What Does it Mean to Be Gifted? w/ Ellen Winner

I had a very meaningful chat with developmental psychologist Ellen Winner about the nature and nurture of gifted children.

I had a very meaningful chat with the developmental psychologist Ellen Winner about prodigies and gifted children. This was a very meaningful chat for me because Ellen’s book “Gifted Children: Myths and Realities” inspired me so much in college that I credit it as one of the major reasons why I became a psychologist and study what I do.

In this wide-ranging discussion we discuss Ellen’s views on IQ and giftedness, the role of parents in talent development, and how the needs of gifted children can best be met. We also discuss a bunch of myths, such as the notion that gifted children are gifted in all subject areas, or the idea that they are all social misfits. Ellen argues for the importance of artistic giftedness, and a nuanced understanding of the nature and nurture that causes the “rage to master” you see in child prodigies and gifted children.

So with great enthusiasm, I bring you Ellen Winner.

You can listen to the audio-only version wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio).