Talent Development & Creativity College 1 15 september
The mechanisms underlying TD & C: A historical overview Ruud den Hartigh
Exam
- 7 essay questions
- Digital exam
- Exam – Nov 4 12.15-14.15h
-
Learning goals
- History of ideas and research on talent and creativity
- Psy factors related to talent and performance
- Evaluate methods to assess talent and creativity
- Principles of developing and stimulating talent and creativity
- Compare approaches to talent development and selection across achievement domains
- Connect theoretical and practical approaches in different domains
Perusall assignment
- What – application to learn faster and collaborate with classmates
- Why – retention of exam materials; discussion; resolve confusion; better preparation for
lectures and exam
- How – start new annotation by highlighting text; asking a question; posting a comment; or
add a reply or comment to an annotation
- When – submit main message and unresolved question by Monday 11AM
Talent & Creativity
- Does the individual have talent?
o Katie Ledecky
o 3y/o playing violin
o 3y/o working on marble track
- Is this creative?
o Bekend nummer op piano
o First iPhone
- Talent
o Classically equated with giftedness
o Something in the genes express at a very young age
o Oxford dictionary – ‘Natural aptitude or skill’
o Cambridge dictionary – ‘A natural ability to be good at something, especially without
being taught’
o Simonton, 2011 – ‘Talent may instead emerge from a multidimensional,
multiplicative, and dynamic process’
o A potential to reach excellence in the future
High performance relative to others (normative approach) violin boy
Improving performance relative to one’s previous performance (ipsative
approach) – marble boy how you develop over the course of time
High performance relative to criterium (criterion approach)
- Creativity
o Creating or producing something ‘new’ – original, useful, surprising
The creative output
The (developing) process
Ipsative or normative
- The complexity of Greatness
, o Excellent levels of performance (normative perspective)
o How do we get there?
o We should ‘make an effort to understand all the many complex, nuanced factors
contributing to its emergence’
Should we?
Zijn vaak verweven en beïnvloeden elkaar
Approaching talent and creativity
- Component-dominant ideas
o Nature-nurture
o Multidimensional models
- Interaction-dominant ideas Talent and creativity are emergent
- Implications for selection and development
How did it all begin?
- First ideas on talent and creativity
o Talent is located in the person (nature) – Sir Francis Galton (1869) in the genes, it
is in the families (more seen than over the families)
o Talent is elicited by the environment (nurture) – Alphonse de Candolle (1873)
Nature-Nurture debate started
o Famous researches on Talent Development and Expertise at our faculty study on
chess players
Chess board with pieces in configuration
Random no cognitive advantage
Real grandmasters perfectly (see relations etc. not some general
cognitive advantage), amateurs poor
Expertise seems domain-specific
Many hours of practice
Are genes the driving force?
- Evidence for genetic factors – more general factors
- Domain general
o Heritability of IQ
o HERITAGE project in sport and exercise
- Explaining talent and creativity
o Evidence for genetic factors
Twin studies
H^2=2(rMZ-rDZ)
E.g., 2*(0.85-0.46)=0.78
o Heritability of intelligence
Using test batteries
Robust evidence
o Evidence for innate factors
Child prodigies hard to prove (lot of stimulation of environment, hard to
untangle if it is nature or nurture)
Domain-specific excellence at early age
But often retrospective reports
o Recap
Genes play a role in general measures
Identifying exact proportions and the role of (single) genes remains difficult
, The extend to which genes play a role in domain-specific talent and creativity
remains undefined.
And may even vary within domains…
The role of the environment
- The role of the nurturing factors (family)
o Family influences during development
Try a lot of sports
Investment years sensible part of the family life
Material support
Emotional support
o Coach/teacher as significant others
What can a teacher do to optimally connect with the child to enhance
development
o Cultural factors, facilities
Ice hockey in NL vs. Canada
- If talent and creativity develop out of a gene X environment interaction, and one of these is
virtually 0, talent and creativity will not develop…
- The role of accumulating deliberate practice
o ‘engagement in structured activities created specifically to improve performance in a
domain’ – Ericsson et al.
The best level 10.000h deliberate practice
Less hours of practice performance less
Brief recap
- Following Galton various researches have focused on innate talent
- Following DeCandolle various researches have focused on environmental factors
- Following Ericsson much research has examined the role of practice
- So, what is the magic bullet for talent and creativity to develop..?
