Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence
- The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- Part I Intelligence and Its Measurement
- Part II Development of Intelligence
- Part III Intelligence and Group Differences
- 11 Intellectual Disability
- 12 Prodigies and Savants
- 13 Intellectual Giftedness
- 14 Sex Differences in Intelligence
- 15 Racial and Ethnic Group Differences in Intelligence in the United States
- 16 Race and Intelligence
- Part IV Biology of Intelligence
- Part V Intelligence and Information Processing
- Part VI Kinds of Intelligence
- Part VII Intelligence and Its Role in Society
- Part VIII Intelligence and Allied Constructs
- Part IX Folk Conceptions of Intelligence
- Part X Conclusion
- Author Index
- Subject Index
- References
12 - Prodigies and Savants
from Part III - Intelligence and Group Differences
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 December 2019
- The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence
- The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- Part I Intelligence and Its Measurement
- Part II Development of Intelligence
- Part III Intelligence and Group Differences
- 11 Intellectual Disability
- 12 Prodigies and Savants
- 13 Intellectual Giftedness
- 14 Sex Differences in Intelligence
- 15 Racial and Ethnic Group Differences in Intelligence in the United States
- 16 Race and Intelligence
- Part IV Biology of Intelligence
- Part V Intelligence and Information Processing
- Part VI Kinds of Intelligence
- Part VII Intelligence and Its Role in Society
- Part VIII Intelligence and Allied Constructs
- Part IX Folk Conceptions of Intelligence
- Part X Conclusion
- Author Index
- Subject Index
- References
Summary
For about a century there has been a modest research effort to explain the nature of prodigies and savants. Savant research emerged out of the medical field and centered on deficit/remediation. Research with prodigies generally consists of case studies by psychologists with an interest in the manifestation and development of extreme talent, sometimes as part of the “gifted child” movement in the United States, more recently as anomalies in developmental psychology.
Research into both phenomena evolved to incorporate new questions, including debates over the role of general versus specific intellectual abilities in talent development. This chapter summarizes and reviews research on prodigies and savants. It also reviews what, to date, has been found about the nature and interplay of general and specific intellectual strengths and weaknesses more generally, offering a possible role for both specific talent and general ability.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence , pp. 258 - 290Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020