The cognitive profile of intellectual giftedness

  1. Asensio, David 1
  2. Fernández-Mera, Ana 1
  3. Duñabeitia, Jon Andoni 1
  1. 1 International Chair in Cognitive Health, Universidad Nebrija
Journal:
International Journal of Educational Psychology: IJEP

ISSN: 2014-3591

Year of publication: 2023

Issue Title: October

Volume: 12

Issue: 3

Pages: 233-250

Type: Article

DOI: 10.17583/IJEP.11828 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openDialnet editor

More publications in: International Journal of Educational Psychology: IJEP

Sustainable development goals

Abstract

Previous literature has suggested the existence of a close relationship between individuals’ intellectual abilities and their cognitive profile, understood as their performance in tasks tapping into the different cognitive domains. This relationship has typically been discussed in populations characterized as having high intellectual abilities, as is the case of gifted children and adolescents. In this study, the cognitive profile in domains of memory, attention, coordination, perception, and reasoning of a group of gifted children and adolescents was contrasted with a control group similar in age distribution, gender and socioeconomic level but with normotypical development. The results indicated that participants in the gifted group scored higher than those in the control group in all cognitive domains. The differences in cognitive abilities were not consistent across all areas, meaning that some cognitive abilities did not show significant differences, while others did. These results help to identify a more precise cognitive profile of gifted individuals, yielding a better understanding of the relationship between intelligence and cognitive abilities. The study provides evidence that allows delving into the most differential and characteristic aspects of giftedness.

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