Talent Development Research - From Potential to Performance

"How are giftedness, talent, and competence differentiated from a scientific perspective?"

Giftedness is often defined as the performance potential that a person brings with them based on their genetic makeup.
Talent, on the other hand, is spoken of when someone already shows special or above-average performance in a certain area. That is, the talent has already been (partially) translated into performance. For example, a person who plays the piano particularly well would be called a talented piano player.
Competencies can be seen as an umbrella term for systematically acquired knowledge and skills in an area. In contrast to talent, which refers to special or above-average performance, the concept of competence covers the entire performance spectrum.

"Where does giftedness end and when does intellectual giftedness begin?"

It is only a question of definition at what point you can speak of giftedness. In the case of intelligence, an IQ of 130 and higher is often used as a criterion. This concerns about 2.3% of the population. In other definitions, intellectual giftedness is equated with the top 10%.

"What is the relationship between giftedness and competence?"

Competencies are built through systematic learning; in many cases accompanied by appropriate instruction in educational institutions. If there is a high level of giftedness in one area (e.g., a high level of linguistic giftedness), these competencies can usually be acquired more quickly and higher levels of performance can also be achieved.

"How does creativity develop? What role does creativity play in giftedness research?"

Creativity is one of several facets of giftedness and plays a crucial role in many areas.
Contrary to a common myth that all children are born highly creative and that school makes them increasingly uncreative, it has been shown that creative ideas and products require an extensive knowledge base. The more knowledge exists, the more likely it is to be combined in original ways. Accordingly, creative performance increases rather than decreases as a result of knowledge accumulation in school.

"Do we need a 'creative' environment to be able to optimally (further) develop potential?"

For all facets of giftedness (e.g., intellectual, musical, social-emotional, physical), it is true that a nurturing environment is needed for potential to develop into achievement. Creativity is often emphasized because creative ideas or approaches are often not valued both at school and at work. In this regard, there are also numerous collections of "killer phrases" such as "We've always done it that way." or "Tradition demands it that way."

"From the perspective of giftedness research, do all people have the same potential?"

Not more than the fact that hardly every person has the same genetic predisposition. One can assume that the potentials of each facet of giftedness are normally distributed. That is, while most people have average potential, fewer have lower and higher potential. Psychologically and pedagogically important is the consideration of the individual giftedness profile, so that strengths can be promoted and weaknesses reduced.

"Can giftedness be learned or is it largely predetermined from birth in the sense of potential?"

If talents are defined as performance potentials, the genetic features set the upper limit of the achievable maximum. Whether this is reached, however, depends on the environment. If a child has a high musical talent but grows up in an environment where this talent is not recognized and encouraged, this high potential will not be able to develop into a talent or high performance.

"Does giftedness need to be nurtured, practiced, and trained?"

Undoubtedly. If you take it conceptually, it is not the giftedness in the sense of potentials that need to be fostered, but the development of performance from these potentials. This is often referred to as talent development. The proverbs "No one is born a master" and "Practice makes perfect" also correspond to the current state of research: Without learning and practice, talents cannot develop.

"What role does the social environment (including parents and school) play in recognizing and fostering potential?"

The most important one. In order to be able to recognize and promote giftedness, appropriate offers must be made. First, giftedness in one area (e.g., music) cannot be recognized until there is an opportunity to explore that area (e.g., by trying out different musical instruments). For example, if younger children show a high level of playful interest as well as ease and speed of learning, this can be interpreted as an indication of giftedness in that area. Second, once giftedness has been identified, systematic support is needed to develop skills in this area (e.g., through a music class).

"How can parents, but also teachers, recognize that giftedness lies behind this moderate performance (also "underachievement") ?"

Intellectual giftedness can be estimated through intelligence tests. If the intelligence level deviates from school performance, it is an indicator of underachievement. In addition, a closer look at past performance and social environment is needed to determine other reasons for poor(er) school performance and low motivation.

"Do highly gifted students need different learning environments to fully realize their high achievement potential?"

To some extent, highly gifted students can be supported through appropriate design (e.g., differentiated instruction) in the regular school classroom. In addition, measures to speed them through the curriculum (e.g., skipping classes, completing college courses) and additional offerings (e.g., extracurricular courses, summer academies) are effective.

"Is giftedness predominantly savantism?"

On the contrary. Intellectually gifted individuals usually perform very well on tasks from a variety of domains. After all, achieving performance excellence requires increasing specialization.

"Do highly gifted individuals always exhibit deficits in the social and/or emotional domains?"

This is a widespread myth. There are now extensive longitudinal studies over several decades that clearly show that there is no correlation between highly giftedness and social/emotional deficits. These occur with similar frequency in the highly gifted and the averagely gifted.

"Can a connection be made between talent and occupational field?"

Success in a professional field requires certain giftedness profiles. For example, a strong numerical-mathematical talent is more important for a technical profession than for a writer.

"What role does giftedness play in career choice?"

These should be taken into account alongside interests in any case. Giftedness shows a higher correlation with career success than interests. That is, what we are interested in is often not what we are gifted for. Particularly in young people, interests still fluctuate greatly and are influenced by a variety of factors. As we get older, there is a certain alignment of interest and giftedness. We recognize what we are successful at and eventually develop greater motivation and interest in it.