A longitudinal study of exceptional giftedness and creativity

This article summarizes a longitudinal study of exceptionally gifted boys, with particular emphasis on findings involving their creative potential. The longitudinal investigation began 2 decades ago with 2 exceptionally gifted samples. These samples represented equivalent levels of ability but different areas or domains of talent. One was exceptionally gifted in math and science, the other a high-IQ group (mean IQ = 155). Data were collected from the boys and their parents. The present article summarizes group differences in expectations of independence, California Psychological Inventory (CPI; Gough, 1975) scales, and divergent thinking (DT) test scores. Relations among predictors are also discussed, as are relations with indexes of creative potential. In addition to group differences, notable findings include the strong relation between mothers' expectations for their sons' independence and the DT of the sons and the high flexibility scores of the exceptionally gifted samples on the CPI.