Define giftedness and list the proportion of individuals classified as gifted and as "geniuses"; describe the early signs of giftedness in children; and discuss Terman's study of the gifted and what he found separated the successful from the unsuccessful gifted

What will be an ideal response?

Answer will include that giftedness can be either the possession of a high IQ or of special talents or aptitudes. Only two people out of 100 score above 130 on IQ tests. These bright individuals are usually described as "gifted.". Less than one half of one percent of the population scores above 140 . These people are certainly gifted or perhaps even "geniuses.". However, some psychologists reserve the term "genius" for people with even higher IQs or those who are exceptionally creative. The following signs may reveal that a child is gifted: a tendency to seek out older children and adults; an early fascination with explanations and problem solving; talking in complete sentences as early as two or three years of age; an unusually good memory,; precocious talent in art, music, or number skills; an early interest in books, along with early reading (often by age three); and showing of kindness, understanding, and cooperation toward others. In order to find out if high IQ scores in childhood predict later ability, Lewis Terman selected 1,500 children with IQs of 140 or more. Terman followed this gifted group