We are fascinated with child prodigies, yet we still don't know what causes one talented youngster to go on to a happy, productive life and what causes others to burn out, like William James Sidis.
Read about 16 famous prodigies, some from history, some who are adults now, and some who are just starting out. Link -via the Presurfer
Sidis is considered to be the smartest man who ever lived, by some, with an estimated IQ of 250-300.
Before his own experience with the terrible twos, Sidis had taught himself to read and shortly thereafter, became fluent in eight different languages and wrote four original works of his own by the age of seven.
After an incredible childhood – or lack of it – adulthood was a struggle for Sidis and newspapers at the time reported that his “genius had burned out” due to the numerous obscure blue collared jobs he obtained throughout his life.
Read about 16 famous prodigies, some from history, some who are adults now, and some who are just starting out. Link -via the Presurfer
It's really not that exciting that a child scores high at a given age, since they're still going to look really stupid compared to most young adults who have more advanced vocabulary, mathematical knowledge, and refined spacial recognition abilities.
Yeah, I enjoyed the psych courses I took.
http://drvitelli.typepad.com/providentia/2007/09/reining-in-the-.html