1st Edition

Beyond Knowledge Extracognitive Aspects of Developing High Ability

Edited By Larisa V. Shavinina, Michel Ferrari Copyright 2004
    258 Pages
    by Routledge

    248 Pages
    by Routledge

    Some aspects of giftedness and creativity cannot be explained by cognitive, developmental, personality, or social approaches considered in isolation. At the intersection of these approaches is something invisible, deeply hidden, but at the same time very important--the extracognitive facets of high ability. This volume brings together chapters by leading specialists from around the world responsible for much of the current research in this field, presenting a wide range of perspectives for understanding exceptional achievement.

    "High ability" refers to human abilities described by terms, such as giftedness, talent, creativity, excellence, genius, child prodigies, exceptional leadership, and wisdom. "Extracognitive factors" refer to phenomena like internally developed standards and subjective norms of intellectually creative behavior; specific intellectual intentions and beliefs that influence exceptional achievements; specific feelings that scientific geniuses and other highly creative individuals say contribute to their advanced development; specific preferences and intellectual values; luck, chance, intuition, and other similar phenomena in extraordinary development and performance; and social, cultural, and historical influences on talent development. Although there are many books about the cognitive bases of high ability, this volume uniquely discusses the foundations of such achievements in extracognitive factors as defined here, thus providing a rich source of information on this topic to researchers, practitioners, and graduate students of education, psychology, business, and administration who work in the area of high ability.

    Contents: Preface. Part I: Introduction. L. Shavinina, M. Ferrari, Extracognitive Facets of Developing High Ability: Introduction to Some Important Issues. Part II: Extracognitive Aspects of Exceptional Creative Achievements. M.A. Runco, Creativity as an Extracognitive Phenomenon. G.J.W. Smith, The Role of Unconscious Processes in the Evolvement of Creativity. D.K. Simonton, Exceptional Creativity and Chance: Creative Thought as a Stochastic Combinatorial Process. L.V. Shavinina, K.L. Seeratan, Extracognitive Phenomena in the Intellectual Functioning of Gifted, Creative, and Talented Individuals. Part III: Developing Extracognitive Aspects of Exceptional Abilities. M.J.A. Howe, Some Insights of Geniuses Into the Causes of Exceptional Achievement. D.A. Greenspan, B. Solomon, H. Gardner, The Development of Talent in Different Domains. R. Subotnik, Transforming Elite Musicians Into Professional Artists: A View of the Talent Development Process at the Juilliard School. Part IV: Extracognitive Aspects of High Ability and the Ideal Ends of Development. R.J. Sternberg, Wisdom and Giftedness. J. Li, High Abilities and Excellence: A Cultural Perspective. Part V: Conclusion. M. Ferrari, Educating Selves to Be Creative and Wise.

    Biography

    Larisa V. Shavinina, Michel Ferrari

    "What their [Shavina and Ferrari] book addresses are factors responsible for high ability, including extracognitive aspects such as personality traits, society and culture....my advice is 'Go for it-read this book!'"
    The Psychology of Education Review

    "...Beyond Knowledge is an excellent introduction to the notion of  'the extracognitive.' The book paints a humanistic and identifiable picture of traits that constitute high ability both in academic and non-academic disciplines. It is especially relevant to university educators that teach courses about exceptionality. The lucid and clear writing is also accessible to lay individuals interested in the phenomenon of  high ability. Last but not least, the book removes the mystique and the elitism associated with genius."

    Interchange: Quarterly Review of Education