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Matthew effect ("the rich get richer") has been a research topic for decades. It refers to a cumulative advantage, social or individual, in talent development as well as performance or productivity, typically unfolding longitudinally. The present study builds on a previous qualitative study as an attempt to fully understand developmental underpinnings of an accelerated science career, with a focus on developmental changes as potential explanations for the observed Matthew effects. In contrast to traditional theoretical explanations that resort to either social or individual advantages, the present study, in light of Evolving Complexity Theory (ECT), uncovered developmental changes as potentially responsible for a distinct accelerated career trajectory and the apparently unfolding Matthew effects. Implications of the findings in terms of understanding the role of evolving individuality for talent development are discussed.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has been shown to enhance divergent and convergent creative thinking. Yet, how stimulation impacts creative performance over time, and what cognitive mechanisms underlie any such enhancement, remain largely unanswered questions. In the present research, we aimed to (1) verify the impact of DLPFC tDCS on both convergent and divergent thinking, and further investigated (2) the temporal dynamics of divergent thinking, focusing on the serial order effect (i.e., the tendency for ideas to become more original and less frequent over time), and (3) any role that cognitive inhibition may play in mediating any effect of stimulation on creative thinking (considering the DLPFC's involvement in driving inhibitory processes that are also relevant for creative thinking). In a within-subjects design, twenty-six participants received three types of cross-hemispheric tDCS stimulation over the DLPFC (left cathodal and right anodal, L-R+; left anodal and right cathodal, L+R-; and sham). Before stimulation, they completed a pre-flanker task measuring cognitive inhibition; during stimulation, they completed the Alternate Uses Task (AUT), Remote Associates Test (RAT), and post-flanker task. Results showed that, compared with the sham stimulation, originality of responses in the AUT was significantly enhanced in the L+R- condition, while no tDCS effect was observed for the RAT. Additionally, compared with the other stimulation conditions, we found a diminished serial order effect in the L+R- condition characterized by an accelerated production of more original ideas. Critically, the L+R- condition was accompanied by better performance on the flanker task. Our findings thus verify that L+R- tDCS over the DLPFC accelerates idea originality also providing tentative clues that inhibition may act as a cognitive mechanism underlying enhancements in divergent thinking resulting from frontal lobe neuromodulation.

This study looks at the educational experiences, from the preschool years to advanced professional training in STEM fields, of a targeted sample of 10 (7 male, 3 female) early college entrants in China who later became professors at prestigious USA research universities. The purpose of the study was to find out (1) what some identifiable endogenous factors were about these individuals that facilitated the success of their accelerated learning and development; (2) what kinds of exogenous factors (e.g., environmental opportunities, resources, support) they experienced from childhood to adulthood that enhanced the successful acceleration experience; and (3) how these endogenous and exogenous factors facilitated their developmental transitions every step of the way, especially from the role of a student to that of an aspiring scientist. These questions are addressed in light of evolving complexity theory. Retrospective interviews were used for data collection. Thematic analysis of the codes from interview data yielded a conceptual map. A distinct set of endogenous and exogenous factors at different developmental junctures were identified, and their dynamic interplay was delineated to account for accelerated trajectories toward a scientific research career. The theoretical significance and practical implications of the study for talent development in science are discussed.

Previous studies have illustrated a robust relationship between academic self-efficacy and academic performance. However, the underlying psychological mechanism of this relationship is still unclear. This study employed a moderated mediation model to examine whether academic buoyancy (ability to deal with academic challenges and setbacks in school daily life) mediated the relationship between academic self-efficacy and academic performance and whether social support moderated the mediation process. A total of 860 (M = 16.39, SD = 0.73) high school students in China completed questionnaires on academic self-efficacy, academic buoyancy, and social support. Academic performance was measured by standardized tests. The results indicated that academic buoyancy partially mediated the association between academic self-efficacy and academic performance. Social support moderated the first half of the path of the mediation model. The findings of the present study provide educational guidelines and suggestions for improving academic performance among high school students.

Two studies investigated the effects of cognitive and school environmental factors on adolescents' creative performance. The first study tested the effects of expected evaluation and cognitive style on creativity among 89 high school students. The second study tested the effects of evaluation type and cognitive style on creativity among 92 high school students. Study 1 found main effects of expected evaluation and cognitive style on creativity. The interaction between expected evaluation and cognitive style was statistically significant. Under an experimental condition of expected evaluation, field-dependent adolescents performed more creatively (i.e., higher originality) than those without expected evaluation. Study 2 uncovered main effects of expected evaluation type and cognitive style on creativity but no interactions between expected evaluation type and cognitive style. Adolescents performed better on the dimension of flexibility in a controlling evaluation condition, compared with adolescents in informational evaluation condition, and field-independent adolescents showed more fluency and originality than field-dependent adolescents. Together, this research provides a better understanding of the effects of expected evaluation and cognitive style on adolescents' creative performance. Implications for further research are discussed.

