Two tails of the normal curve: Similarities and differences in the study of mental retardation and giftedness.

Professionals in the fields of mental retardation and gift-edness have much to teach each other as well as the field of human development in general. Examining the common-alities and differences between the fields in social issues, definitions, developmental differences from the norm, val-ues and policy issues, and educational and long-term im-plications deepens insights about both normal and deviant development. The authors tress the importance of individ-ual differences in the differential design of educational strategies and the application of approaches developed with specialized populations to normally developing chil-dren. Current social inequalities affect both of these fields in particular ways. Finally, numerous research agendas can be enhanced by including representatives of both ends of the normal curve. T his article reports the reflections of three develop- mental psychologists whose interests have, for many years, encompassed both tails of the normal curve of mental ability. Far from being mirror images of one an-other, the fields of mental retardation and giftedness have some characteristics in common but diverge markedly in others. How do the two sets of understandings complement and enrich one another? How can professionals in these fields join forces to advance scientific knowledge as well as to enhance the welfare of both populations? The issues in these fields range from the theoretical to the practical and encompass a number of broad controversies, ome of them highly political. Indeed, it is difficult to find, within our profession, any other topics that elicit as much emotion or generate as much adrenaline as do those related to these subgroups!