[Metacognitive functioning in gifted children]

Empirical evidence shows that there is a close relationship between cognitive management abilities and intellectual functioning. The relationship between them in cases of high intellectual capacity is especially interesting to be able to understand their differential functioning. AIMS. This study aims to examine the relationship between metacognition and other measures of intelligence related with high intellectual capacity, which is characterised by a high cognitive potential that may or may not be accompanied by an adequate management of their resources. In particular, it would be interesting to know whether there is a specific and differential metacognitive functioning between the different cognitive profiles that exist within high intellectual capacity, as well as stability when measured at two points in time.

Participants were 26 children with high intellectual capacity aged between 10 and 13 years: gifted (n = 4); simple talented (n = 3) -of whom there were two cases of spatial talented and one creative talented; and combined talented -double (n = 4), triple (n = 8) and complex talented (n = 7). The Metacognitive Awareness Inventory was administered at two points in time as the formal instrument for evaluating metacognitive efficiency.

Results show a tendency towards the following: the higher the degree of complexity of the profile (gifted or quadruple talented versus simple talented), the greater the metacognitive regulation is, despite the fact that the differences in metacognitive functioning were not statistically significant.

If the tendency observed in this study towards better metacognitive functioning in more complex intellectual profiles is confirmed, it could make an interesting contribution to the discussion on the relationship between intelligence, metacognition and metacognitive functioning.