What did Lewis Terman conclude about intelligence capacity in his studies of gifted individuals?

Lewis Terman's studies, particularly his longitudinal research on gifted individuals, supported the idea that intelligence capacity has a significant hereditary component. Terman's work, which focused on the identification and academic tracking of gifted children, concluded that there is a strong genetic link to high intelligence, emphasizing that a portion of intelligence is inherited. His findings suggested that inherited traits played a crucial role in determining an individual's cognitive abilities.

This conclusion set the foundation for much of the discourse surrounding intelligence in the field of psychology and education. It also contrasts with ideas suggesting that intelligence is solely developed through environmental factors, education, or socioeconomic influences, which Terman's research did not primarily endorse. By establishing a connection between genetic factors and intelligence capacity, Terman's work has significantly influenced the understanding of giftedness and its characteristics in educational settings.