Cognitive and affective characteristics of giftedness and talent, delivered to Old Town Academy February 15, 2018.

1. Morgan Appel, Director
Department of Education and
Behavioral Sciences

2. This presentation and a host of related
materials and resources may be accessed
directly using Slide Share
(https://www.slideshare.net/). Just search
my name and GATE and you will be there
in a flash!

3. The Gordian Knot
The origins of the “Gordian knot,” a
term commonly used to describe a
complex or unsolvable problem, can
be traced back to a legendary chapter
in the life of Alexander the Great. As
the story goes, in 333 B.C. the
Macedonian conqueror marched his
army into the Phrygian capital of
Gordium in modern dayTurkey.
Upon arriving in the city, he
encountered an ancient wagon, its
yoke tied with what one Roman
historian later described as “several
knots all so tightly entangled that it
was impossible to see how they were
fastened.” Phrygian tradition held
that the wagon had once belonged to
Gordius, the father of the celebrated
King Midas. An oracle had declared
that any man who could unravel its
elaborate knots was destined to
become ruler of all of Asia.
From the History Channel

4.  Being gifted is a gift—unless you are the one experiencing it first hand (both
blessing and burden)
 Gifted have a tendency to look outwardly for approval and inwardly for
blame
 May experience unique pressures to ‘perform’ as if the spotlight is always
on—even when alone
 The gifted individual employs a somewhat bifurcated approach to life
(rational and emotional)
 Solutions must be epiphany based to mitigate perceived threat against the
social personality and related pushback
 The greatest risk is the social risk, and the greatest challenges for educators
and parents alike are socioemotional
 Gifted tend to be great starters, but at times lack discipline for follow
through (beginnings are always fun!)
 It becomes magnified through the lifespan and pronounced during
adolescence
 Things come naturally—without having to work hard.

5. “When we are at work, we ought to be at work.When we are at play, we ought to be
at play.There is no use trying to mix the two.” – Henry Ford
“People rarely succeed at anything unless they are having fun doing it.”
– Southwest Airlines Mission Statement
The Conceptual Age/Knowledge Economy requires creativity; empathy; happiness;
meaning; critical thinking; problem solving; effective communication; metacognitive
abilities (sound habits of mind) and collaboration.
Providing manifold opportunities for students to be creative and collaborative,
playing important and more interdependent roles in the creation of their own
learning environments that address their cognitive and affective needs.

6. Brian Bits:
Wisdom from the
Ancients
In ancient Egypt,
when humans were
preserved through
mummification, the
brain was discarded-
-viewed as a
superfluous organ. It
was believed that
the heart was the
center of all emotion
and learning.

7. How
much
do you
retain?

8. Impulse Control
Judgment
Language
Working Memory
Motor Function
Sexual Behavior
Socialization
Spontaneity
Integration of
Sensory information
From different modalities
Auditory processing
Speech
Vision
Semantics
Visual
processing
Motor control
Sensory pathways
Some cognition
‘Little Brain’

9.  Every learning activity
triggers the survival
mechanism
 Learning with emotion
is the learning that
sticks
 We make sense of our
world through
understanding patterns
and solving problems

10.  Positive feelings about a
learning experience produce
endorphins (euphoria) and
dopamine (stimulates the
prefrontal cortex)
 Negative feelings about a
learning experience produce
cortisol –which puts the brain
in survival mode and causes
anxiety
 Positive and negative feedback
work the same way Always better than OH NO!

11. The gifted brain is
much like a volcano
on the verge of
eruption.
Chaotic, swirling, yet
somehow controlled
unconsciously
seeking order and
release.
The same neurochemistry
that fuels all we love about
our gifted and talented
students cognitively also
tends to wreak tremendous
affective havoc.

12.  Functional Magnetic Resonance
Imaging (fMRIs) show ‘brain on
fire’ in gifted individuals
 Gifted individuals are
multimodal thinkers
 Great integrators and
organizers of multiple senses
and modalities
 “Hypersensitive” brains
Source: newhorizons.org

13.  Enhanced sensory
awareness that can be
further cultivated
through experience and
training
 Both initial impressions
and later recollections
are unusually vivid
 Increased memory
efficiency and capacity
 Multimodality: making
connections that others
do notSource: newhorizons.org

14.  Associational thinking;
organizational skills;
analytical thinking
 However:
 Sensory, emotional and
memory overload
 Personal disorganization
 Distractibility
 Mental fatigue
 “Analysis Paralysis”
 Burnout
Source: newhorizons.org
Dinner is ready!

