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Labels of giftedness and gender‐typicality: Effects on adults' judgments of children's traits
Author(s) -
Halpern Jennifer J.,
Luria Zella
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
psychology in the schools
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1520-6807
pISSN - 0033-3085
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6807(198907)26:3<301::aid-pits2310260312>3.0.co;2-y
Subject(s) - psychology , developmental psychology , gender psychology , gender identity , social psychology
The study examines the impressions adults form of children as a function of labels of giftedness and gender‐typicality. Participants read about a child described as male/female, “gifted”/“average,” and gender‐typical/gender‐atypical in academic interests; they then responded on 30 adjective scales. Compared with children labeled “average,” children labeled “gifted” are seen as closer to odd than to fits in well. Gender‐atypical boys were considered more odd and gender‐atypical girls were rated less odd than were gender‐typical children, regardless of giftedness. There was no additive negative effect of being both gifted and gender‐atypical. Basically, participants described gifted and gender‐atypical children differently; some overlap exists between adjectives used to describe these children (e.g., odd ). Giftedness and gender‐atypicality are related but separate concepts, each with many facets. The interrelationships and diversity of the two concepts must be assessed when individuals consider the impression that gifted or gender‐atypical children make on others.