Peer status is an important indicator and predictor of adjustment. While gifted children tend to enjoy favorable peer status, their social functioning during adolescence is less clear. The current study seeks to enhance this understanding by examining both preference- and reputation-based peer status of gifted adolescents. Peer nominations were…

Despite its importance in social development, social understanding has hardly been studied in high-ability children. This study explores differences in social understanding between children in high-ability and regular classrooms, specifically theory of mind (ToM) and perception accuracy, as well as associations between individual characteristics…

This study developed and tested a new model of the forced choice dilemma (i.e., the belief held by some intellectually gifted students that they must choose between academic achievement and peer acceptance) that incorporates individual-level cultural orientation variables (i.e., vertical allocentrism and vertical idiocentrism). A survey that had…

There has been a scarcity of research studies addressing the dilemmas of peer relationships confronting gifted adolescent females. In this study, the peer relationships of nine mathematically gifted adolescent females living in Taiwan are explored using a qualitative multicase study. Data analysis revealed six compelling themes: a proclivity for…

Much of the research on the social coping of students with gifts and talents has relied on a single administration of an instrument while the participants were attending a summer program. This study attempts to understand how attendance at a residential high school (academy) may affect academically gifted students over time. Students in two…

Four studies focus upon possible changes in the extent to which children consult adults and peers at the preadol escent (fourth grade) stage. A sharp change at the preadolescent stage to consult peers was confirmed. (CD)

The study with gifted children (N=64) in grades 4-8 with classroom peers (N=432) not identified as gifted found gifted boys were the most popular although gifted girls were the least popular. Overall, children not identified as gifted were rejected more and boys were rejected more than girls. (Author/DB)

Approximately 500 students in special programs for the gifted were surveyed regarding their attitudes toward the programs and especially toward their identification as gifted. (DLS)

A study investigated how 11 successful high school female students described the impact of competition on their academic and social lives. Competition was viewed by participants as a negative behavior. When faced with situations of competition, students preferred to concentrate on prosocial behaviors that promoted interpersonal relationships.…

Sixty-two gifted and 61 comparison students (ages 8 to 14) rated hypothetical male and female characters for academic achievement, academic effort, and athleticism. Analysis indicated that perceptions about academic achievement and athleticism were important determinants of a character's acceptance, but that academic effort was not. Gifted and…

Gifted adolescents (N=184) completed the Attitude Toward Giftedness Questionnaire. Results indicated they were positive about their giftedness but did not believe that others were positive, and that they viewed giftedness as positive for their personal growth and academic performance but negative for their social relations. (Author/DB)

The article reviews research regarding the peer relationships of children considered gifted because of IQ or academic rank. Studies are noted with preschool, elementary, and high school gifted populations. (SB)

Evaluation of peer relations of 53 intermediate grade students participating in a pull-out enrichment program found that these children, relative to classmates, were evaluated positively by peers, demonstrated greater awareness of reciprocity in friendship relationships, and were perceived less often as either an aggressor or victim of aggression.…

A study observed 32 eighth-grade students, divided according to their educational program placements, working on various tasks in either homogeneous or heterogeneous ability groups. Homogeneously congregated, gifted children exchanged constructive types of knowledge and prosocial feedback significantly more often than other homogeneous groups or…

This study explored the relationships between social coping and psychological distress in a sample of Chinese students in Hong Kong. These students, nominated by their schools to join university gifted programs, were assessed with respect to their nonverbal IQ (nonverbal reasoning) social coping strategies in response to being gifted, and…