The Cognitive Processing of Gifted, High Average, and Low Average Ability Students

Abstract

Despite considerable interest over recent ycars in the subject of gifted children, there has been little research into the cognitive processing of such children as compared with normal or above average children. This study examined the processing of 323 Grades 5 and 6 children from the Newcastle (NSW) area, using Luria's simultaneous/successive model of cognitive processing as a basis for the investigation. Among the subjects were 75 who were identified as being "gifted". Results showed that in the areas of successive processing and low level planning the gifted subjects were not significantly better than their above average counterparts, but in the areas of high level planning and simultaneous processing significant differences were recorded. From these results a number of developmental ceilings were suggested.

Inside the Zone of Proximal Development: Validating a Multifactor Model of Learning Potential with Gifted Students and Their Peers

“…[ourtial for the Education of the Gifted several previous studies, academically gifted students of a similar age have been characterized by high abilities in executive and simultaneous synthesis (Geake, 1994;Karnes & McCallum, 1983;Schofield & Ashman, 1987). In the present study, the gifted students were consistent with their gifted peers only in terms of their significantly higher scores for simultaneous synthesis when compared with their nongifted peers.…”

“…These components were included as grouping criteria based on Schofield and Ashman's (1987) finding that gifted children have higher abilities on simultaneous and executive syntheses when compared with nongifted children. Five students formed the gifted group as a result of satisfying both the SBV and component criteria.…”

WISC-R Profiles of Children with Superior Intellectual Ability

“…and auditory sequential memory (digit span). Therefore, as a group, children of superior intelligence or above are most advanced in areas of complex cognitive functioning and relatively less advanced in lower level thinking skills (Schofield & Ashman, 1987).…”

Learning potentials of gifted students

“…It plays an essential role in the development of new ways of remembering, learning and problemsolving (Borkowski & Peck, 1986). Individual and ability-related differences have been found in children's metacognitive awareness (e.g., Dover & Shore, 1991), control of their thinking (e.g., Carr & Borkowski, 1987;Span & Overtoom-Corsmit, 1986;Wong, 1982), problem solving (Shore & Dover, 1987), and in "higher level planning and simultaneous processing functions" (Schofield & Ashman, 1987 only what you know but how you use it that may distinguish the average thinker from the wise one. Metacognition has received an enormous amount of attention in the research literature but only a few sample studies will be mentioned here.…”