Debate: ‘we review evidence for superior reproducible performance, generally emerging only after
extended periods of DP.. …With the exception of fixed genetic factors determining body size and
height, we were unable to find evidence for innate constraints to the attainment of elite
achievement’ but research suggests that .. ‘deliberate practice is important, but not as important
as has been argued’
- Some context DP important
- But not as important as Ericsson says it is
- DP may hinder creativity alleen maar uitvoeren wat je leert
Psychological factors
- Psychological factors that predict career success
o Reach the top want 15y eerder hogere score op goal commitment etc.
- Multidimensionality of talent and creativity
o Modules wat dragen ze allemaal bij en hoe
zijn ze verweven
o Component dominant way of thinking
- Multidimensional and dynamic
o ‘the origins of greatness are far more complex
than any single approach will capture’
‘component dominance’
o There can be multiplier effects
, o Or compensation effects
How do talent and creativity develop?
- Developmental trajectories
o Beginner
o Different children begin to exhibit the same talent at different ages
Early vs. late bloomers
o An individual’s talent changes over time
Changing underlying constituents
o Talent can be lost
Monotonic increase is the exception (7%
start to top)
o Early signs of later excellence are rare
- A complex ‘interaction-dominant’ process
o Dynamic Network Model !!
Talent develops through dynamic interactions
between components
Ability change influenced by genetic
contribution and interactions with other
factors
Domain-specific
Individual-specific
Early indicators of later excellence are often
absent (n=1.000)
Accounts for
Multidimensionality
It’s complex dynamic nature
And simulations reveal typical properties
Individual developmental patters
Changing underlying constituents
Various forms (e.g. linear, stepwise,…)
A lack of early indicators
Skewed population distributions
o Heel klein deel van mensen bereikt de top en uitzonderlijke
prestaties
o Complex Dynamic Systems Model of Creativity
Dynamic interactions are basis for creative processes
Creative process is iterative (repetition of an action)
Implications of the Perspectives
- Assessing and developing T&C
o What if you believe that nature is more important than nurture? – LC 2
o What if you believe that talent and creativity are context (in)dependent? – LC 4,5
Should it be determined based on standardized tests? – LC 3
o What if you believe that talent and creativity develop through an interaction-
dominant process? – LC 4,5,7
Create interactions with the children in the classroom
Talent Development & Creativity College 2 22 september
Psy. Characteristics and Skills in Talent Development and Performance Nico van Yperen
‘are people born to be wild, or have they learned to be wild?’ – key question of the day
The mechanisms underlying TD & C: A historical overview Ruud den Hartigh
Exam
- 7 essay questions
- Digital exam
- Exam – Nov 4 12.15-14.15h
-
Learning goals
- History of ideas and research on talent and creativity
- Psy factors related to talent and performance
- Evaluate methods to assess talent and creativity
- Principles of developing and stimulating talent and creativity
- Compare approaches to talent development and selection across achievement domains
- Connect theoretical and practical approaches in different domains
Perusall assignment
- What – application to learn faster and collaborate with classmates
- Why – retention of exam materials; discussion; resolve confusion; better preparation for
lectures and exam
- How – start new annotation by highlighting text; asking a question; posting a comment; or
add a reply or comment to an annotation
- When – submit main message and unresolved question by Monday 11AM
Talent & Creativity
- Does the individual have talent?
o Katie Ledecky
o 3y/o playing violin
o 3y/o working on marble track
- Is this creative?
o Bekend nummer op piano
o First iPhone
- Talent
o Classically equated with giftedness
o Something in the genes express at a very young age
o Oxford dictionary – ‘Natural aptitude or skill’
o Cambridge dictionary – ‘A natural ability to be good at something, especially without
being taught’
o Simonton, 2011 – ‘Talent may instead emerge from a multidimensional,
multiplicative, and dynamic process’
o A potential to reach excellence in the future
High performance relative to others (normative approach) violin boy
Improving performance relative to one’s previous performance (ipsative
approach) – marble boy how you develop over the course of time
High performance relative to criterium (criterion approach)
- Creativity
o Creating or producing something ‘new’ – original, useful, surprising
The creative output
The (developing) process
Ipsative or normative
- The complexity of Greatness
, o Excellent levels of performance (normative perspective)
o How do we get there?
o We should ‘make an effort to understand all the many complex, nuanced factors
contributing to its emergence’
Should we?
Zijn vaak verweven en beïnvloeden elkaar
Approaching talent and creativity
- Component-dominant ideas
o Nature-nurture
o Multidimensional models
- Interaction-dominant ideas Talent and creativity are emergent
- Implications for selection and development
How did it all begin?
