Abstract
The purpose of this study was to characterize the parental environment of three groups: parents with no gifted children (Group A); parents with one gifted child (Group B); and parents with two or more gifted children (Group C). The variables assessed were based on those that showed significant differences in a previous study conducted at the Young Persons' Institute for the Promotion of Art and Science (Landau & Weissler, 1993), namely, environmental stimuli afforded the child in the home, cognitive interaction between the parents and the children, and parents' attitudes toward their children's intelligence. The variable of authoritarianism was also included. In Israel, 29 mothers and fathers in Group A, 35 in Group B, and 31 in Group C completed a questionnaire constructed for the study. The results confirmed the significant differences found in the earlier study. In addition, fathers in families with two or more gifted children differed significantly from those in the other two groups on authoritarianism.