1995_Assessing developmental potential in gifted children: A comparison of methods

Compared 2 methods (questionnaire and interview) of assessing forms of overexcitability in gifted children. It was hypothesized that the interview, offering the possibility for probing and clarification of responses, would yield richer response material than the questionnaire. 28 younger children (aged 9–11 yrs) and 18 older children (aged 12–24 yrs) participated. Contrary to expectations, the interview did not yield higher overexcitability scores. In 2 separate comparisons of the questionnaire and interview similar results were obtained for 4 of the forms of overexcitability. Correlations between questionnaire and interview scores were too low to consider the methods equivalent for making individual assessments. Older Ss scored higher than younger ones. Most of those in the younger group had difficulty writing their answers; therefore, the interview is recommended for children below age 12.