Psychology

Maria Castro

SimontonsTheoryofTalent2018fornotetaking.pptx

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Simonton’s Theory of Talent

(1999)

Simonton's Theory of Talent 2018 for note taking

I. Introduction

A. Previous observations

1. Most child prodigies …

2. The vast majority of exceptional adult performers…

3. Intelligence as necessary, but not sufficient for creative genius.

4. Dedication to work as necessary, but not sufficient for creative genius.

5. Expert performance as necessary, but not sufficient…

Simonton's Theory of Talent 2018 for note taking

A. Previous observations (e.g., Ericsson and Charness)

1. Most child prodigies never attain exceptional levels of performance as adults.

2. The vast majority of exceptional adult performers were never child prodigies.

B. Views of intelligence.

1. General capacity (e.g., Spearman’s ‘g’)

2. Specific domain (e.g., Gardner’s multiple intelligences)

3. Inherited (Galton)

C. Genius/Exceptional talent is extremely rare.

(There are lots of people with high IQs; there are very few geniuses.)

Simonton's Theory of Talent 2018 for note taking

B. Genius/Exceptional talent is extremely rare.

(There are many more people with high IQs than there are creative geniuses.)

Simonton's Theory of Talent 2018 for note taking

A. Previous observations (e.g., Ericsson and Charness)

1. Most child prodigies never attain exceptional levels of performance as adults.

2. The vast majority of exceptional adult performers were never child prodigies.

B. Views of intelligence.

1. General capacity (e.g., Spearman’s ‘g’)

2. Specific domain (e.g., Gardner’s multiple intelligences)

3. Inherited (Galton)

C. Genius/Exceptional talent is extremely rare.

(There are lots of people with high IQs; there are very few geniuses.)

Simonton's Theory of Talent 2018 for note taking

II. Definition of Talent

Simonton's Theory of Talent 2018 for note taking

1. Deliberate practice (and other forms of expertise acquisition) are assumed rather than dismissed.

2. Talent is necessarily innate.

Simonton's Theory of Talent 2018 for note taking

III. Emergenic Individual Differences

A. EMERGENESIS

1. A physical or psychological attribute that shows no heritability in fraternal twins and other siblings might display remarkably high heritability for identical twins.

2. For some traits, monozygotic twins are “too similar” relative to dizygotic twins.

Simonton's Theory of Talent 2018 for note taking

3. Typical Twin Pattern: IQ

identical: .86

fraternal: .60

siblings

reared together: .47

Simonton's Theory of Talent 2018 for note taking

4. Atypical Patterns

Creative Personality Scale: intelligence, insightfulness, reflectiveness, originality, inventiveness, wide interests, resourcefulness, self-confidence, unconventionality, and individualism (partial list).

Monozygotic twins reared apart: r = .54

Dizygotic twins reared apart: r = -.06 (i.e., zero).

Simonton's Theory of Talent 2018 for note taking

“This outcome suggests that the more than two dozen descriptors that define this scale must form a unified configuration for creative behavior to occur (p.449).”

Simonton's Theory of Talent 2018 for note taking

More Examples of Emergenic Inheritance (Simonton, 1999)

Social Potency: self-perceived ability to influence, lead, or dominate.

Traits: attractiveness, self-confidence, assertiveness, dominance (i.e., charisma).

Monozygotic twins: r = .67

Dizygotic twins: r = .07

Expressive Control: ability to impress and entertain people, engage effectively in role-playing, mimic other persons, practice deception successfully.

Monozygotic twins: r = .76

Dizygotic twins: r = .16

Simonton's Theory of Talent 2018 for note taking

Social potency and expressive control are both associated with effective leadership.

Simonton, D. K. (1999). Talent and its development: An emergenic and epigenetic model. Psychological Review, 106, 435-457.

Simonton's Theory of Talent 2018 for note taking

5. An individual difference variable is EMERGENIC when it consists of

6. Main Implication:

Simonton's Theory of Talent 2018 for note taking

B. Main Assumption:

C. Weighted Multiplicative Model

1. List components required for a given talent domain.

2. Assign a weight to each component (i.e., its importance).

3. Multiply them together to calculate talent.

4. Implication:

Simonton's Theory of Talent 2018 for note taking

Simonton's Theory of Talent 2018 for online delivery

I think of the weighted multiplicative model as a really wide slot machine (or series of linked slot machines).

Creative geniuses have won a sort of genetic lottery in which they inherit just the right combination of genes.

Think of the Compensatory Advantage Model: low to moderate levels of mood disorder may increase creativity, while lower or higher levels reduce it.

Simonton's Theory of Talent 2018 for note taking

Simonton's Theory of Talent 2018 for online delivery

And this is why identical twins will be so similar, but fraternal twins and siblings will have no correlations at all.

Simonton's Theory of Talent 2018 for note taking

D. Six Implications of the Emergenic Model

Simonton's Theory of Talent 2018 for note taking

Domain Specificity of Trait

a. Not a single, highly specialized component that determines performance in a talent domain.

b. Rather, a multiplicative composite of separate components.

c. Some are domain specific (e.g., musical pitch for composers)

d. Not all traits will be domain specific (e.g., ability to work hard).

2. Heterogeneity of Component Profile

a. Persons of equal talent may be strong on different components.

b. Persons of no talent will have different component profiles.

6. Variable Complexity of Talent Domains

Single Trait: Terman’s gifted

Many Traits: opera composition, architecture, choreography.

Martha Graham needed kinesthetic skills, spatial visual skills, musical skills, interpersonal skills (to manage a group of dancers), mathematical ability (to handle accounting for the company), intrapersonal skills, and muscular/skeletal/physiological attributes to dance in the first place.

Simonton's Theory of Talent 2018 for note taking