ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews some theoretical accounts of exceptional performance as well as the methodological issues related to evaluation of these accounts. It shows that the information processing framework and its methodology of assessing the detailed structure of cognitive processes can be used in the scientific analysis of exceptional performance. Some recent work on exceptional memory performance and earlier work on exceptional chess-playing ability illustrate the information processing approach and the general hypotheses it can provide about the prerequisites and characteristics of exceptional performance. These general hypotheses are then evaluated against evidence on exceptional performance in athletics, the arts, and the sciences, and some common factors are shown to underlie exceptional performance across these diverse domains. The final section of the chapter provides a summary and argues for the importance of motivational factors in achieving exceptional performance.