15.  Gifted pupils learn with less
repetition and fewer
explanations (may be modality
specific)
 Enhanced sensitivity may lead
to distractibility and to
incorrect assumptions about
ADHD and ADD
 Distractibility should be
balanced with a degree of task
persistence (otherwise
evaluate and diagnose)
Source: newhorizons.org

16.  Incidental learning
 “Cognitive Flypaper”
 Information wealthy—
need resources to facilitate
thinking processes (the
brain thrives on process) –
not an abundance of
information
 Metacognitive training,
rumination and reflection
 Practical application
Source: newhorizons.org

17.  Cskiszentmihalyi (1970s)
 High challenge, high skill
 Clear goals (CLARITY)
 Balance between ability
level and challenge
 Immediate feedback
 Total immersion (intrinsic)—
completely absorbed
 “In the groove,” “on the
ball,” “in the zone”
 Produces feelings of
enjoyment, confidence and
balance

18. Note the way in
which age and
experience
play important part
in responding to
change.

19. Understanding the
Gifted Using Plato’s
Allegory of the Cave
In many ways, the gifted and
talented are akin to the
imprisoned featured in Plato’s
Allegory. Their perceptions are
shaped by shadow, distortion
and exaggerated interpretation
emerging from their unique
neurobiology and socio-
affective characteristics.
Thus, one of the most
important duties an educator
of the gifted has is to bring
them into daylight and offer
them a quality of life with a
lesser degree of anxiety and
intensity.
The same neurochemistry that
fuels all we love about the
gifted in the classroom can
wreak havoc emotionally.

20. OneWord Says it All:
INTENSITY
Giftedness has both intellectual
and emotional elements that
are complex, multifaceted and
layered.
Intensity impacts every aspect
of the lives of gifted and
talented individuals.They tend
to ‘go all out’ in just about
everything.
It is not that they feel more
than the non-gifted, but
experience these feelings
rather vividly and deeply.This is
an experience that can prove
alarming and warrants our
attentions.
Source (in part): SENG, 2015

21.  Emotional extremes that may change
frequently
 Body mirrors (headache, nausea, rapid
heartbeat)
 Inhibition, timidity, shyness
 Feeling of being ‘out of control’
 Concerns about death and depressive moods
 Feelings of inadequacy, inferiority
 Obsessive attachments

22.  Asynchrony: chronological
age, and social, emotional,
physical and intellectual
development are out of sync
with one another
 Difficulty finding friends with
similar interests, ability, drive
 Lack of challenge
 Question of “fit” within larger
school society
Just wait until he hears about that A -

23. Brain Bits: In Praise of
theTortured
Adolescent
In most adolescents, the part of
the brain that processes
emotions (the limbic system) is
fully operational, whereas the
regions responsible for thinking,
reflecting and controlling
emotional response (located in
the prefrontal cortex) are still
developing.
This is why many middle school
students overtly display
emotions inappropriately in the
classroom (through pained
sighs, rolling eyes and blank
looks).
A fully developed prefrontal
cortex enables most adults to
consciously dampen their
emotions.
Source: ascd.org

24.  Emotional intensity/deep emotional reactions
 Well developed senses of justice and fairness
 Strong sense of empathy, with both children and
adults
 Interest in advanced subject matter/materials (can’t
seem to understand why age peers are not
interested)
Source: Australian Government, Department of Education, Science and Training, 2008

25.  Mature, highly developed sense of humor (dry wit, satire)—
prefers verbal over visual humor
 Enjoys spending time with older children (even young adults)
 Different conceptions and expectations of friendships than
their peers
 Strong attachments to a few friends (versus having many
friends and acquaintances)
 Social pressures to moderate achievements in front of peers
 Perfectionism
 Isolationism
Source: Australian Government, Department of Education, Science and Training, 2008

26.  Individual versus group identity
 Less interested in physical competition (but not always
true)
 Depression
 Questions authority
 Overexcitability
 Underachievement
 Anxiety
 Boredom
 Withdrawal
 Hypersensitivity
Source: Australian Government, Department of Education, Science and Training, 2008

27.  Enjoy complexity
 Can be flexible thinkers
 Creative and original thinkers
 Can see relationships easily
 Enjoy hypotheses, what ifs, etc.
 Enjoy problem solving
 Are keen on aesthetics
 Engage in fantasy, role playing
 Intellectual curiosity
Source: Australian Government, Department of Education, Science and Training, 2008

28.  Have a keen understanding of synthesis of
ideas
 Skeptical, critical, evaluative
 Quick to understand underlying principles
 Have a readily accessible mental database of
facts and ideas
 Can think abstractly
Source: Australian Government, Department of Education, Science and Training, 2008

29.  Creating a “safe” environment
for gifted pupils (remove the
spotlight)
 Infuse flexibility and challenge
 Teach stress management and
time management skills
 Teach pro-social skills and
encourage non-academic
activities
 Bibliotherapy (dates back to
Ancient Greece)—using books
to solve problems, address
issuesCould have downloaded it to
your Kindle.

30.  Help to make connections—not just
academic—but human: students
with similar and divergent interests,
mentors, etc.
 Allow for time and non-threatening
environment to discuss those issues
confronting gifted pupils
(expectations, perfectionism, etc.)
 Provide opportunities for self-
reflection and understanding,
academic and otherwise
 Work with parents to address the
needs of gifted and talented in a
holistic way
 Teach courage and resiliency

32. Contact Information
Morgan Appel, Director
Department of Education and Behavioral
Sciences
UC San Diego Extension
9500 Gilman Drive #0170-N
La Jolla, California 92093-0170
858-534-9273/ mappel@ucsd.edu