The role of chance in talent development appears in the gifted education literature and also in lay discussions of high ability. Nevertheless, chance as a factor in talent development is frequently misunderstood. This analysis scrutinizes some common beliefs and scholarly perspectives on the effects of chance in the development of high ability,…

The question proposed to the debaters, "Is consensus on a definition of giftedness in the field possible, desirable, or necessary?" appears to request a choice between three independent alternatives. In this article, the author illustrates what the lack of consensus among scholars and professionals really looks like. A brief survey of the current…

How well do early school entrants adjust socio-affectively when compared to their regularly admitted peers? Despite numerous publications on the subject, much controversy remains, mainly because of methodologically fragile studies. To assess the impact of a new early entrance policy in Quebec, 36 kindergarten and 42 Grade 2 teachers who had at…

Criticizes Morelock's (1996) attempt at differentiating giftedness from talent, in part because it chooses precocious development instead of outstanding human abilities as the essence of giftedness and endorses the "talent for all" ideology. Gagne's Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent is presented as a more logical approach. (Author/CR)

This rejoinder to Morelock's response to criticism of the Columbus Group definition of giftedness and talent addresses continuing concerns and defends the Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent. Giftedness is described as encompassing natural abilities and is distinct from the "talent potential" definition that is offered by Morelock. (CR)

Of 341 adults, half estimated the incidence of giftedness in Quebecers and half estimated the incidence of talent, and reported on differences between being gifted and being talented. The average estimate for talented persons was 36%, with 17% for gifted persons; the perceived discrepancy was the same even for those respondents who judged the two…

This article offers a model that distinguishes between natural abilities (or aptitudes) and systematically developed skills (talents). Aptitudes are seen as the constituent elements of talents, which are developed by such constructs as motivation, temperament, and significant persons. The model is then applied to the appropriate use of labels for…