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Francis Galton
English Scientist credited with first intelligence testing based on genetics. Author of Book "Hereditary Genius"(Davis, Rimm, & Siegle, 2010). -
Alfred Binet
French pyschologist who came up with the idea of mental age (Davis et al., 2010). Helped develop the first IQ tests along with Theodore Simon, known as the Binet-Simon Scale (Davis et al., 2010). This series of tests was used to identify lower cognitive skills in order to separate them into specialized classrooms (National Association for Gifted Children, n.d.) -
Lewis Terman
American psychologist considered the "Father of Gifted Education", he helped americanize, expand, and modify the Binet-Simon Scale (Davis et al., 2010). He is also known for the longest gifted study to date which identified 1,528 gifted children know as "termites" (Davis et al., 2010). In 1925, he published the "Genetic Studies of Genius", the first of five volumes of research spanning 40 years (National Association for Gifted Children, n.d.). -
Leta Hollingworth
American psychologist considered the "Nurturant Mother" to gifted students, she focused on the 1% of exceptional children and the idea that genetics were not the only factor effecting academic achievement (Davis et al., 2010). She worked to find and develop new ways to identify, teach, and counsel gifted children through the Special Opportunity Class, which helped her later, in 1936, open the Speyer School for gifted students, age 7-9 (National Association for Gifted Children, n.d.). -
Joseph Renzulli
American educational psychologist who developed the Three-Ring Model of Giftedness, he also helped develop the National Research Center on Gifted and Talented to conduct research on gifted education problems, with the hopes of influencing practices and policies (Davis et al., 2010). -
Abraham Tannenbaum
Social psychologist who published the influential five-point “Sea Star” model for identifying potentially gifted children, he also wrote the 1983 book Gifted Children: Psychological and Educational Perspectives, which is considered a very important book in gifted education (Teachers College Columbia University, 2014). -
Howard Gardner
American developmental psychologist who developed the Multi Intellegence Theory, recognizing giftedness in children due to abilities in different areas than just linguistic or logical-mathematical Davis et al., 2010). -
Calvin Taylor
American Psychologist who developed the idea of multiple talent totem poles, recognizing all children regardless of background or economic class (Human Intelligence, 2013). Students have different strengths, which move them up the pole in comparison to thier peers (Human Intelligence, 2013). Using this model, Taylor recognized on average a third of studetns as having some sort of giftedness (Human Intelligence, 2013). -
Hernstein and Murray
Herrnstein is a psychologist and Murray is a political scientist, and together they wrote "The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life" to show intelligence and IQ were the defining traits of giftedness (Davis et al., 2010). This book sparked much controversy as it ignored the ideas of race, socio class, and many said, focused on only the elite (Davis et al., 2010). -
Robert Sternberg
American psychologist and psychometrician who focused on the "Sounds of Silence", showing how society responds to gifted individuals, such as the lack of funding or laws designed to protect these individuals (Davis et al., 2010). He strives to educate others about gifted education, and help develop ways of identifying these learners and building gifted programs to meet their needs (Davis et al., 2010). -
Francoys Gagné
Canadian psychologist who distinguished between gifts and talents, but recognized giftedness in only 10% of the population based on his Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (Gagné, 2000). He believes that these abilities and talents are influenced by four environmental catalysts: intellectual, creative, socioaffective, and sensorimotor (Gagné, 2000). -
Donna Ford
Professor, philosopher, and researcher who focuses on disadvantaged cultural or economic students who are often overlooked in gifted education (Davis et al., 2010). She helped develop nonverbal ability tests to try and identify students from diverse backgrounds (Davis et al., 2010).
