Detterman D K
Department of Psychology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106-7123.
Ciba Found Symp. 1993;178:22-31; discussion 31-43. doi: 10.1002/9780470514498.ch3.
Giftedness, like other rare phenomena, is often explained by principles beyond those used to explain the normal variation of mental ability. Before parsimony is abandoned and additional principles are invoked, the following five points should be considered. (1) Gifted samples often have restricted ranges, reducing correlations with intelligence and making standard tests insensitive to relationships that may exist. Though this is an obvious point, it is frequently overlooked. (2) Theories of intelligence that view g as a single global ability are inadequate. Intelligence is better seen as a complex system of independent but interrelated parts. Measures of g are global ratings of system functioning, but global measures do not explain mental ability in terms of either more basic cognitive abilities or underlying brain functioning. More basic explanations of intelligence are essential for understanding giftedness. (3) Correlations among intellectual abilities are lowest for persons of high intelligence. Specific skills will be less highly correlated among the gifted. (4) Heritability of cognitive abilities may differ across the intelligence range, though evidence on this point is mixed. (5) Achievement and intelligence are different things. Discrepancies between intelligence and achievement are due to environment. Such a finding is consistent with the idiosyncratic development of giftedness.
天赋，如同其他罕见现象一样，常常由一些超出用于解释心理能力正常变异的原则来解释。在放弃简约原则并引入额外原则之前，应考虑以下五点。（1）有天赋的样本范围往往有限，这降低了与智力的相关性，并使标准测试对可能存在的关系不敏感。尽管这是一个显而易见的要点，但却经常被忽视。（2）将g视为单一整体能力的智力理论是不充分的。智力更应被看作是一个由独立但相互关联的部分组成的复杂系统。g的测量是系统功能的整体评级，但整体测量并不能从更基本的认知能力或潜在的大脑功能方面解释心理能力。对智力进行更基本的解释对于理解天赋至关重要。（3）高智力者的智力能力之间的相关性最低。有天赋者的特定技能之间的相关性会更低。（4）认知能力的遗传度在不同智力范围内可能有所不同，尽管关于这一点的证据并不一致。（5）成就和智力是不同的概念。智力与成就之间的差异归因于环境。这一发现与天赋的特质性发展是一致的。
