After stressing the importance of subjecting conceptions of giftedness to critical scrutiny, the authors analyze the research cited in support of Renzulli's (1978) three-ring conception of giftedness. A close reading of the original studies leads to the conclusion that the cited research constitutes a weak and equivocal case for this definition. Furthermore, the authors argue that some of the research has been misinterpreted and should instead be seen as leading logically to conclusions antithetical to Renzulli's. The authors conclude that, when judged on the basis of the strength of its research base, this conception of giftedness is of questionable validity, although it may be defensible as an implicit conception.
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