In this commentary on the Special Issue, I will address the question of what memory spans measure concerning language, as language has, at least, a linear and a hierarchical dimension. I suggest that if anything what is measured has to do with the linear dimension. Then, I will discuss the welcome results on bilingual children with language…

Scores derived from intelligence instruments predict many important outcomes in life, so it is not surprising that researchers and clinicians seek out interventions aimed at increasing these scores. Dixon et al. (J Behav Educ, 2019. https://doi-org.bibliotheek.ehb.be/10.1007/s10864-019-09344-7) recently investigated the relation between instruction based on…

Short term memory (STM) and working memory (WM) performance consistently predict language abilities in children with developmental language disorders. However, causality is not fully established. Moreover, evidence from the fine-grained analysis of STM/WM tasks and comprehension of complex sentences, suggests that long term memory (LTM)…

In response to Golinkoff, Hoff, Rowe, Tamis-LeMonda, and Hirsh-Pasek's (2018) commentary, we clarify our goals, outline points of agreement and disagreement between our respective positions, and address the inadvertently harmful consequences of the word gap claim. We maintain that our study constitutes a serious empirical challenge to the word…

A recent study [Heaven, Ciarrochi & Leeson, (2011). Cognitive ability, right-wing authoritarianism, and social dominance orientation: A five-year longitudinal study amongst adolescents. "Intelligence", 39, 15-21] finds evidence that amongst an Australian student sample, low g and verbal ability are predictive of Right Wing…

Since Piaget, the view that motor and cognitive development are interrelated has gained wide acceptance. However, empirical research on this issue is still rare. Few studies show a correlation of performance in cognitive and motor tasks in typically developing children. More specifically, Diamond A. (2000) hypothesizes an involvement of executive…

The evolution of several interrelated myths reflects a combination of misinterpretation of statistics, the commendable intention of ensuring that bias and prejudice do not play roles in the provision of services to underrepresented populations of gifted students, and misapplication of programming options for gifted students. Separately, these…

A former child "prodigy" recounts her experiences at school to suggest that intellectual achievement is not always due to extraordinary analytic reasoning ability and that precocity may be nonrationl. J. Stanley responds by citing others' work on the topic and suggesting the construct may not survive strong scrutiny. (CL)

Predicts bleak employment prospects for the college educated with verbal rather than quantitative skills. Warns of political dangers for the U.S. of a large cadre of educated unemployed and underemployed. Offers examples of unemployed/overqualified intellectuals serving as the nuclei of extremist political movements in other countries. Considers…

Specifies language acquisition processes in terms of brain mechanisms to explain the variable success achieved by early and late learners and proposes a brain-based model for language acquisition on the basis of the literature. Two conditions for full acquisition of a language are motivation and grammatical ability. The neural underpinnings for…

The authors comment on Drash and Tudor's operant theory of autism. Concerns with the theory's face validity and empirical support are presented, along with concerns about four aspects of the theory.

The article explores the interaction of music and language: common characteristics, parallel development, and benefits from concurrent study. The author contends that music study enhances intellectual development, creativity, and verbal communication. (PHR)

The article offers advice to parents and teachers of gifted children on how to respond to their giftedness in such a way as to promote the child's acceptance and proper utilization of the gift. (DLS)

This letter points out flaws in van der Lely and Howard's argument that children with specific language impairments have no deficits in verbal short-term memory. The original methodology is faulted for providing uninterpretable assessment of verbal short-term functions and for failure to follow memory techniques from previous studies. Sample…

This article discusses both the advantages and challenges facing children who are verbally gifted and their parents and teachers. (DB)