The Nature and Nurture of Talent

A New Foundation for Human Excellence

David Yun Dai (SUNY Albany)

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English

Cambridge University Press
12 June 2025

Child & developmental psychology; Educational psychology

Prepare for a captivating journey into the depths of human potential and excellence in this scholarly work. Within these pages, discover evolving complexity theory (ECT), a unified theory of talent development that integrates a rich body of research and explores a wide array of talent-related phenomena. This theory challenges conventional wisdom, shifting the focus from genetics and environmental factors to the dynamic interplay of self-organized development and real-time person–environment interactions. This book provides a practical roadmap, emphasizing actions over genetic determinants, guiding readers toward the attainment of higher levels of excellence. Departing from traditional perspectives, Dr. Dai envisions human development as a self-organized journey toward higher coherence, reframing talent development as active participation in sociocultural activities from which one's individuality evolves, and directions and purposes are crystalized. Written in an engaging and narrative style, this work is essential reading for researchers, students, and professionals seeking a deeper understanding of human potential.

By: David Yun Dai (SUNY Albany)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Weight: 451g
ISBN: 9781009370608
ISBN 10: 100937060X
Pages: 308
Publication Date: 12 June 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction; 1. Evolving complexity theory (ECT) of talent development: an overview of 'one long argument'; 2. The question of what develops: talent as a new machine made of old parts; 3. The question of how talent develops: individual niche-picking and cultural selection as two invisible hands; 4. The question of when critical events should take place: developmental windows and progressions in talent development; 5. The question of where: cultural evolution and how it transforms talent and talent development; 6. How ECT explains various talent achievements; 7. ECT in a broader landscape of theoretic models: what is new; 8. Implications of ECT for talent identification and assessment of developmental progressions; 9. Implications of ECT for promoting human excellence; 10. Implications of ECT for research methodology: toward a new epistemology of human excellence; Epilogue: is AI a threat to human excellence?; Postscript: remembering Larry; Glossary.

David Yun Dai is Professor of Educational Psychology and Methodology at the State University of New York at Albany and the author of The Nature and Nurture of Giftedness (2010), which is a prelude to this book. He has published 13 books and over 130 articles and was the recipient of the Distinguished Scholar Award conferred by the National Association for Gifted Children in 2017.

Reviews for The Nature and Nurture of Talent: A New Foundation for Human Excellence

'Improvements in life for individuals and in the lives of societies begin with deep analyses of what has come before, what exists at the present, and what dreams could perhaps become realities. David Dai's new book, The Nature and Nurture of Talent: A New Foundation for Human Excellence, inspires just this sort of contemplation about talent development and optimizing life for the many. Having read it twice, I feel compelled to do so again, as it has inspired me to shake up a few things in my own personal talent space.' F. Richard Olenchak, Purdue University 'David Dai has been one of educational psychology's most innovative conceptual thinkers for many years. In this book, he digs deep into the social and cultural forces that impact talent development, providing a very comprehensive overview of how, when, and why talent develops. The ideas in this volume will influence our conceptions of talent and extraordinary achievement for years to come.' Jonathan A. Plucker, Johns Hopkins University