Transfer, particularly far transfer through analogic mapping and reasoning, is considered one of the mechanisms for creative problem solving. However, the cognitive paradigm of training for analogical problem solving has not met with much success. It is argued by these authors that a pedagogical model that exclusively focuses on training for analogical mapping is not effective. In this study, an alternative pedagogical approach, QEOSA, standing for Question, Explore, Optimize, Show, and Act, was tested on analogical transfer of problem solving with preschool children. This pedagogical model was informed by the creativity research with respect to creative problem solving as soft constraint satisfaction, involving both divergent and convergent processes. A randomly assigned experiment with 221 preschool children was conducted using QEOSA for 4 months (one semester). The results provide evidence of effectiveness of QEOSA in promoting far transfer. Theoretical and practical implications of the study for building an effective pedagogy of creative problem solving are discussed.

The history of giftedness pertains to historical changes regarding how giftedness is conceptualized and defined, and how it serves the practical purpose of identifying gifted children and providing them an appropriate education. The past century has witnessed debates and controversies about what constitutes this elusive human quality we deem "gifted." Overall, it has undergone significant changes from monolithic, static to more pluralistic, dynamic conceptions. The first part of this article delineates historical changes in the past 100 years in our understanding of the nature and development of giftedness, followed by the second part on the changing ways we define, assess, and identify gifted children or gifted potential for intervention purposes. The final part of this article depicts a broad trend toward expanding gifted education to a wider range of students, with the understanding that gifts and talents are widely distributed in student populations, and the deliberate cultivation of human potential should not be confined to a selected few.

The mental health problems have been increasingly threatening the development of adolescence in China, it is very necessary to explore the protective factors preventing adolescents' negative mental health. Previous studies suggested that growth mindset benefits mental health. However, the internal psychological mechanism underlying this relationship is still unclear. This study investigated the relation between growth mindset and negative mental health among Chinese adolescence, and simultaneously tested the mediating effect of psychological resilience and the moderating role of gender in the mediation process of this relation. A total of 1204 middle school students (624 male students and 580 female students) in China completed measures on growth mindset, psychological resilience, and negative mental health. The results revealed that growth mindset not only directly predicted negative mental health, but also indirectly predicted negative mental health through the mediating path of psychological resilience. Moreover, the mediating effect of psychological resilience in the relationship between growth mindset and negative mental health was moderated for females and not males. These findings indicated that intervention focus on growth mindset could improve psychological resilience and prevent negative mental health among middle school students. Practitioner Points: This study explored the relationship between growth mindset and negative mental health, and underlying psychological mechanism through psychological resilience and gender.Growth mindset not only directly predicted negative mental health, but also indirectly predicted negative mental health through the mediating path of psychological resilience.The mediating effect of psychological resilience in the relationship between growth mindset and negative mental health was moderated for females and not males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study tested the effects of extrinsic motivation on scientific and artistic creativity among Chinese middle school students. In Study 1, a between-groups design was applied to examine the effects of expected rewards on scientific and artistic creativity among 123 students, and in Study 2 the same design was applied to examine the effects of expected evaluation from different raters on scientific and artistic creativity among 120 students. We also considered the effects of grade and gender in both studies. The results of Study 1 indicated that expected material reward had significant negative effects on scientific creativity for 7th graders, while expected social reward had significant positive effects on scientific creativity for 8th graders, and both expected material and social rewards had significant positive effects on artistic creativity. The results of Study 2 indicated that expected evaluation from teachers and classmates had significant negative effects on scientific creativity and significant positive effects on artistic creativity. These results suggest that there is no one-size-fits-all answer to the effects of extrinsic motivation and creativity, Factors such as culture, type of extrinsic motivation, grade, and domains of creativity must be fully considered when cultivating adolescents' creativity.

Historically, the potential of a person has been perceived as fixed and primarily inherited, thus, different from achievement. Current thinking broadens our view of human potential, not as a fixed capacity, but as malleable and incremental, depending on multiple factors, exogenous as well as endogenous, facilitative or inhibitive. This conception opens the door for new ways of thinking about strategies and provisions of gifted education. In this theoretical analysis, I first critique the traditional trait conception of human potential undergirding gifted education practice. I then present an alternative, a process model of talent development, that views human potential as contextually and developmentally shaped, a result of dynamic interplay of endogenous and exogenous forces, revealing the power of nurture as well as nature. Finally, I discuss the policy and practical implications of this new conception of human potential for gifted education.

Talent development constitutes an important phenomenon of human development; yet it is rarely considered a mainstream topic in the field of child and adolescent development. Conversely, in the field of gifted and talented studies, various talent development (TD) models developed in the past have had minimal interaction with the literature on child and adolescent development, despite the urgent need for TD models and theories that focus on developmental processes rather than individual traits. In this article, I first identify reasons why talent development has been overlooked, and why existing TD models were not able to pick up the slack. I then introduce developmental systems approaches as a new trend in research, and explain how it reinstates the topic of talent development in developmental research, and by so doing enriches our understanding of human development. I then explore the viability of talent development research and theoretical development being guided by the developmental systems framework. Finally, I identify potential contributions of talent development research to the field of child and adolescent development. My overarching argument is that a relational developmental systems approach to talent development provides a new window for the field to explore the nature and development of human potential.