- First ideas on talent and creativity
o Talent is located in the person (nature) – Sir Francis Galton (1869) in the genes, it
is in the families (more seen than over the families)
o Talent is elicited by the environment (nurture) – Alphonse de Candolle (1873)
Nature-Nurture debate started
o Famous researches on Talent Development and Expertise at our faculty study on
chess players
Chess board with pieces in configuration
Random no cognitive advantage
Real grandmasters perfectly (see relations etc. not some general
cognitive advantage), amateurs poor
Expertise seems domain-specific
Many hours of practice
Are genes the driving force?
- Evidence for genetic factors – more general factors
- Domain general
o Heritability of IQ
o HERITAGE project in sport and exercise
- Explaining talent and creativity
o Evidence for genetic factors
Twin studies
H^2=2(rMZ-rDZ)
E.g., 2*(0.85-0.46)=0.78
o Heritability of intelligence
Using test batteries
Robust evidence
o Evidence for innate factors
Child prodigies hard to prove (lot of stimulation of environment, hard to
untangle if it is nature or nurture)
Domain-specific excellence at early age
But often retrospective reports
o Recap
Genes play a role in general measures
Identifying exact proportions and the role of (single) genes remains difficult
, The extend to which genes play a role in domain-specific talent and creativity
remains undefined.
And may even vary within domains…
The role of the environment
- The role of the nurturing factors (family)
o Family influences during development
Try a lot of sports
Investment years sensible part of the family life
Material support
Emotional support
o Coach/teacher as significant others
What can a teacher do to optimally connect with the child to enhance
development
o Cultural factors, facilities
Ice hockey in NL vs. Canada
- If talent and creativity develop out of a gene X environment interaction, and one of these is
virtually 0, talent and creativity will not develop…
- The role of accumulating deliberate practice
o ‘engagement in structured activities created specifically to improve performance in a
domain’ – Ericsson et al.
The best level 10.000h deliberate practice
Less hours of practice performance less
Brief recap
- Following Galton various researches have focused on innate talent
- Following DeCandolle various researches have focused on environmental factors
- Following Ericsson much research has examined the role of practice
- So, what is the magic bullet for talent and creativity to develop..?
Debate: ‘we review evidence for superior reproducible performance, generally emerging only after
extended periods of DP.. …With the exception of fixed genetic factors determining body size and
height, we were unable to find evidence for innate constraints to the attainment of elite
achievement’ but research suggests that .. ‘deliberate practice is important, but not as important
as has been argued’
- Some context DP important
- But not as important as Ericsson says it is
- DP may hinder creativity alleen maar uitvoeren wat je leert
Psychological factors
- Psychological factors that predict career success
o Reach the top want 15y eerder hogere score op goal commitment etc.
- Multidimensionality of talent and creativity
o Modules wat dragen ze allemaal bij en hoe
zijn ze verweven
o Component dominant way of thinking
- Multidimensional and dynamic
o ‘the origins of greatness are far more complex
than any single approach will capture’
‘component dominance’
o There can be multiplier effects
, o Or compensation effects
How do talent and creativity develop?
- Developmental trajectories
o Beginner
o Different children begin to exhibit the same talent at different ages
Early vs. late bloomers
o An individual’s talent changes over time
Changing underlying constituents
o Talent can be lost
Monotonic increase is the exception (7%
start to top)
o Early signs of later excellence are rare
- A complex ‘interaction-dominant’ process
o Dynamic Network Model !!
Talent develops through dynamic interactions
between components
Ability change influenced by genetic
contribution and interactions with other
factors
Domain-specific
Individual-specific
Early indicators of later excellence are often
absent (n=1.000)
Accounts for
Multidimensionality
It’s complex dynamic nature
And simulations reveal typical properties
Individual developmental patters
Changing underlying constituents
Various forms (e.g. linear, stepwise,…)
A lack of early indicators
Skewed population distributions
o Heel klein deel van mensen bereikt de top en uitzonderlijke
prestaties
o Complex Dynamic Systems Model of Creativity
Dynamic interactions are basis for creative processes
Creative process is iterative (repetition of an action)
Implications of the Perspectives
- Assessing and developing T&C
o What if you believe that nature is more important than nurture? – LC 2
o What if you believe that talent and creativity are context (in)dependent? – LC 4,5
Should it be determined based on standardized tests? – LC 3
o What if you believe that talent and creativity develop through an interaction-
dominant process? – LC 4,5,7
Create interactions with the children in the classroom
Talent Development & Creativity College 2 22 september
Psy. Characteristics and Skills in Talent Development and Performance Nico van Yperen
‘are people born to be wild, or have they learned to be wild?’ – key question of the day
