High Intellectual Ability Research Articles

Культурно-интеллектуальные особенности распознавания лицевой экспрессии представителей других этносов

Introduction. The paper examines the cultural and intellectual features of facial expression recognition by different ethnofors. These features are the following: (a) the experience of communication; (b) the experience of perceiving faces and facial expression; (c) knowledge of the rules of emotion expression and cultural styles of emotion expression. The study presents domestic and foreign approaches to perceiving faces and facial expression recognition. The novelty of the research lies in studying personal cultural and intellectual abilities during adaptation to living in a multicultural space of modern society through facial expression recognition when interacting with other ethnofors.
 Materials and Methods. The study employed the Cultural Intelligence Scale to study personal cultural and intellectual abilities. The Montreal Set of Facial Displays of Emotion (MSFDE) was the technique to study the ability to recognize facial expressions of representatives of their own and other ethnocultural groups. The participants comprised 129 Russian students and 129 students of Asian origin (from China, Vietnam, and Mongolia). The average age of research participants was 24 years.
 Results. The respondents recognized facial expressions of Asians better due to a metacognitive component, while a motivational component allowed them to better recognize facial expressions in whole. This was the result of the desire to understand another ethnofor.
 Discussion. Russian respondents’ greater openness and communicative experience determined their success in facial expression recognition. Asian respondents were more closed and less engaged in interethnic interaction. A person with high metacognitive intelligence abilities is more successful in recognizing facial expression, because he/she consciously chooses a strategy of intercultural interaction. High motivational and intellectual abilities are advantages in recognizing facial expressions of representatives of different cultures, because they are responsible for the desire to understand another culture.

Cognitive mechanisms for worry in early adolescence: Re-examining the role of high verbal intelligence

Despite considerable research on the association between “giftedness” and anxiety, it is unclear whether high intellectual ability is a risk or protective factor. This study examined the association between high verbal intelligence (VIQ) and worry in early adolescence, and the role that cognitive mechanisms (intolerance of uncertainty, metacognitive beliefs about worry, and threat appraisal) play in this association. Participants were (n=312) children aged 9-to-15years (M=11.87, SD=1.23; 55% girls), with Verbal Comprehensive Index scores on the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, 2nd Edition (WASI-II), spanning average to superior ranges. Consistent with current models of anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty, metacognitive beliefs about worry, and threat appraisal, were directly associated with worry. At the zero-order level, VIQ was negatively associated with intolerance of uncertainty and threat appraisal. Tests of mediation indicated a negative indirect relation between high VIQ and worry via intolerance of uncertainty only, such that the association between high VIQ and intolerance of uncertainty was negative, whereas the association between intolerance of uncertainty and worry was positive. These findings suggest that high VIQ may act as a protective factor that leads to reduced intolerance of uncertainty, which then leads to lower worry.

OCCUPATIONAL/CAREER INDECISION FOR ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS OF HIGH INTELLECTUAL ABILITY: A MIXED‐METHODS COGNITIVE PROCESS MODEL

A mixed-methods design was employed to identify the cognitive processes that lead to occupational/career indecision for economically disadvantaged adolescents of high intellectual ability. In the first phase, interview data collected from 26 economically disadvantaged intellectually gifted Australian adolescents were analyzed using grounded theory to develop two alternative models of cognitive processes that lead to occupational/career indecision. In the second phase, these models were quantitatively tested and refined using structural equation modeling of survey data collected from 917 economically disadvantaged intellectually gifted Australian adolescents. The finally accepted model, identified using a competing models strategy, suggested that valuing the thoughts of family on general matters is positively predictive of a desire to live up to one's potential and the experience of amotivation about the occupational decision. In turn, occupational amotivation appears to be positively associated with occupational indecision, but negatively associated with multipotentiality and a desire to fulfill one's potential.