The case method enjoys a long tradition in fields such as medicine, law, and business, but is a relatively novel method in teacher education programs. The current study adds to the growing number of studies examining the effects of case-based instruction on students' cognition, affect, and/or behavior. This study specifically examined students' understanding of the purpose of the case method and the impact of the case method on students' changing views of teaching and learning. Results of survey responses, in-depth interviews, and student essays suggest that students "get" the case method and that students leave the course with a more integrated view of teaching and learning. (Contains 1 table.)

This article presents a new theory of talent development, evolving complexity theory (ECT), in the context of the changing theoretical directions as well as the landscape of gifted education. I argue that gifted education needs a new foundation that provides a broad psychosocial basis than what the notion of giftedness can afford. A focus on talent development rather than giftedness should be based on a theory of talent development that is truly developmental, treating the developing person as an open, dynamic, and adaptive system, changing oneself adaptively while interacting with environmental opportunities and challenges. To introduce ECT, I first delineate the meaning and significance of four dimensions or "parameters" of talent development undergirding this new theory: domain, person, development, and culture. I then describe how ECT explicates the developmental processes and transitions as the result of human adaptations to environmental opportunities and challenges. More specifically, ECT uses the constructs of characteristic and maximal adaptation to elucidate how domain, person, development, and culture jointly shape a particular line of talent development, and how cognitive, affective, and social processes interact to push and sustain a critical transition from characteristic adaptation to maximal adaptation, eventually leading to high-caliber performance and creative productivity. I finally discuss the theoretical contributions and practical utilities of ECT for future research and practice.

In this response to Sternberg's (2017) feature article in this special issue, we identify and define a kind of closed-minded, dogmatic, self-serving thinking that is nowadays quite prevalent around the world but counterproductive in solving many social problems. We argue that overcoming such a mindset takes wisdom and creativity. We present some preliminary findings of our research showing that, by encouraging creative problem solving with real-life dilemmas, educators can effectively cultivate the wisdom and creativity of children even in preschool years and help overcome such a mindset, an obstacle to the kind of citizenry and ethical leadership Sternberg advocates. [For Sternber's feature article, "ACCEL: A New Model for Identifying the Gifted," see EJ1148989.]

This article attempts to address the question of how to make gifted education more equitable and productive by shifting priorities to talent development for all rather than confining itself to the "gifted." I first present an overview of political and ethical considerations in selecting a few for talent or creativity development. I then argue for a form of meritocracy in education for the purpose of producing talents, leaders, and frontier explorers that is different from what is often perceived as "elitist" and that is viable and important for the common good as well as for the individuals involved. I then discuss how we can negotiate and balance priorities of equity, excellence, and diversity. In light of this form of meritocracy, I suggest that the Talent Development Paradigm be adopted as a promising alternative to the Gifted Child Paradigm for the future of gifted education.

In this grounded theory qualitative study, we interviewed 34 graduates from one cohort of 51 students from a prestigious early college entrance program in China. Based on the interview data, we identified distinct convergent and divergent patterns of lived experiences and changes. We found several dominant themes, including peers' mutual stimulation for excellence, academic competition, big-fish-little-pond effect, coping with academic challenges, transition to college life, developing intrinsic interests, and making critical career decisions. Based on the thematic analysis, we developed a Cope-and-Grow model of strivings for academic excellence while developing one's self-identity. Three interrelated claims are made about the unique situation in which early college entrants found themselves, individual differences in coping and growing experiences, and intrapersonal changes over time. Rich connections are made between the Cope-and-Grow model and the extant empirical research and theories, such as aptitude theory, developmental asynchrony theory, and talent development theory. We also discussed the implications of the findings for curricular and instructional adaptation, counseling interventions, and future research.

This article introduces the Special Class for the Gifted Young (SCGY), an early college entrance program in mathematics and science in China, which has been a focus for media coverage and public discussion of accelerated education in China. We first describe the admission policy and academic programming of SCGY and delineate its distinct features. Next we summarize findings regarding the long-term trajectories and accomplishments of its graduates. We then present our interview studies with graduates of SCGY and raise a set of questions for future research. The evidence shows that, when admission policy, academic programming, and student support are fashioned to optimize student learning and growing experiences, early college entrance programs can be effective ways of producing a pipeline of talents to the benefit of society while also benefiting the individuals involved.

Gifted education is leading an interdisciplinary paradigm shift moving education out of its historic role of entrenching systemic inequities. It is a crucible for pioneering investigations of optimal human development and provides a vehicle for increasing social equity. We review changing conceptions of intelligence, motivation and creativity, and consider current findings on processes that affect the development of high ability. We discuss the role of context and neuroscience as they apply to understanding the development of giftedness. We describe changing emphases in gifted education, focusing on the shift from categorical homogeneity to developmental diversity, concluding that giftedness and talent are best understood as dynamic, fluid, domain-specific and context-sensitive processes. Finally, we consider implications for educational practice: How do these changes impact definition, prediction, identification, programming, psychosocial practices and teacher development, opening up opportunities for optimal learning, development and fulfillment across the population, and across the life span?