Giftedness in Childhood

The Element presents a view of giftedness as an interaction of a person with tasks and sets of situations.

Robert J. Sternberg (Author), Ophélie A. Desmet (Author)

9781009475990, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 18 January 2024

90 pages
23.5 x 15.5 x 1 cm, 0.28 kg

Giftedness often is defined in a transactional way: individuals give something in return for getting something from authorities who label them as gifted; the labeling authority then expects those individuals identified as 'gifted' to act in ways that justify the label. The authors place emphasis on transformational giftedness-giftedness that serves to make the world a better place. This Element stresses the importance of intelligence, not of the kind of narrow intelligence measured by IQ tests and their proxies, but rather the kind of broad intelligence used to adapt to a variety of real-world environments. The authors further discuss the nature of dual exceptionality, whereby individuals may be identified as having a disability yet at the same time act in gifted ways and thereby harbor the potential to contribute to the world in some distinguished fashion.

1. What is giftedness, anyway?
2. Societal fixation on IQ
3. A strange early history of the field of giftedness and some modern notions
4. Giftedness is not a property of person
5. An alternative view of intelligence and giftedness
6. Aspects of giftedness
7. Giftedness as a result of adversity
8. Giftedness among people with disabilities
Conclusions.

Subject Areas: Child & developmental psychology [JMC]