Daydreaming and curiosity: stability and change in gifted children and adolescents

Developmental differences in daydreaming and curiosity based on cross-sectional data have been reported, but longitudinal data are lacking. Patterns of longitudinal stability and change in two intellectual styles, daydreaming and curiosity, in gifted children and adolescents are described in this paper. Seventy-four intellectually gifted children attended a special program during two consecutive summers. Self-reports of their frequency of and attitudes toward daydreaming and two measures of their curiosity were obtained each year. The findings suggest a pattern of both change and stability in intellectual styles over time. Measures which tap the content of daydreams changed over time, but measures of process or ways of relating to the environment, such as curiosity and frequency of daydreaming, were fairly stable.