Occupational/Career Decision-Making Thought Processes of Adolescents of High Intellectual Ability

Three competing models of the career decision-making thought processes of adolescents of high intellectual ability were tested in this study. Survey data were collected from 664 intellectually gifted Australian adolescents and analyzed using structural equation modeling procedures. The finally accepted, optimal model suggested that, regardless of cultural orientation, highly able adolescents may place importance on whether a future career will be interesting or enjoyable, which is a probable predictor of their attitudes toward careers and their eventual intentions to pursue particular careers. In addition, the model indicated that those careers considered interesting or enjoyable by intellectually gifted adolescents may also be intellectually stimulating.

The Perceived Impact of Unstable Gaps between Academic Ability and Performance on the Self-Image of Students With Learning Disabilities

Disparities among the different abilities of students with learning disabilities have attracted extensive research. The attention has largely focused on how low abilities mask good or high potential intellectual level, and the resulting frustration. Correspondingly, the literature has also concentrated on the methods of detection required to reveal such potential and strategic, therapeutic, and pedagogical strategies for realizing it. However, despite the large volume of research, there has been no examination to date of the emotional impact of the continual fluctuations between success and failure created by such gaps, and its implications for the development of self among these individuals. The purpose of the present research, which was based on a qualitative approach and semi-structured interviews with 22 adult art students with learning disabilities and high intellectual ability, was to examine the perceived relationship between this dissonance and the self-perception. Major findings include extreme fluctuations in the learning experience of the participants play a major role, such fluctuations have significant effects on participants’ emotional and behavioral worlds, and fluctuations in the learning experience of students with learning disabilities and high intellectual ability have critical implications on their overall self-perceptions. The conclusions and implications are discussed extensively. Subscribe to LDMJ

Teachers’ Conceptions of Gifted and Average-Ability Students on Achievement-Relevant Dimensions

Stereotyping of gifted students may not only hinder identification and actualization of potential but also personality development (“stigma of giftedness”). This is obvious in the case of negative stereotyping (e.g., the disharmony hypothesis, which sees gifted students as intellectually strong, but emotionally and socially inferior), but even overly positive stereotypes (e.g., the harmony hypothesis, which sees gifted students as superior in all respects) may prove harmful in that they put gifted students under pressure. In this study, we examined whether teachers’ conceptions of the gifted are in line with either of these stereotypes. In a between-subjects design using vignettes, 246 German teachers rated fictitious students varying in ability level (gifted/average), gender (girl/boy), and age (8/15 years) on intellectual ability, motivation, prosociality, and maladjustment. Strong measurement invariance across vignette types was demonstrated for all dimensions. A repeated-measures analysis of variance of latent factor scores of the four dimensions showed that teachers considered gifted students more able, but less prosocial and more maladjusted than average-ability students. Whereas higher intellectual ability is in line with empirical findings about the gifted, lower social ability and higher maladjustment are not. Implications for theory, research, and educational practice are discussed.

Improved behavior after adenotonsillectomy in children with higher and lower IQ

ObjectivesTo examine whether high intellectual ability, in comparison to average or lower performance, reflects the consequences of sleep-disordered breathing and limits behavioral benefit observed 6 months after adenotonsillectomy. MethodsChildren aged 3–12 years (n=147) recruited from otolaryngology practices at two hospitals and assessed with Conners’ Parent Rating Scales and an age range-appropriate intellectual measure, the Stanford–Binet Intelligence Scale at baseline and 6 months after clinically-indicated adenotonsillectomy. Subjects were classified as having high (IQ≥110), average (90≤IQ<110), or low (IQ<90) cognitive ability. ResultsAfter adenotonsillectomy, improvements in Conners’ internalizing, externalizing, hyperactivity, and cognitive domains were observed across IQ groups (main effects for time, all p<0.01 or better), with no evidence for differential improvements among the groups (no significant time by IQ group interactions). The magnitude of behavioral improvement among children with high IQ resembled that observed among the other two groups. Changes in the Conners’ domains were not significantly correlated with baseline IQ, age, socioeconomic status, body mass index z-score, or respiratory disturbance index. ConclusionBehavioral function can improve after adenotonsillectomy even among children with relatively high intellectual ability at baseline. Diagnosis and treatment with expectation of neurobehavioral benefit should be considered among high-performing children as readily as it is more traditionally among their lower-performing peers.

