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The primary purpose of this study was to assess certain aspects of the internal structure of the DISCOVER assessment checklist to determine its construct validity. A secondary purpose was to assess gender differences in identifying giftedness using the assessment. The sample of this study consisted of 368 participants from kindergarten, fourth, fifth, and sixth grade levels divided into three subsamples. Participants were from two culturally diverse populations: Navajo Indians and Mexican-Americans. The methodology consisted of correlational analyses and chi-square tests. Separate, but identical analyses were conducted on each subsample. Three questions guided this study: (a) What is the relationship between observers' ratings of participants' problem-solving ability in one activity and their rating of participants in the other activities? (b) What items characterize each of the four rating categories? and (c) What are the gender differences occurring when using the assessment? The results of this study showed low and non significant inter-rating correlations, indicating high discriminant validity of the checklist. Significant, but low to moderately high inter-rating correlations were found between the Storytelling and Storywriting activities across subsamples. R-squared analyses revealed low percentages of variance accounted for, indicating low convergent validity of the checklist. Moreover, a pattern of higher percentages of item checks was found for higher ratings, indicating that observers checked items at a higher frequency rate for participants given higher ratings. Only items characterizing the "Definitely" category were possible to identify because all items represent superior problem-solving skills, thus were mostly checked for participants who demonstrated superior problem-solving processes or products. Items with zero frequencies were identified as well. Chi-square tests for gender by activity revealed significant gender differences in two activities. In Pablo, a significantly higher number of sixth grade boys were rated "Definitely" and in Storytelling, a significantly higher number of fourth and fifth grade girls were rated "Definitely". No significant gender differences were found for any other activity across subsamples. Similarly, no significant overall gender differences were found across subsamples for gifted participants, indicating that equal proportions of males and females are identified through the use of the DISCOVER assessment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Self-esteem has been shown to be positively related to both academic success and success in the adult world. Given the importance of self-esteem, the role of the education system in the development of positive self-esteem is of great concern. Specifically, some researchers have raised questions about the impact of identifying students as "Gifted" or "Learning Disabled" on students' self-esteem. This study explores the impact of giftedness and learning disabilities on the self-esteem of children. In particular, this study focuses on the presence or absence of differences in self-esteem between students identified as gifted and not, as well as students identified as having learning disabilities and not. The existence of differences in self-esteem related to the interaction between gifted and learning disability identification is also investigated. Students labeled as gifted had higher self-esteem scores than their non-gifted peers. This is similar to results found by other researchers. There was also a significant interaction between labeling as gifted and labeling as learning disabled. The school self-esteem scores of the students in this study varied as a function of both their identification as gifted and their identification as learning disabled. Gifted students had the highest school self-esteem, followed by students with learning disabilities. Students identified as both gifted and as having learning disabilities scored third highest, and students identified as neither gifted nor learning disabled had the lowest school self-esteem. Gifted students with learning disabilities identified two categories of self-esteem supports. The first category focuses on their strengths and these students' ability to do some things well. The second category focuses on an understanding of their weaknesses, appropriate attribution of success and failure, and strategies they can use to overcome their disabilities. The results point to a number of areas where school districts can act to support the self-esteem of these students. These include identification of gifted learning disabled students, teachers who understand that students can be both gifted and learning disabled, curricula which include activities that allow students to display their support services so that students may obtain the guidance and support they need to excel. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the learning environment on the emergence of gifted potential in preschool children. The primary research question focused on the nature of the learning environment that facilitates the emergence of these early indicators. Two preschool learning environments were examined: the traditional classroom and the constructivist classroom. In order to develop a more comprehensive response to the primary question, two subquestions were investigated which related to the nature and the observable developmental pattern of early signs of giftedness. Subjects included 21 three and four-year old children who participated in each of the two types of classrooms for a total of 12 weeks. Activities in the traditional classroom were more teacher-directed and highly structured, while those in the constructivist classroom were more child-directed and allowed for more independent learning. Nonparticipant observers noted the behaviors of each child who was involved in the classroom activities. The Brigance Preschool Screen and the Thinking Creatively in Action and