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The paper argues that educators of the gifted have overlooked important evidence on the power of special environments because of our habit of considering cognitive outcomes and an outsider view of evidence as the standard for judging the benefits of special environments. The author proposes that social context be used as a construct to help rethink how to study the benefits of special environments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

A study of the effects of schooling on the social cognition of gifted adolescents is reported. A student attitude questionnaire (SAQ) exploring the cognitive behavioral strategies utilized to manage the stigma of giftedness was developed after conducting phenomenological interviews of fifteen gifted adolescents attending the Tennessee Governor’s Schools (Coleman & Cross, 1988). The questionnaire asked subjects to respond to six scenarios described as potentially stigmatizing events during the normal school day. Five common strategies noted during the interviews were provided as options in each of the scenarios. The data reported herein are based on the responses of 1,465 students over a two-year period. The patterns of responses suggested that gifted adolescents utilize the five strategies to differing degrees across situations. Situations most closely associated with test performance seemed to elicit the greatest variation in coping strategies, while those primarily reflecting social situations showed a consistently narrow range of strategies. The “placate” coping strategy was the most frequently used across the school-based scenarios. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Background: According to empirical literature, low self-esteem is highly correlated to behavioural and emotional problems in gifted children and adolescents. Since self-esteem is an indicator of social and emotional adjustment, it would be interesting to better understand the meaning of this construct, as it is evaluated explicitly with the use of self-report questionnaires. In order to explore the psychological processes underlying the explicit self-esteem, we studied the relation of a self-report questionnaire and an indirect measure of self and interpersonal perception using the Rorschach Comprehensive System (CS). Method: The participants were 93 children, aged between 9 and 15 years old, with an IQ≥130. They were attending regular classes (no curriculum difference). Self-esteem was evaluated using the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI). We used the Rorschach CS measures of self and interpersonal perception. Results: The results showed no significant correlation between self-esteem and high IQ. A negative correlation between self-esteem evaluated on the SEI and the Rorschach Vista responses was found, which reflected self-critical introspection and painful self-appraisal. Then a positive correlation was observed between self-esteem and reflection answers on the Rorschach (Fr+rF>0), which are related to narcissistic-like features of personality. We also found a positive correlation between self-esteem and the Rorschach egocentricity index (EGO), which provides an estimate of self-concern. Finally, the strongest correlation was found between self-esteem and the dominance of good over poor human representations (GHR>PHR), which reveals effective interpersonal behaviour. Discussion: The psychological processes which seem to be related to low self-esteem in gifted children and adolescents are maladaptive interpersonal behaviours, painful experience of introspection focusing on perceived negative aspects of the self, absence of narcissistic-like features of the personality and low self-concern. These findings may suggest that intervention planning with gifted children and adolescents with low self-esteem should emphasize the accurate interpretation of interpersonal data, develop social skills and restructure negative self-thoughts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Multidimensional models of giftedness specify individual and environmental moderators or catalysts that help transform potential into achievement. However, these models do not state whether the importance of the ‘individual boxes’ and the ‘environmental boxes’ changes during this process. The present study examines whether, during the early stages of talent development, the ‘environmental boxes’ play a more important role than the ‘individual boxes.’ To answer this question, we analyzed individual moderators and environmental moderators of achievement for fourth-grade primary-school students (N = 976). A cluster analysis that included intelligence, achievement, and two individual moderators (motivation and learning behavior) revealed three groups of students, two of which are of particular interest, as they both displayed high intelligence and achievement but differed in their motivation and learning behavior. Questionnaire data on family environment (filled out by parents, N = 682) and school environment (filled out by teachers, N = 47) supported the assumption that among young students an inauspicious set of individual moderators, in this case maladaptive motivation and learning behavior, can be compensated by a sufficiently propitious set of environmental moderators, in this case parents’ and teachers’ learning support, cultural capital within the family, and teachers’ commitment to support their students’ learning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

