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Gifted children and Visual Aural Digit Span test performance
1Department of Psychological and Social Foundations, University of South Florida, Tampa 33620.
Perceptual and Motor Skills
|April 1, 1986
Summary
Gifted elementary students demonstrated advanced performance on the Visual Aural Digit Span test through Grade 5. Higher grades showed age-expected results, likely due to the test's ceiling limitations.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Educational Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Gifted students often exhibit advanced cognitive abilities.
- Assessing cognitive performance in gifted children requires appropriate tools.
- The Visual Aural Digit Span test measures working memory capacity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the performance of gifted elementary students on the Visual Aural Digit Span test.
- To identify age and grade-level performance trends in this population.
- To investigate potential test ceiling effects.
Main Methods:
- Administered the Visual Aural Digit Span test to 81 gifted elementary students.
- Analyzed performance data across grade levels (1-6) and age ranges (7-12 years).
- Examined mean scores and variability within the sample.
Main Results:
- Gifted students consistently outperformed age-expected norms from Grade 1 through Grade 5.
- Performance at Grade 6 and older age groups reached age-expected levels.
- Advanced performance appeared restricted at higher levels, suggesting a test ceiling effect.
Conclusions:
- The Visual Aural Digit Span test effectively differentiates gifted students' abilities in early elementary grades.
- A limited test ceiling may obscure advanced performance in older gifted students.
- Further research is needed to explore cognitive abilities beyond the current test's scope.