Dr.Howard Gardner of Harvard University believes that geniuses are largely made.He makes time every day to listen to his seven-year-old son play the piano — even if it is no more than a few minutes during a phone call while he is away at a conference.
It seems experts are as divided as ever over the issue of which is more important,environment or genetics.This may,however,be about to change.A conference organized earlier this year brought to London some of the biggest names from both sides of the debate.Amazing results from unpublished work were revealed — and the beginning of agreement could be perceived.
At present,it is believed that genes account for at least half of what researchers call "g" — the general thinking ability that IQ tests are supposed to measure — while environmental influences account for the other half.But so far the only evidence for a genetic component has been through statistics,the relationship being inferred mathematically from comparisons of twins and other such studies of close relatives.Plomin's method makes use of new gene mapping techniques and promises to provide direct evidence of the role that genes play.
The brains of children in the study were scanned while being presented with a simple visual puzzle.The boys of average ability and the gifted girls showed strong activity on both sides of their brains as they thought about the puzzle.However,the gifted boys responded very differently.There was a sudden drop in activity in the left side of the brain — the side most involved in language — and an exaggerated reaction on the right,the side strongest at thinking about the location of objects.It seems that the brains of boys with mathematical talent operate in a way that is physically unique.
A theme repeatedly heard from the speakers was that special children invariably have special parents.
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