The present study reflects upon the identification process for gifted or highly able children through a systematic study of the literature, with the aim of providing them with an adequate and stimulating education beginning at an early age. The identification process requires an adequate diagnostic process of giftedness, and creativity is an important determining factor. Creativity, however, is a very complex construct due to differences in definition in the psychology field. This study aims to make a valuable contribution by discussing how to measure creativity in gifted or highly able children, as well as proving recommendations in the diagnostic process. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Super-gifted individuals are considered to be very rare. This paper addresses one part of a larger body of research aimed at characterization of super-giftedness in mathematics. The research population consists of three groups of students who excel in mathematics: Super-gifted in mathematics (S-MG), generally gifted students who excel in school mathematics (G-EM) and students who excel in school mathematics but are not identified as generally gifted (NG-EM). Fifty-six male students who comprised these groups performed a battery of cognitive tests: memory, speed of information processing, visual perception, and attention. We found that the between-group differences are task depended and that S-MG students can be characterized by superior performance on Working Memory test (WM – span, WM – total score) and the accuracy of Pattern-recognition, which was an indicator of visual perception. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Asynchrony is a theoretical construct that views the intellectually gifted child as inherently vulnerable because of disparities arising from the mismatch between his or her chronological age and mental age. Such disparities, for example, between wanting to belong but being intellectually out of step with peers, are said to give rise to a psychological experience of discomfort or tension and to impact upon developing self-concept. Though the theory has been little subjected to empirical research, it does bear strong similarities to the well-established, but broader-based, psychological theory of cognitive dissonance. This article develops a model of asynchrony as a particular case of cognitive dissonance. As such, it may assist understanding of some children's experiences of giftedness, though more research is needed to examine this theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

This issue contains a range of interesting articles on topics that are highly relevant for the work of psychologists, guidance and counseling professionals. Many of the articles address aspects of social-emotional functioning and behavior, several are related to social networking and online communication, and one focuses on career guidance. The various authors have highlighted the implications of their research for professional practice, especially with respect to prevention and intervention. Spanning children, adolescents and young adults, and covering topics as diverse as ADHD, giftedness, bereavement, career planning, bullying, virtual connectedness, and online counseling, this is an issue with something for everyone. Those of you who will be enjoying summer vacations over the next few months will undoubtedly find some stimulating articles to intersperse with your usual holiday reading. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Recent functional neuroimaging studies have shown differences in brain activation between mathematically gifted adolescents and controls. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between mathematical giftedness, intelligent quotient (IQ), and the microstructure of white matter tracts in a sample composed of math-gifted adolescents and aged-matched controls. Math-gifted subjects were selected through a national program based on detecting enhanced visuospatial abilities and creative thinking. We used diffusion tensor imaging to assess white matter microstructure in neuroanatomical connectivity. The processing included voxel-wise and region of interest-based analyses of the fractional anisotropy (FA), a parameter which is purportedly related to white matter microstructure. In a whole-sample analysis, IQ showed a significant positive correlation with FA, mainly in the corpus callosum, supporting the idea that efficient information transfer between hemispheres is crucial for higher intellectual capabilities. In addition, math-gifted adolescents showed increased FA (adjusted for IQ) in white matter tracts connecting frontal lobes with basal ganglia and parietal regions. The enhanced anatomical connectivity observed in the forceps minor and splenium may underlie the greater fluid reasoning, visuospatial working memory, and creative capabilities of these children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

This contribution presents the design of a theoretically grounded assessment Heuristic concerning students with (suspicion of) the coexistence of Intellectual Giftedness and an Autism Spectrum Disorder (IG + ASD). This Heuristic focuses at various cognitive and psycho-social Strengths and Weaknesses (S&Ws) and is called the S&W Heuristic. It deals with the discrepancy between the lack of a theoretically grounded coherent view on assessment and intervention issues concerning students with (suspicion of) IG + ASD and the concomitant problem of biased diagnoses in psycho-educational practice. It aims at a systematic connection between assessment and intervention-indications, by way of systematic dimensional needs-based assessment. One of its merits is that the assessment departs from IG + ASD characteristics, instead of IG-characteristics apart from ASD-symptoms, so that camouflage and underachievement might be detected more easily. The S&W Heuristic is explorative in nature and serves as a point of departure in theory-development and psycho-educational praxis concerning IG+ASD and may be Twice-Exceptionalities in general. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

