Cahan and Gejman (1993) investigated the constancy of IQ scores in gifted children, seeking to fill the gap in empirical research on the topic and explore possible cross-cultural differences. The study analyzed the IQ scores on the WISC-R test of 161 Israeli children identified as gifted by the Jerusalem Psychological Service between 1981 and 1984. Participants were re-evaluated after an interval of 1 to 4 years.
The results revealed that 86% of the children maintained their gifted classification in the retest. The absolute mean differences between the tests ranged from 1/3 to 1/2 standard deviation (5-8 IQ points) for the Verbal, Execution and Total scores, and from 1/2 to 3/4 standard deviation for the of subtests. In general, Execution scores remained constant, while Verbal scores tended to decrease. No consistent differences attributable to age of identification or interval between assessments were found.
The study concluded that although there was a decline in IQ scores, the majority of children maintained their gifted classification, supporting the assumption of constancy that underpins the early identification of students for gifted programs, at least during the early years of school. fundamental. However, the authors emphasize that these results should not be interpreted as a justification for uniquely identifying gifted children, especially considering that the study time span was relatively short and did not include adolescence, a period in which major changes are expected.
In short, the study by Cahan and Gejman (1993) offers empirical evidence about the constancy of IQ scores in gifted children, with important implications for the identification and support of these students. The research highlights the need for more comprehensive longitudinal studies to investigate the stability of IQ scores over time, especially during adolescence and in different cultural contexts.
Reference:
CAHAN, S.; GEJMAN, A. Constancy of IQ scores among gifted children . Roeper Review, vol. 15, no. 3, p. 140-143, 1993.
