Behavioral and cognitive development is considered here as an ordered change in an individual throughout his or her lifespan, and not as sets of individual differences between persons, nor as stage-like progressions. The concept of developmental task is introduced, stressing contexts within which individuals meet, eliciting transitions in their behavior and, by implication, in the self. The developmental task concept is compatible with the activity theory of Gal'perin, especially the concept of meaningful learning. The authors show how their concept may be applied to...

This volume presents theoretical perspectives and empirical findings on the life-span development of talent. It show how talents are the result of the acquisition of a sequence of skills and how the acquisition of these skills is facilitated by changes in the individual's environment. It explores to what degree the development of top intelligence or achievement is similar to the development on specific domains such as personality, morality, painting, musical performance, or professional skills. The book also questions whether the development of talent observed for specific groups is similar...

Behavioral and cognitive development is considered here as an ordered change in an individual throughout his or her lifespan, and not as sets of individual differences between persons, nor as stage-like progressions. The concept of developmental task is introduced, stressing contexts within which individuals meet, eliciting transitions in their behavior and, by implication, in the self. The developmental task concept is compatible with the activity theory of Gal'perin, especially the concept of meaningful learning. The authors show how their concept may be applied to...