The paper explores the question of how gifted and talented adolescents experience being gifted in high school. Fifteen subjects were interviewed twice while attending a special summer program in order to answer this general question. The data were analyzed and interpreted using a set of research questions which postulated that the subjects would voice feelings of difference and would make statements indicating recognition that being gifted interfered with full social acceptance. The results support the notion that many, but not all, gifted and talented adolescents experience giftedness as a social handicap. The data also suggested that some students manage information about themselves to minimize their visibility as gifted students to others. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 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)

This study examined the relationship between types of overexcitability (OEs), Big Five dimensions, and giftedness. A sample of intellectually gifted adolescents ( N = 132) and controls (N = 103) completed the OEQ-II and the NEO-FFI. As hypothesized, the gifted scored higher than controls on intellectual OE, imaginational OE, and openness to experience but lower on neuroticism. Contrary to expectations, group-related differences were found for sensual OE, but not for emotional OE. Moreover, SEM analysis showed that giftedness moderated the relation of OEs with openness and extraversion. The relations between sensual OE and openness as well as between psychomotor OE and extraversion were stronger in the gifted than in controls. Relationships between sensual, intellectual, imaginational OEs and extraversion turned out to be significant only in the controls. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

The greater male variability hypothesis posits that males exhibit greater variability than females in both mental and physical characteristics. The hypothesis has been supported in various giftedness-related constructs (e.g., intelligence, talents, creativity). This study extended this line of research to another giftedness-related psychological construct: overexcitability (OE). The Overexcitability Questionnaire-Two was administered to 836 (51% girls) 7–9th graders in Hong Kong to assess the five domains of OE (i.e., psychomotor, sensual, intellectual, imaginational, and emotional). The results suggested a domain-specific pattern of gender differences in the variability of OE scores. Greater male variability was found in the sensual, imaginational, and intellectual OE domains; male superiority was found in the psychomotor domain; and female superiority was found in the emotional domain. These domain-specific findings enrich the discourse surrounding the greater male variability hypothesis. Theoretical and educational implications regarding the findings are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

It has become increasingly evident that schools need to develop a pedagogy and didactics of giftedness'. Recent debates on heterogeneity and inclusion in 'Schools of Plurality' have brought up a multitude of theoretical didactic concepts and models. How teachers are to realise these concepts in practice is, as of yet, an unanswered question. The main reason for this seems to be that education is not only expected to transfer factual knowledge and skills, but also to encompass development of personality, reflection on the self and the ability to educate oneself while considering one's own talents and social responsibilities. This article takes the issue of the schools' role in developing talents as a vantage point from which to discuss what form the furthering of giftedness usually takes in schools, and what this could look like when modern concepts are taken into account. These two positions will be exemplified through two teaching types. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

A considerable amount of recent evidence suggests that speed of information processing (SIP) may be related to general giftedness as well as contributing to higher mathematical ability. To date, no study has examined SIP associated with both general giftedness (G) and excellence in mathematics (EM). This paper presents a part of more extensive research aimed at a multidimensional examination of mathematical giftedness, which is a complex function of the G factor and EM factor. The research population consisted of four groups of 10th–11th grade students who differed in their G level and EM level. 190 participants performed five SIP tests: Visual-matching, Cross-out of numbers, Digit-symbol, Symbol-search and Simple arithmetic exercises. We found that the G–EM group outperformed the three other study groups on all five tests. The findings reveal that between-group differences in performance on Cross-out of numbers and Simple arithmetic exercises tests are associated with both G and EM factors, whereas especially the G factor had an effect on students’ scores on Digit-symbol, Symbol-search and Visual-matching tests. In addition, we found gender differences on the Digit-symbol and Symbol-search tests. The results of this study suggest that EM and G factors are interrelated but represent different traits with respect to the SIP. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

One hundred twenty-four undergraduate education majors completed the phrase "a gifted student is ______" using a metaphor and then explained their choice of metaphor. Qualitative metaphor analysis influenced by Dai's (2009) essential tensions determined that preservice teachers conceive of giftedness as rapid memorization of content knowledge and showy demonstrations of achievement. They believe that excellence is rare and that intelligence is generalizable. Responses were mixed as to whether giftedness is a natural state of being or a process of becoming gifted. There was very little evidence to suggest that preservice teachers focused on the motivational aspect of talent development or the notion that gifted students are likely popular with their peers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)