Apoyo familiar en escolares de alta capacidad intelectual de diferentes contextos socioeducativos

El objetivo del trabajo fue analizar la percepción del apoyo familiar al aprendizaje en 79 alumnos de 6to grado con aptitud intelectual superior de tres contextos educativos (escuela urbana pública y privada, y rural indígena) en Morelos, México. Los alumnos respondieron la prueba SAGES-2 (Johnson &amp; Corn, 2001) y el Cuestionario de Apoyo Familiar de Bazán&amp; Domínguez (2009). Solamente se encontraron diferencias significativas entre los contex- tos analizados en la percepción de la comunicación regular con maestros relacionada con la materia Español, que fue percibida con mayor frecuencia en el contexto de la escuela privada, respecto al público indígena, independientemente del área de capacidades detectada. Se enfatiza la urgencia de investigar las variables del contexto socioeconómico y familiar para la comprensión de la manifestación, desarrollo y educación de las altas capacidades en alumnos de entornos culturales diferentes.

Patterns of Play Behaviors and Learning Center Choices Between High Ability and Typical Children

There is a dearth of research regarding young children with high intellectual abilities, particularly research involving the direct observation of children in naturalistic settings. The current study examines 2 years of observations of young children (aged 37-71 months; n = 34) at an early childhood facility. The children were observed during the substantial periods of the day in which they were engaged in play at self-selected learning centers. The play was coded on levels of cognitive (non-play, functional, dramatic, constructive, and games with rules) and social (solitary, parallel, associative, and cooperative) play. Overall, the high ability children ( n = 19) spent more time in functional, dramatic, and solitary play behaviors than typical children ( n = 15). The high ability children also spent more time in literacy-based (library and writing) and arts-based (art and music) centers than the typical children. These findings indicate that the high ability children in this study were more likely to select centers independent of their peers.

Evaluation of satisfaction in an extracurricular enrichment program for high-intellectual ability participants.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the satisfaction of an extracurricular enrichment program of the cognitive and personal management of participants with high intellectual ability. At the first time point, the sample consisted of n= 38 participants, and n= 20 parents; n= 48 participants at the second time point; and n= 60 participants at the third time point. The Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSA in Spanish), both for students (CSA-S) and for parents (CSA-P), was constructed. The CSA-S scores showed adequate psychometric properties. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a unidimensional structure. Cronbach&rsquo;s alpha ranged between 85 and .86. Test-retest reliability was 0.45 (p&lt;.05). The generalizability coefficient was .98. A high percentage of the sample was satisfied with the program, perceived improvements in cognitive and emotional management, motivation and interest in learning, and in the frequency and quality of their interpersonal relationships. The evaluation of educational programs is necessary in order to determine the efficacy and the effects of their implementation on the participants&rsquo; personal and intellectual management.

Caracterización de la capacidad intelectual, factores sociodemográficos y académicos de estudiantes con alto y bajo desempeño en los exámenes Saber Pro - año 2012

Avances en Psicología Latinoamericana (APL) es una revista electrónica cuatrimestral con evaluación por pares, que publica artículos en todas las áreas de la psicología. La revista se dirige a científicos y profesionales en psicología y disciplinas afines. Incluye contribuciones empíricas y teóricas originales y excepcionalmente revisiones de literatura de alta calidad. Se publican artículos escritos en español, inglés, portugués o italiano con resumen y palabras clave (obtenidas del Thesaurus de la American Psychological Association) en español e inglés. Los artículos enviados deben seguir las normas del Manual de Estilo de Publicaciones de la American Psychological Association (Sexta edición, 2010).