Movement creativity measure were administered to each child for later assistance in discussing results. Recorded data were organized into levels of high, medium, and low under four broad categories: (a) cognitive development, (b) socioemotional development, (c) creativity, and (d) motivation. Results indicated that the constructivist classroom appeared to evoke a higher level of development in all four areas from the class as a whole. Individual subjects, however, exhibited a wide variety of behavioral profiles within these four areas. Test data yielded results similar to the evaluation of observed behaviors in terms of cognitive ability or readiness as measured by the Brigance Preschool Screen. Results from the TCAM, however, were not necessarily distributed in the same way as the behavioral evaluations. Findings from this study contribute to the ideas in the literature that behavioral identification is an effective way to evoke and observe the emergence of gifted potential. Although the study should be replicated with a larger group of similar students and/or a group of children with more diverse backgrounds and socioeconomic situations, findings from this study provide important implications for preschool teacher training, underachievement prevention, and programming for potentially gifted children. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Resilience has recently become part of a shift in perspective in the psychology and education of children from high-risk environments. Many researchers point to the phenomenon of the resilient child and discuss the importance of identifying positive factors that lead to capacity and strength despite environmental traumas. Although there has always been much attention paid by the mental health field, as well as the media, education, and legal systems, to individuals who failed in life due to stressors, especially multiple stressors, in their environments, there has been limited research in identifying factors that promote certain individuals to succeed despite the odds. The purpose of this study was to explore and explain, through a case-study profile approach, the experiences of three self-determined, academically gifted, resilient individuals who overcame their stressed and negative environments to succeed in extraordinary ways. A particular focus of the study was to identify and isolate academic giftedness as a protective factor that has promoted resilience in such individuals and to highlight the importance of identifying academically gifted children who emerge from such environments, especially those that include economic disadvantage. The research undertaken for this project was of a qualitative nature, based upon the premise of emergent design. The investigation utilized an in-depth interview approach, and each case profile was developed in terms of family background, educational background and signs of giftedness, career success, environmental stressors, and protective factors. Conclusions of this study are that, especially to gifted individuals coming from multiple-stressor environments, school becomes a refuge and school success a necessary and self-validating experience. It is especially crucial to identify gifted children early when they come from such environments since that identification may be their single source of salvation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The effect of the mother's use of the term "gifted" was examined. Mothers who used gifted ("Users", n = 27), mothers who avoided using gifted ("Avoiders", n = 21), and their school aged children whom they identified as gifted were compared with mothers ("Comparison", n = 20) and their non-identified children using a structured interview and questionnaires. Mothers of gifted children believed giftedness ran in families and caused social problems. User mothers valued intelligence highly, placed less emphasis on hard work, were less satisfied with their child's school performance, and believed "gifted" described their children. Avoider mothers rated their child's school performance more positively and emphasized academic giftedness. When compared to Comparison children, Avoider children rated themselves as more scholastically competent on the Harter Self-Perception Profile for children while User children rated scholastic competence lower on the Importance Scale of that measure. Findings are discussed in relation to differences in the breadth of the mothers' conceptions of giftedness and use of "gifted", the belief that giftedness causes social problems, and the potential for misunderstanding between User mothers and children. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Statement of problem. The number of studies investigating the emotional adjustment of gifted adolescents is sparse in relation to studies devoted to younger gifted children. Furthermore, incongruent findings have characterized the body of empirical evidence, thus, stimulating the debate and exploration of the association of maladjustment and giftedness. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to compare the self-perceptions of emotional adjustment of academically gifted and nongifted adolescents from both a global and multidimensional perspective. The intent of this global-multidimensional approach, in part, was to explore the saliency of specific dimensions of adjustment in gifted adolescents and to increase the accuracy of the measurement of emotional adjustment. Method. The sample included 112 academically gifted and nongifted adolescents in a public high school (grades 9-12). The study employed the Self-Report of Personality of the Behavior Assessment System for Children to compare the two groups on the global Emotional Symptoms Index and specific indexes of adjustment, including: Self-Esteem, Sense of Inadequacy, Depression, Anxiety, Social Stress, and Interpersonal Relations. Results. