RELATIONS BETWEEN ACADEMIC APTITUDE AND PSYCHOSOCIAL ADJUSTMENT IN GIFTED PROGRAM STUDENTS

Is high academic aptitude an asset or a liability to psychosocial adju stment among gifted program students? This brief report examined contr asting hypotheses that the relation between academic aptitude and psyc hosocial adjustment is positive, negative, or curvilinear for high abi lity students. Robustness of study findings was examined in three dive rse groups of gifted program students: 1) 151 second grade students pa rticipating in public school gifted programs; 2) 264 5th to 11th grade students attending a university summer enrichment program; and 3) 60 adolescent females enrolled in an early college entrance program. Psyc hosocial adjustment was assessed by measures of academic, social, and general self-concept in all three groups, with additional adjustment m easures specific to each group. Results of hierarchical multiple regre ssion analyses provided little evidence for a relation between aptitud e scores and adjustment within this restricted range.