A recent study published in the journal Intelligence & Cognitive Abilities found that identifying children as having high cognitive ability at a young age is not always reliable. Researchers analyzed data from over 11,000 twins to track their cognitive development from birth to early adulthood. They discovered that intelligence scores change significantly during childhood and adolescence, with most children not maintaining their relative rank within the distribution of scores.
The study showed that personal factors such as genetic predispositions play a larger role in predicting these changes than environmental ones. Children with higher genetic potential tended to have more positive rates of change as they grew older. However, for those classified as having average cognitive ability at age 7, negative life events and behavioral problems were associated with decreases in cognitive scores.
The findings suggest that premature identification of high cognitive ability children is not warranted, and planned follow-ups are required to assess their intellectual development over time. The researchers hope to investigate structural brain differences between individuals who maintain their high cognitive scores versus those who do not.
Source: https://www.psypost.org/most-children-identified-as-gifted-at-age-7-do-not-maintain-high-cognitive-ability-by-adolescence