Sensory sensitivities of gifted children.

Gifted children often display sensitivities to their environment that vary from those of the general population. Data were gathered on 6- to 11-year-old gifted children attending a public elementary school gifted program. Parents completed Dunn's (1999) Sensory Profile questionnaire regarding their child. Two primary analyses were conducted: (1) a comparison of the gifted children's sensory sensitivity with Sensory Profile norms and (2) an examination of the internal consistency of the Sensory Profile for the gifted sample. Gifted children were more sensitive to their environment and reacted with heightened emotional and behavioral responses than did children of average intelligence. Internal consistencies for the 14 Sensory Profile sections and the Sensory Profile factors for the gifted sample were found to be equal to the reported norms of the Sensory Profile. These findings further support that gifted children may have important sensory modulation differences and add to our understanding of gifted children.

Infant visual habituation.

The use of visual habituation in the study of infant cognition and learning is reviewed. This article traces the history of the technique, underlying theory, and procedural variation in its measurement. In addition, we review empirical findings with respect to the cognitive processes that presumably contribute to habituation, studies of developmental course and long-term prediction, as well as recent attempts to address or explain the phenomenon of visual habituation through the use of mathematical or quantitative models. The review ends with an appeal for a return to the study of habituation per se as a valid measure of infant learning, rather than relegating the phenomenon to its use as a technique for familiarizing infants in procedures testing for discrimination or recognition.