Rothenberg Albert
Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachussetts, USA.
Can J Psychiatry. 2005 Dec;50(14):918-25. doi: 10.1177/070674370505001406.
In a previous study of literary creative achievement, we presented evidence refuting the still-influential statistical studies of Frances Galton on the inheritance of genius and also described a family background constellation of creativity. This study aims to assess empirically the hereditary transmission hypothesis with respect to creative achievement in the natural sciences.
Family background data were collected on 435 of all 488 Nobel laureates in chemistry, physics, and medicine and physiology, from 1901 through 2003. These were compared with a matching group of 548 eminent nonscientists for incidence of occupational inheritance (that is, same parent-offspring occupations) and with 560 high-IQ nonprizewinners for predominant type of occupation.
The incidence of one or both parents having the same occupation was only 2% for science Nobel laureates but 20% for eminent nonscientists (P < 0.001). The predominant family background constellation (63%) for science Nobel laureates consisted of the same-sex parent either having a performance-equivalent occupation involving applied science, technology, or a natural-world focus and skills (P < 0.001, compared with the matching group) or having an unrelated occupation with unfulfilled scientific interests and wishes for creative expression.
Nobel laureates in the natural sciences do not manifest direct inheritance of creativity from their parents; instead, congruent-sex parents are predominantly in applied or performance-equivalent occupations, with unfulfilled creative and scientific wishes. Early developmental influences on motivation involving identification and competition with the congruent-sex parent are suggested.
在先前一项关于文学创作成就的研究中，我们提供了证据，反驳了弗朗西斯·高尔顿（Frances Galton）关于天才遗传的仍具影响力的统计研究，并描述了创造力的家庭背景组合。本研究旨在通过实证评估自然科学领域创造性成就的遗传传递假说。
收集了1901年至2003年期间488位化学、物理、医学和生理学诺贝尔奖获得者中435人的家庭背景数据。将这些数据与一组548位杰出非科学家的匹配组进行职业遗传发生率（即父母与子女职业相同）的比较，并与560位高智商非获奖者进行主要职业类型的比较。
父母一方或双方从事相同职业的发生率，科学诺贝尔奖获得者仅为2%，而杰出非科学家为20%（P<0.001）。科学诺贝尔奖获得者的主要家庭背景组合（63%）包括同性父母一方从事涉及应用科学、技术或自然世界重点及技能的等效职业（与匹配组相比，P<0.001），或者从事与未实现的科学兴趣和创造性表达愿望无关的职业。
自然科学领域的诺贝尔奖获得者并未表现出从父母那里直接继承创造力；相反，同性父母主要从事应用或等效职业，有着未实现的创造性和科学愿望。研究表明早期发展对动机的影响涉及与同性父母的认同和竞争。
