Special Issue "A Century beyond Terman, 50 Years after Marland: Knowns and Unknowns about Cognitive Excellence"
A special issue of Journal of Intelligence (ISSN 2079-3200).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2023 | Viewed by 13144
Special Issue Editors

Interests: flynn effect; meta-analysis; reproducibility

Interests: giftedness; assessment; stereotypes; identity
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The study of individuals with exceptional cognitive abilities has proven seminal for our understanding of the development, the biological bases, and predictors of human intelligence. One century after Lewis Terman set out to collect the first data wave for his Genetic Studies of Genius, we have a better understanding about the causes, meaning, and nature of cognitive abilities than ever before. The Marland Report of 1972, which went beyond Terman's narrow IQ definition, initiated a debate about what giftedness actually is, which is still as vivid today as it was then.
The present Special Issue takes up the interplay of the definition of giftedness and the description of gifted individuals. Much remains to be learned, e.g., about how exceptional cognitive performers differ from other individuals. A broader understanding of giftedness beyond mere above-average scores in formalized tests (e.g., involving the interaction of abilities with environmental influences) and the development of novel intelligence models (e.g., the CHC model), as well as research methods (e.g., neuroimaging) provide new means to gain insight into the contribution of exceptional intelligence to life outcomes. Furthermore, the question of what it means to be gifted and how this view changes over time—both historically and over an individual's lifespan—deserves examination.
This Special Issue focuses on assembling knowns and unknowns about giftedness and aims to explore novel research questions that help disentangle stereotypes from actual characteristics of gifted samples.
Within this topical frame, we invite empirical submissions that focus on one or more of the following topics:
- Group differences between gifted vs. non-gifted populations;
- Predictors of exceptional cognitive abilities;
- Perception of gifted individuals;
- Cross-temporal changes in the perception of giftedness (both historically and ontogenetically);
- Environmental influences on and their interactions with giftedness.
Dr. Jakob Pietschnig
Prof. Dr. Tanja Gabriele Baudson
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Intelligence is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- giftedness
- exceptional cognitive abilities
- group differences
- intelligence stereotypes about giftedness
Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
Title: The dawn of the average
Authors: Kristof Kovacs; Szilvia Fodor
Affiliation: Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eotvos Lorand University
Abstract: no
Title: The flip side of the stereotype: People of average ability as seen by the gifted
Authors: Baudson, T. G. (1, 2, 3); Todorova, J. (4); Rohen, C. (3, 5)
Affiliation: (1) Fresenius University of Applied Sciences, Heidelberg, Germany
(2) Institute of Globally Distributed Open Research and Education (IGDORE)
(3) Mensa in Germany
(4) University of Münster, Germany
(5) University of Bremen
Abstract: -
Title: Stereotypes of the gifted: The role of ingroup and outgroup bias
Authors: Köser; Schlumpberger; Baudson
Affiliation: Fresenius University of Applied Science Heidelberg
Abstract: -
Title: Almost forgotten research contexts. William Stern's giftedness research.
Authors: Rebecca Heinemann
Affiliation: University of Augsburg
Abstract: The article examines the concept of intelligence and giftedness of the German psychologist and philosopher William Stern, the leading intelligence and giftedness researcher in Germany from the early 20th century to 1933. Stern developed a multifactorial giftedness model that integrated empirical and philosophical perspectives and was thus far ahead of his time. This concept has not been taken up for a long time – also because of the break that the research on giftedness suffered in Germany in 1933 – and has not yet been presented with the required complexity and interdisciplinarity. In the USA, Stern's research has so far been reduced to the IQ formula he created. The author presents Stern´s concept of giftedness in the context of the special scientific-historical and educational-political situation in Germany in the first third of the 20th century. The pedagogical conclusions that Stern associated with research on giftedness and which essentially referred to the requirement to support all gifted children regardless of their social class are also illuminated.
Title: Under-graduated teacher`s perception about High ability students’ executive functions
Authors: Checa, P. 1; Ferrando, M. 2; Pons. R. 2; Ferrandiz, C. 2
Affiliation: 1 Granada University
2 Murcia University
Abstract: Teachers sometimes fail to detect and determine the cognitive characteristics of High ability (HA) students. Recent studies show that teachers tend to perceive HA students as faster in processing information compared to their peers and more able to manage their own learning. However, there are contradictory results showing actual differences in cognitive abilities between HA and not HA students. The aim of this study is to analyze under-graduated teacher`s perception of executive functions (EF) of HA and non-HA students. The participants are under-graduated teacher (n=580). To measure EF perception, the Child Executive Functions Inventory Spanish (CHEXI) version is used. The results of this study will be discussed in the educational framework and open the debate about the influence of teacher`s percepcion on the educational practice of HA students.