How do parents perceive the socialization of their gifted children? An individual differences approach based on the Social Information Processing model.

The socialization of gifted youths has attracted significant attention in recent years from researchers and the general public. However, most studies have addressed the issue of socialization outcomes in gifted youths from a very broad perspective, and only a few have focused specifically on the socialization process. In this study, we sought to investigate the socialization process of gifted youths, based on an other-report approach. External insight is particularly valuable in childhood and adolescence when metacognitive abilities are still developing: we relied on parents to provide more objective information on gifted youths socialization. An other-report questionnaire was developed to examine the socialization process of youths through the lens of the Social Information Processing model. A total of 822 parents, including 480 parents of intellectually gifted children and adolescents, completed the study. Our findings revealed three key mechanisms potentially contributing to potential social difficulties faced by gifted youths: different interpretation of social cues, difficulty in generating new behaviors in unfamiliar social contexts, and difficulties managing emotions in everyday life. We discuss the negative impact that others’ perceptions may have on the socialization process, and study limitations regarding the role of stereotypes in others’ perception of socialization in gifted youths.