Our conceptions of giftedness vary greatly based on cultural and genetic assumptions about intelligence – what it is and what it is not. Whether we ascribe to a view of g-factor intelligence, which is well supported in the literature (Jensen, 1998; Carroll, 1993), or a more domain-specific orientation to intelligence (Gardner, 1983; Benbow & Stanley, 1996), which also has a substantial literature base, it affects our conception of giftedness in important ways that in turn affect our ways of interpreting it in school for identification and programming purposes and in life for purposes of college and career planning and development.

Conceptions of giftedness that focus on domain-specific considerations hold the most promise for promoting talent development in individuals at all stages of development because of the capacity to make appropriate correspondences between aptitudes and interventions, between predispositions and interests, and between the life of the mind and creating a life in the real world. Although general intelligence thresholds matter in real-world and school-based problem-solving situations, the level of g necessary to function at very high levels in specific domains remains debatable (Tannenbaum, 1996) and may depend greatly on a particular discipline or field (Jensen, 1998).

This chapter explores the theories and applications of domain-specific giftedness as they have been articulated to date and analyzes how they differ from other conceptions of giftedness. The chapter concludes with applications of a domain-specific conception of giftedness to practice in the areas of identification, curriculum and instruction, and assessment in school and beyond.