Predicting Intellectual Ability and Scholastic Outcomes with a Single Item: From Early Childhood to Adulthood

Previous research shows that perceived intelligence judgments significantly correlate with measured intelligence scores. The present study investigated the developmental trajectory of the association between perceived intelligence and measured intelligence. Using the Block and Block longitudinal dataset, we examined the relationship between a single rating of “high intellectual ability” made in early childhood by targets’ preschool teachers with future intellectual ability and scholastic outcome measures, including IQ scores, grade-point average, SAT scores, and educational attainment. Even when controlling for variables including attractiveness, parental education levels, the General Factor of Personality, and socioeconomic status, correlations between early childhood intelligence perceptions and later intellectual measures were significant, large, and robust. Results are discussed in terms of potential mechanisms and cues in early childhood that may reveal future intellectual abilities.

Cognitive and emotional intelligence in young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder without an accompanying intellectual or language disorder

Research in the neurosciences has identified distinctions between neural structures that subserve cognitive intelligence (CI) and those subserving emotional intelligence (EI). This study explored the performance of young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) without an accompanying intellectual or language disorder relative to typically-developing peers, on indices of CI and EI. Both the ASD and age- and sex-matched typically-developing groups exhibited high average cognitive intellectual abilities. In contrast, the ASD group reported lower levels of EI relative to their typically-developing peers, as expected given the social and emotional challenges faced by individuals with ASD. Importantly, cognitive intelligence did not correlate with EI in either group. Taken together, these findings further support the theory of dissociable neural systems underlying CI and EI. These findings also highlight the need to address not only the intellectual aspects of cognition, but also the emotional components to increase understanding of, and improve treatment for individuals on the autism spectrum. This understanding would enhance our ability to assess and support young adults with ASD, and ultimately ease their transition into adulthood.

High Intellectual Ability

This study aims to provide a better understanding of high intellectual abilities and of how to address the educational needs of those who possess such abilities. Within the emergent paradigm, high intellectual abilities are understood as multidimensional and as the result of lifetime development; that is, not only are they the result of their neurobiological basis but also of the interrelation among opportunity, personality, psychosocial factors, and individual effort. This study describes the basis of a program of extracurricular enrichment and its interrelation with research procedures and results.

The influence of cognitive reserve on cognition in Parkinson’s disease

There are considerable differences in cognition between individuals with Parkinson's Disease (PD) which might be explained by the theory of cognitive reserve. This theory states that premorbid factors, such as high intellectual capacities, provide a buffer against cognitive impairments. This study determines whether cognitive reserve influences cognition in PD. Forty-eight PD patients were included. All were assessed with two proxies of cognitive reserve, tests of cognition and both measures of disease characteristic and symptoms of depression. After accounting for age, gender, disease characteristics and depression, cognitive reserve was an independent predictor of cognitive performance. In conclusion, cognitive reserve influences cognition in PD, i.e. PD patients with a high premorbid intellectual ability show fewer cognitive impairments than patients with a low premorbid ability. This indicates that cognitive reserve needs to be taken into account when monitoring the evolution of cognition in PD, however, verification of results on a larger patient sample would be desirable.

Assessing the unidimensionality of the School and College Ability Test (SCAT, Spanish version) using non-parametric methods based on item response theory

The aim of this work is to analyze the dimensional structure of the Spanish version of the School and College Ability Test, employed in the process for the identification of students with high intellectual abilities. This test measures verbal and mathematical (or quantitative) abilities at three levels of difficulty: elementary (3rd, 4th, and 5th years in Primary school), intermediate (6th year in Primary school plus the 1st and 2nd years of Compulsory Secondary School or ESO), and advanced (3rd and 4th years of ESO plus the 1st and 2nd years of bachillerato – equivalent to High school). For each level there are two forms, X and Y. The research was undertaken with the results obtained from the application carried out for the validation and norming of the Spanish version of the test, and for which a representative sample of students from Navarre at these mentioned levels was taken. This study assessed the possible unidimensionality of the simplicity or the complexity of the structure of this test as an essential aspect of construct validity. To this end, the results were triangulated for the classic factorial techniques and non-parametric methods based on the item response theory.

