Giftedness and Intuition

Abstract

Two studies were conducted to show connections between giftedness and intuition. The first study was exploratory. A sample of 194 gifted adolescent students (N=194) included fifty-five students identified as gifted by their teachers and fifty-six percent who were female. Using the Polish version of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, the students were screened for their preferred cognitive style, i.e., either an intuitive or rational cognitive style. By comparing gifted intuitionists and gifted rationalists, interesting differences were observed. Rationalists were significantly more conformist and less oriented towards a creative, heuristic style of behaviour than intuitionists. The second study tested the theoretical model proposing intuition both as a style and an ability. The sample used in this study consisted of 561 students whose intelligence level, creative ability and intuition was assessed, respectively, using the Raven Progressive Matrices, the Urban & Jellen Test of Creative Thinking - Drawing Production (TCT-DP), and an experimental intuition test based on the work of Westcott (1968). Results with respect to human functioning showed independence between the ability level, i.e., intelligence and creative thinking, and cognitive style preferences, i.e., towards intuition or rationality. However, preference for rational style of cognition was correlated significantly with school grades indicating higher achievement levels in school for rationalists than intuitionists. The results are discussed in the light of school functioning of gifted intuitionists and rationalists.