The Cognitive Profile of Gifted Children Compared to Those of Their Parents: A Descriptive Study Using the Wechsler Scales
The manifestation of performance at the top of a given talent distribution constitutes giftedness. While identifying talented youths based on IQ has been the focus of previous research, examining their cognitive profile is a new endeavor. The present study assessed the IQ and cognitive abilities of...
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MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Journal of Intelligence |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-3200/10/4/91 |
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| author | Lina Pezzuti Morena Farese James Dawe Marco Lauriola |
| author_facet | Lina Pezzuti Morena Farese James Dawe Marco Lauriola |
| author_sort | Lina Pezzuti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The manifestation of performance at the top of a given talent distribution constitutes giftedness. While identifying talented youths based on IQ has been the focus of previous research, examining their cognitive profile is a new endeavor. The present study assessed the IQ and cognitive abilities of a sample of gifted Italian children and compared them to their parents using the Wechsler scales. Fifty-nine gifted children aged 6 to 14 years were administered the WISC-IV while their parents (<i>N</i> = 53 mothers and <i>N</i> = 55 fathers) took the WAIS-IV. The gifted children (IQ ≥ 120) obtained particularly high scores in verbal comprehension (VCI) and visual-perceptual reasoning (PRI). More than two-thirds of the mothers and over half of the fathers also achieved an IQ ≥ 120. The gifted children scored significantly higher than both mothers and fathers in VCI and PRI. The mothers were significantly higher than their children in the processing speed domain. Correlational analyses highlighted that children’s IQ was positively related to that of their mothers. In keeping with the literature, the cognitive profile of gifted children was found to vary across cognitive abilities. It follows that the General Ability Index was the WISC-IV index that best matched the potential of gifted youths. Consistent with previous research, our study suggests that intellectual abilities, especially working memory and processing speed, are maintained and presumably passed on from one generation to the next. |
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0e7ccc1e5cf949cba16485d9dfda3c31 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-3200 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:14:32Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-0e7ccc1e5cf949cba16485d9dfda3c312023-11-24T15:52:40ZengMDPI AGJournal of Intelligence2079-32002022-10-011049110.3390/jintelligence10040091The Cognitive Profile of Gifted Children Compared to Those of Their Parents: A Descriptive Study Using the Wechsler ScalesLina Pezzuti0Morena Farese1James Dawe2Marco Lauriola3Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Social and Developmental Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, ItalyThe manifestation of performance at the top of a given talent distribution constitutes giftedness. While identifying talented youths based on IQ has been the focus of previous research, examining their cognitive profile is a new endeavor. The present study assessed the IQ and cognitive abilities of a sample of gifted Italian children and compared them to their parents using the Wechsler scales. Fifty-nine gifted children aged 6 to 14 years were administered the WISC-IV while their parents (<i>N</i> = 53 mothers and <i>N</i> = 55 fathers) took the WAIS-IV. The gifted children (IQ ≥ 120) obtained particularly high scores in verbal comprehension (VCI) and visual-perceptual reasoning (PRI). More than two-thirds of the mothers and over half of the fathers also achieved an IQ ≥ 120. The gifted children scored significantly higher than both mothers and fathers in VCI and PRI. The mothers were significantly higher than their children in the processing speed domain. Correlational analyses highlighted that children’s IQ was positively related to that of their mothers. In keeping with the literature, the cognitive profile of gifted children was found to vary across cognitive abilities. It follows that the General Ability Index was the WISC-IV index that best matched the potential of gifted youths. Consistent with previous research, our study suggests that intellectual abilities, especially working memory and processing speed, are maintained and presumably passed on from one generation to the next.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-3200/10/4/91giftednessIQcognitive abilitiesWechsler scalesparent-children inheritance |
| spellingShingle | Lina Pezzuti Morena Farese James Dawe Marco Lauriola The Cognitive Profile of Gifted Children Compared to Those of Their Parents: A Descriptive Study Using the Wechsler Scales Journal of Intelligence giftedness IQ cognitive abilities Wechsler scales parent-children inheritance |
| title | The Cognitive Profile of Gifted Children Compared to Those of Their Parents: A Descriptive Study Using the Wechsler Scales |
| title_full | The Cognitive Profile of Gifted Children Compared to Those of Their Parents: A Descriptive Study Using the Wechsler Scales |
| title_fullStr | The Cognitive Profile of Gifted Children Compared to Those of Their Parents: A Descriptive Study Using the Wechsler Scales |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Cognitive Profile of Gifted Children Compared to Those of Their Parents: A Descriptive Study Using the Wechsler Scales |
| title_short | The Cognitive Profile of Gifted Children Compared to Those of Their Parents: A Descriptive Study Using the Wechsler Scales |
| title_sort | cognitive profile of gifted children compared to those of their parents a descriptive study using the wechsler scales |
| topic | giftedness IQ cognitive abilities Wechsler scales parent-children inheritance |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-3200/10/4/91 |
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