Predictors of a favourable socio-economic situation in middle age for Swedish conscripts with self-reported drug use

BackgroundRisk and protective factors for adverse outcomes among drug users in the general population have been identified. This study considers whether some of these factors predict favourable socio-economic situations in middle age. MethodsA 37-year follow-up of 49,411 Swedish male conscripts 1969/70, born 1949–1951. Based on self-reports at conscription, 36,191 living subjects in 2006 were divided into users of certain dominant drugs (n=3946) and non-users (n=32,245). Individual data from conscription and national registers were linked. Using logistic bivariate and multivariate regression, odds ratios (ORs) for the categories of dominant-drug users, compared with non-users, were computed for outcomes in 1990 and in 2006: education ≥12 years, being in work, and having a disposable income above the median. The ORs were calculated after considering familial, social and individual risk and protective factors, with separate analyses being performed for drug-use categories. ResultsSmall changes were observed in the ORs for the outcomes in 1990 and 2006. After adjustment for protective and risk factors, users of the various dominant drugs had increased ORs with an education ≥12 years but lower or non-significantly different from non-users for the other outcomes. The ORs decreased with severity of drug use. Among drug users, high intellectual ability, having a father from highest SES group, and communication with parents were among the factors that increased the probability of favourable socio-economic outcomes, especially when several protective factors were involved. ConclusionsProtective factors increase the probability of favourable outcomes, but least among individuals with severe drug use.

Bioanalysis Young Investigator: Narahara Chari Dingari

Supervisor’s supporting comments It gives me enormous pleasure to nominate Narahara Chari Dingari for the Bioanalysis Young Investigator 2011 award. Chari has been working with me since 2009 and we have worked together on numerous biomedical projects, including ones where he has put lots of effort into publishing new methods and findings in prestigious journals such as Analytical Chemistry, Journal of Biomedical Optics, Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry and Biomedical Optics Express. I have found him to be very diligent with high academic interests and intellectual ability. Chari is a promising scientist motivated to work in multidisciplinary research areas and is quite capable of setting up his own team and carrying out independent research. Chari’s current work bears direct impact in the diagnosis of important diseases such as breast cancer and malaria as well as in noninvasive blood glucose detection. He has excellent communication skills and is highly motivated in his pursuit of an advanced career in biomedical optics, spectroscopy and bioanalysis. I have extremely high expectations for him in the future as he continues to grow as an independent research scientist and a team leader. His eventual goal is to join the faculty of a major university and build a high-impact research laboratory. I strongly recommend him without any reservations for this prestigious award.

Bioanalysis Young Investigator

Supervisor’s supporting comments It gives me great pleasure to nominate Shivani Tanwar, a National Science Council, Taiwan postdoctoral fellow presently at National Taiwan University (Taiwan) for the Bioanalysis: Young Investigator 2011 award. She joined my laboratory in 2006. I have found her very diligent with high academic interests and intellectual ability. She is highly motivated and self driven for research work with the ability to design new experiments. Shivani is a promising scientist, motivated to work in multidisciplinary research areas and quite capable of setting up her own team and carrying out independent research. She is quite efficient at training her juniors. She belongs to the brightest segment of Indian students. As part of her PhD, she worked on the development of new methods for chiral separation and determination of enantiomeric excess of certain pharmaceutically and biomedically important compounds. In her work she has applied certain fast and de novo reaction techniques, which have been proven to be techniques of immense importance in chiral separation. Shivani had several job offers, but her keen interest for research pushed her to accept the postdoctoral position in Taiwan, and we still now share knowledge and discuss scientific issues today. Shivani deserves this honor. I recommend her name without any reservations.

Are People with Intellectual Disabilities Getting More or Less Intelligent?

It has been well documented that over the last 60 years there has been a gradual increase in the intellectual ability of the population as a whole which has included people with low intellectual ability. The present study examined if this trend was still continuing in the UK by comparing the scaled scores given for individual raw scores on three common subtests (Symbol Search, Coding, and Digit Span) of the UK versions of the WISC-III and WISC-IV. It was found that over the 12.5 years between the two assessments being standardised there was an overall increase in intellectual ability. However, this increase was greater for those with high intellectual ability. For those with low intellectual ability there was a decline in their intellectual ability.