Understanding intelligence, giftedness and creativity using the pass theory

Despite nearly a century of research on IQ, tests of ability have changed little despite changes in our understanding of human abilities. This failure to evolve has particular implications for identification of gifted as well as creative children. A few recent tests challenge the Wechsler‐Binet stronghold, among them the Cognitive Assessment System (CAS; Naglieri & Das, 1997a). The CAS is based on the PASS theory (Naglieri, 1999), which centers on Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, and Successive cognitive processes. The inclusion of planning in particular allows for a more accurate assessment of gifted and creative children, as past research has shown a strong connection between planning and creativity. This more extensive and inclusive measure of intelligence could identify gifted children who would otherwise not be identified using traditional IQ tests. In this article we summarize the validity of an alternative approach to intelligence and illustrate its utility for identification of gifted and creative children.