By: Arthur J. Jensen
In C. P. Benbow & D. J. Lubinski (Eds.), Intellectual talent: Psychometric and social issues (p. 393–411). Johns Hopkins University Press.
1996
Summary
- Genius.
- Socially recognized outstandingly creative achievement.
- Multiple (common) traits combine to create (rare) exceptional achievement.
- Exceptional achievement is a multiplicative function of a number of different traits.
- Each of the traits is normally distributed.
- In combination, they are so synergistic as to skew the resulting distribution of achievement.
- Creates an upper tail of achievement, within which genius can be found.
- Questions:
- How many traits?
- What are they?
- Limits:
- Upper limit seems to be astronomically higher than lower limit.
- Upper limit can’t be characterized in terms of intelligence, problem-solving skills, etc.
- Genius likely requires
- Giftedness, natural ability.
- Creativity.
- Productivity.
The main difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has limits.
Giftedness, natural ability.
- Consisting of “g”, along with some particular aptitude or talent.
- May sometimes appear to be elusive, magical.
- Does not assure exceptional achievement.
- Probably a necessary condition for genius.
- Giftedness and genius do not represent points on a continuum.
- May even be orthogonal.
- Probably a necessary condition for genius.
- Indication of ability, not of potential achievement.
- In many cases, gifted people lack focus (many members of MENSA…)
- Genius involves both ability and achievement.
- When giftedness interacts with other required variables, exceptional achievement (genius) may result.
- Giftedness: normally distributed variable.
- Genius: skewed distribution (multiple variables involved).
Creativity
- The bringing into being of something that has not previously existed.
- Our understanding of creative acts is practically nil.
- For example, chance configuration is not convincing.
- Blind chance: random configuration of known elements provides original productive solution.
- Requires critical selection and rejection screening, retention of promising candidates.
- Similar to how new life emerges through the process of biological evolution (random mutation, natural selection).
- Results in an inefficient and unlikely combinatorial and permutational explosion.
- Also, not a helpful analogy to integrated complex neuronal actions involved in the manipulation of ideas.
- Also, nature abhors a vacuum: intelligent people are unable to process anything in a purely random fashion.
- [But, perhaps making random connections is relevant in this context.]
- Trial and error, yes.
- But not random.
- Three sources of variance:
- Ideational fluency: tap a flow of relevant ideas and play with them (brainstorming).
- Relevance horizon: range or variety of ideas that seem relevant (>range, > creativity).
- Suspension of critical judgement: intellectual risk takers.
- All of these features, when taken to an extreme, are characteristic of psychosis.
- In many creative geniuses, the potential for psychosis is buffered by other traits.
- “Psychoticism”: degree of aggression, coldness, impersonal, unempathic, creative.
- Relatives of geniuses usually not generous in personal recollections.
Productivity
- Price’s Law:
- K persons make N contributions in a certain field.
- N/2 contribution attributable to SQRT(K).
- As K increases, the ratio of SQRT(K) / K decreases.
- Meaning, 50% of contributions allocated to a smaller portion of K as K gets larger.
- Elitism of major contributors.
- Correlation between amount of contributions and importance.
- High productivity is more common than great importance.
- High productivity is no guarantee of great importance..
- High productivity and triviality are more likely than low productivity and irrelevance.
- But also, the greatest creative geniuses are often hugely productive.
- And, the greatest creative geniuses have also often produced their share of trivia.
- In short, high productivity is probably necessary, but not sufficient.
- May be associated not with will, but more likely obsession.
- Driven by high level of mental energy.
- Heightened cortical arousal, brain stimulation.
- Some type of brain / body chemistry.
- Gout! (high serum urate levels).
- Uric acid similar molecular structure as caffeine.
- Heightened cortical arousal, brain stimulation.
Other Characteristics of Genius
- Sensitivity to (cognitive) experiences.
- Unusually strong and long-term interests.
- Curiosity.
- Self-discipline.
- Expert level skills.
- Mastery (automation) requires practice.
- Personal ideas and values.
- Channels and focuses mental efforts (to the exclusion of everything else).
Educational Recommendations
- Cultivate and select for high ability (IQ / g) and some type of prediction of high productivity.
- A nation’s most important resource is the level of educated intelligence in its population.
- It determines the quality of life.