World Perception and High Intellectual Ability: A Comparative Study

Abstract

From a neuroconstructivist point of view and a developmental model of high intellectual abilities (HIA), the aim of this study is to understand the world perception of high intellectual children, which results from their cognitive complexity and other traits such as their high context sensitivity. An intentional sample of N = 80 boys and girls, of which a group of n = 40 children with HIA (n = 40), aged 7, 9, and 11 years old has been studied and compared with a paired control group of n = 40 students with typical intelligence. BADyG and TCTT tests were administered to determine their intellectual profiles multidimensionally. They were also given the Autobiography Questionnaire Form U in order to capture their world perception. The multivariate analysis of variance (GLM) shows an earlier and more advanced world perception among HIA participants, with higher fluency and abstraction in perceiving problems and solutions compared to subjects with typical intelligence. The coefficient of generalizability is high (.822). The conclusions suggest the relevance to design educational programs for an ethical guide of moral sensitivity differentially wide and early in HIA students.

Keywords

• high intellectual ability
• gifted students
• talented students
• typical students
• moral development
• world perception
• cognitive processes
• ethics of education