Psychology · Ch 1 — Variations in Psychological Attributes
Intellectual Giftedness
Intellectual Giftedness
What Makes Giftedness Different from Talent
The study of intellectually gifted individuals began in 1925, when Lewis Terman tracked about 1,500 children whose IQs were 130 or above. He wanted to see how intelligence related to career success and life adjustment. That work opened up a field that continues to shape how we understand exceptional ability.
Giftedness and talent are often used as if they mean the same thing, but they do not. Giftedness refers to exceptional general ability — superior performance across a wide range of areas. Talent is narrower: it means remarkable ability in one specific field, such as spiritual insight, social leadership, or aesthetic creation. Highly talented individuals are sometimes called prodigies.
From a teacher’s perspective, giftedness depends on a combination of three things: high ability, high creativity, and high commitment. It is not simply a high IQ score.
Early Signs of Giftedness
Gifted children show signs of intellectual superiority very early. Even in infancy and early childhood, they display:
- A longer attention span than peers
- Good recognition memory
- A clear preference for novelty
- Sensitivity to changes in the environment
- Early appearance of language skills
These signs are not just about being "smart" in school. Equating giftedness with brilliant academic performance is a mistake. Athletes who show superior psychomotor ability are also gifted. Each gifted student has different strengths, personality traits, and characteristics.
Key Characteristics of Gifted Children
Giftedness is not a single profile — it shows up in many forms, but certain patterns are common.
- Advanced logical thinking, questioning, and problem-solving behaviour
- High speed in processing information
- Superior ability to generalise and discriminate between ideas
- Advanced level of original and creative thinking
- High level of intrinsic motivation and self-esteem
- Independent and non-conformist thinking
- Preference for solitary academic activities for long periods
How Giftedness Is Identified
Performance on intelligence tests is not the only measure. Identifying giftedness requires multiple sources of information used together with intellectual assessment:
| Source | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Teachers’ judgment | Observations of classroom behaviour and thinking |
| School achievement record | Evidence of consistent high performance |
| Parents’ interviews | Information about early development and home behaviour |