Talents and talent development

In order for people to turn their individual potential into performance, they need a comprehensive understanding of the psychological characteristics in which this potential is expressed and how talent develops from this. As part of the International Research Collaborative for the Psychology of Talent Development (ICPT), we have developed an integrative framework model that distinguishes between different phases in talent development, describes predictors and indicators of successful development processes for different performance domains and is therefore empirically testable. In addition to the further development of this framework model and its application to other domains, we are working out ways in which this model can be used in psychological and educational practice in order to promote individual talent development in the best possible way on a sound scientific basis.

1. Preckel, F., Golle, J., Grabner, R.H., Jarvin, L., Kozbelt, A., Müllensiefen, D., Olszewski-Kubilius, P., Subotnik, R., Schneider, W., Vock, M., & Worrell, F.C. (2020). Talent Development in Achievement Domains: A Psychological Framework for Within and Cross-Domain Research. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 15(3), 691-722. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691619895030
2. Meier, M.A., Vogel, S.E., & Grabner, R.H. (2021). Going beyond intelligence: A systematic investigation of cognitive abilities and personality traits of experts in mathematics. Journal of Expertise, 4(1), 80-115. www. journalofexpertise.org/articles/volume4_issue1/JoE_4_1_Meier_etal.pdf

Creativity is identified as a key competence for success in the 21st century. However, when one thinks of creativity, few will associate it with mathematics. On the contrary, mathematics is an area in which creativity plays an important role, even though we still know very little about the underlying principles and factors that contribute to individual differences. Our research aims to shed light on mathematical creativity from different angles. This may shed light on why certain individuals show different levels of mathematical creativity and lead to a more nuanced understanding of this concept. This may also have implications for education.

1. Meier, M. A., Ehrengruber, A., Spitzley, L., Eller, N., Reiterer, C., Rieger, M., Skerbinz, H., Teuschel, F., Wiemer, M., Vogel, S. E., & Grabner, R. H. (09/2023). The prediction of mathematical creativity scores: Mathematical abilities, personality and creative self-beliefs. (under review in Learning and Individual Differences)
2. Meier, M. A., Burgstaller, J. A., Benedek, M., Vogel, S. E., & Grabner, R. H. (2021). Mathematical creativity in adults: Its measurement and its relation to intelligence, mathematical competence and general creativity. Journal of Intelligence, 9(1), 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence9010010

A considerable part of scientific progress in history is due to people with a high level of mathematical expertise. And when it comes to finding solutions to current problems such as climate change and lack of energy security, experts in mathematics will also play an important role. Nevertheless, we know very little about what characterizes people with high mathematical expertise and how one becomes an expert in the first place. Is it specific mathematical skills or rather high general cognitive abilities paired with an interest in mathematics? We are investigating this question using behavior-based and neurocognitive measurement methods. The insights gained not only help to better understand the concept of mathematical expertise, but can also be used to promote and achieve it.

1. Meier, M. A., Gross, F., Vogel, S. E., & Grabner, R. H. (2023). Mathematical expertise: The role of domain-specific knowledge for memory and creativity. Scientific Reports, 13, 12500. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-39309-w
2. Meier, M. A., Vogel, S. E., & Grabner, R. H. (2021). Going beyond intelligence: a systematic investigation of cognitive abilities and personality traits of experts in mathematics. Journal of Expertise, 4(1), 80-115.

In recent decades, psychological research on experts has contributed significantly to a better understanding of the psychological factors required to achieve peak performance. It has not yet been fully clarified what relevance these factors have in different phases of development and how they interact dynamically. We are investigating these questions in the classic expertise domain of chess, as this domain is highly cognitively demanding and the individual course of development can be observed very well. The insights gained from this not only flow into current psychological models of talent development, but can also improve the discovery of talented children and adolescents as well as measures to promote their development.

1. Vaci, N., Edelsbrunner, P., Stern, E., Neubauer, A., Bilalic, M., & Grabner, R.H. (2019). The joint influence of intelligence and practice and skill development throughout the lifespan. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), 116(37), 18363-18369. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1819086116
2. Grabner, R.H. (2014). The role of intelligence for performance in the prototypical expertise domain of chess. Intelligence, 45, 26-33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2013.07.023
3. Grabner, R. H., Neubauer, A. C., & Stern, E. (2006). Superior performance and neural efficiency: The impact of intelligence and expertise. Brain Research Bulletin, 69(4), 422-439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresbull.2006.02.009

Children with special learning needs in mathematics (i.e. learning difficulties) are often identified far too late: often only after repeated failures in the classroom. This "wait until failure" paradigm can have serious consequences for the individual's well-being and career. In our lab, we are developing scientific tools to help teachers identify preschoolers and first graders who are at risk of developing learning difficulties in math. Early detection of these difficulties shifts intervention to an optimal window of time when the human brain is most plastic and able to adapt. The results of this research help to reduce the emotional distress of people with learning difficulties and their future risk of unemployment.

1. Bauer, M. (2023). Digital Numeracy Assessment - a new digital tool for measuring numerical abilities in elementary school children [Unpublished Master's thesis]. University of Graz.