills, academic achievement, post-secondary transitions, and exceptionality-related outcomes). These 25 articles include eight systematic or scoping reviews, two that report on experimental studies, nine that report on quasi-experimental studies, and six that report on correlationaldescriptive research studies. A summary account of these 25 articles is offered, as is a list of related implications, for both practice and inquiry. Some of the most significant implications are related to the limited body of evidence related to a number of variables; these include teachers' attitudes and resultant student outcomes, giftedness, and post-secondary transitions. Additionally, these implications also offer cautionary considerations related to teachers delivering mental health-related programs and utilizing technology-related interventions for students with ASD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Anadolu-Sak Intelligence Scale (ASIS) is the first intelligence scale developed and normed in Turkey. In this study, the concurrent validity of the ASIS was investigated. A total of 98 gifted and 232 average students were administered the ASIS. Gifted students’ mean IQ (135) on the ASIS was found to be above the traditional cutoff (130 IQ). ASIS general intelligence index was the best predictor of giftedness, followed by the Fluid Reasoning Index, the Crystalized Knowledge Index and the Memory Capacity Index. Correlations between the ASIS indexes and academic achievement in math, science, language and social studies for average students were high, ranging from .50 to .83. The General Intelligence Index had the highest correlations with academic achievement in all the subjects with a mean correlation of .81 at the fourth grade and .75 at the fifth grade. Results provided strong support for the validity of the ASIS in relation to academic achievement and giftedness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

From the genetic side, giftedness in cognitive development is the result of contribution of many common genetic variants of small effect size, so called polygenicity (Spain et al., 2016). From the environmental side, educationalists have argued for the importance of the environment for sustaining early potential in children, showing that bright poor children are held back in their subsequent development (Feinstein, 2003a). Such correlational data need to be complemented by mechanistic models showing how gifted development results from the respective genetic and environmental influences. A neurocomputational model of cognitive development is presented, using artificial neural networks to simulate the development of a population of children. Variability was produced by many small differences in neurocomputational parameters each influenced by multiple artificial genes, instantiating a polygenic model, and by variations in the level of stimulation from the environment. The simulations captured several key empirical phenomena, including the non-linearity of developmental trajectories, asymmetries in the characteristics of the upper and lower tails of the population distribution, and the potential of poor environments to hold back bright children. At a computational level, ‘gifted’ networks tended to have higher capacity, higher plasticity, less noisy neural processing, a lower impact of regressive events, and a richer environment. However, individual instances presented heterogeneous contributions of these neurocomputational factors, suggesting giftedness has diverse causes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Research abounds on adolescent poverty and on gifted education, but these fields are seldom considered together. This study explores trajectories of aggressive behavior (i.e., weapon carrying) of impoverished, gifted youth. Results indicate that gifted students engage in lower levels of weapon carrying than non-gifted students. Gifted and non-gifted girls’ trajectories are parallel across age. However, weapon carrying among gifted and non-gifted boys does not differ during early and late adolescence, but it does during middle adolescence. These differences can perhaps be explained by examining impulsivity and temperament trajectories by gifted status. Impulsivity for boys and quick-temperedness for girls is lower during early and middle adolescence for gifted students than for non-gifted students, but not during later adolescence. Quick-temperedness for boys and impulsivity for girls does not differ by gifted status during early and late adolescence, but it does during middle adolescence. These findings suggest that some characteristics of giftedness are manifest during early adolescence (perhaps even before enrollment in a gifted program). However, other giftedness characteristics appear only during middle adolescence, after students have enrolled in the gifted program. Implications of these findings for how gifted education programs can impact aggression, and ways to optimally structure these programs, are explored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

The editorial briefs about the issues of the Journal of Psychology Learning & Teaching. The current issue of PLAT contains four research articles and three reports. In their research article, Gibbs Thomas and Thomas investigated the effects of personalized, tailored feedback given to first and second year college students with below average exam performance. Heyder, Bergold and Steinmayr introduce a test assessing secondary school teachers’ knowledge about intellectual giftedness. How important it is for teachers to have knowledge about giftedness becomes obvious in view of the finding that teachers with higher rates of misconceptions had more negative attitudes toward fostering gifted students. Merced, Stutman and Mann give insight to the typical way of teaching in the US by investigating syllabi of History and Systems Psychology courses. Mallonee, Phillips, Holloway and Riggs compared the effectiveness of two methods preparing behavioral health clinicians to administer evidence-based treatments. Gray Deering reports on an innovative teaching format using literature to teach crisis intervention. Specifically, this author employed novels and autobiographies as case studies to which psychological theories and concepts were applied. Waggoner Denton reports on introducing a reflective learning journal in an introductory statistics course. As is well-known, statistics courses are not among the favorite classes of many students, and are frequently even associated with worry and fear. Butler, Lenore and Nunez report on an innovative learning partnership between undergraduates in an educational psychology course and fifth graders at an elementary school. For learners on each side, this partnership opened a window into a different world with many opportunities to learn. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)