The chapters that this book comprises represent what is known about the gifted and the talented from a developmental perspective. As one author after the other stresses, this volume is equally a testament to what is not known. /// The chapters in this section [Part I] reflect the lack of agreement in past research over the nature of giftedness, but the authors raise similar questions for future investigations. /// These five chapters set forth major issues facing investigators in the field of giftedness. From the diverse points of view emerges one commonality: the call for prospective developmental research, guided by theory, to aid our understanding of the complex of factors that contribute to gifted performance. /// The authors of the chapters in this section [Part II] discuss giftedness in a social perspective and suggest areas in which research and innovative action might be most useful. /// In this section [Part III], authors explore approaches to studying the development of the gifted from diverse and innovative points of view. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2004 APA, all rights reserved).