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that the self-perceptions of academically gifted adolescents differ significantly from their nongifted agemates' with regard to overall adjustment, self-esteem, sense of inadequacy, depression, and interpersonal relations. More specifically, the scores obtained by the academically gifted adolescents indicated that they judged themselves as better adjusted with regard to global functioning, as well as all of the aforementioned specific dimensions. The academically gifted and nongifted adolescents exhibited no significant difference in their reporting of anxiety and social stress. Conclusions. Findings suggest that academically gifted adolescents perceive themselves as well-adjusted when examined from both a global and multidimensional perspective. Current results, therefore, reflect the importance of refraining from perfunctorily associating maladjusted behaviors with giftedness when they are displayed by gifted adolescents. Consequently, behavioral manifestations of maladjustment in gifted adolescents should warrant attention. Finally, this research emphasizes the need for consideration of both global and specific dimensions of emotional functioning when attempting to identify and address the psychological and educational needs of gifted adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

The purpose of this study is to uncover the perceptions of an academically gifted African-American male undergraduate student attending an Historically Black College and University (HBCU) and the perceptions of an academically gifted African-American male undergraduate student attending a Traditional White Institution (TWI) concerning his relationship with the institution in the cultivation of his academic giftedness. Qualitative research methods were used to collect data for this study which included interviews, observations, and written documents. Phenomenology and grounded theory were selected as the guiding theoretical orientation and method implemented in the research design. Both case study participants were interviewed using a standardized open-ended interview instrument. Subsequent interviews were conducted with friends, instructors, and administrators the case study participants interacted with on their respective campuses. The purpose of the interviewing process was to obtain triangulated data which could be used to provide a holistic view of the perceptions regarding the institution's role in the cultivation of academic giftedness. Observations were conducted with both case study participants to view their engagements on and off their respective campuses. Written documents were solicited to provide a richer description of their academic experiences. Results of the study indicated that academic giftedness was thoroughly supported both within and outside of the university setting at the Historically Black College and University. Yet, academic giftedness at the Traditional White Institution was thoroughly supported only within the parameters of the university setting. These results were attributed to findings cited in the two emergent grounded theories. Due to the research oriented approach to education East Texas State University appeared to embrace, the student's academic giftedness was not thoroughly supported by the institution. Yet, the liberal arts approach maintained by Grambling State University provided support for the student's giftedness within and outside of the university environment. The findings in this study serve as a foundation for future investigations which should be developed and implemented in order to address the unique needs of the academically gifted African-American male undergraduate student. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)

Do visual artists see the world differently than non-artists do? If differences exist between artists and non-artists on measures of attention and object perception, do these differences suggest greater attentional flexibility in visual artists as compared to non-artists? The broadest goals of the current problem of research are to advance our understanding of visual selective attention, visual artistic expertise, and the development of visual artistic expertise. Specifically, the current work attempts to better characterize attentional flexibility and its apparent relation to artistic expertise. That is, what is attentional flexibility, and where in the time course of attentional processing can it be located (in visual artists and non-artists)? Selective attention to identity vs. similarity relations and to local vs. global relations was explored over a series of five experiments. These experiments were designed in order to examine: (1) more "automatic" and generally earlier selective attention as measured by same-different tasks, and (2) more "controlled" and generally later selective attention as measured by classification tasks. A variety of stimulus sets were utilized across these five experiments, such that Experiments 1 and 3 employed hue-form triads and tetrads, Experiments 2 and 5 employed hierarchical geometric forms, and Experiment 4 employed hierarchical letter stimuli. Forty upper-level student art majors and forty upper-level psychology majors at the University of Louisville participated in each of the experiments within the current study. In agreement with previous work, findings indicate that visual artists do indeed demonstrate greater flexibility of attention when measures of later attentional processing are considered. However, few differences between visual artists and non-artists are revealed by measures of earlier, more automatic selective attention. Findings are discussed in terms of a detailed comparison of this variety of measures of selective attention and object perception, and also in terms of the importance of describing stimulus properties, the task at hand, and the developmental level and/or level of expertise of the observer. Implications for models of selective attention, the development of selective attention, and the development and identification of expertise and giftedness are also described. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)