Stats

Stats Two Tails of the Normal Curve, Similarities and Differences in the Study of Mental Retardation and Giftedness was the collaborated efforts of three developmental psychologists; Nancy M. Robinson, University of Washington, Edward Zigler of Yale University and James J. Gallagher of the University of Chapel Hill. In this study, they discuss the many areas in which the fields of mental retardation and giftedness have in common, and where they part company. One of the most common elements that both have in common is that there is a “deviance from the norm.” Standard intelligence tests have been the most common way to measure and identify an individual’s difference. There is often a desire on a person in either group to “fit in” and not be considered different. Both the mentally retarded and the gifted may try to hide their differences to be considered just like everyone else. Gifted individuals have been known to “dumb down” and hide their gifts and talents so that they do not stand out among their peers. The guidelines for the field of mental retardation are much more developed than in the field of giftedness, because it is “easier to discover what is children, gifted, average, retarded, both, abilities, retardation, peers, mentally, mental, level, tasks, intelligence, fields, educational, education, difficult, common, certain, ability, while, university, society, often, just, higher, help, given, giftedness, differences, child, been, areas, able, zigler