Interview with Dr. Irwin Waldman, Dept. of Psychology, Emory University
1. Who do you consider a genius (intellectual, athletic or artistic) and why? Can you have an athletic genius? That is, when you talk about genius, does athletic ability fall into the realm of genius?
Richard Fineman, the physicist, is a genius.
Gardner believes in a wide range of intelligences. He believes that genius has to be intellectual while athletic ability is a talent.
2. At what point do you separate mastery of field and actual genius?In other words, what do geniuses have that distinguishes them for other people who are also talented in the specific area of interest?
Richard Fineman is considered a genius because in non-genius people who are just exceptionally bright, you can see where they are coming from, the thought process, while in Fineman, it comes out of nowhere In normal people, you can trace the way they think. Geniuses are set apart, they don't even compare to others in their field.
3. According to our research thus far, we know that both genetics and environment affect the degree to which a person is gifted in a certain field. From your experience, do you think that the “natural gift” of being a genius can be purely genetic or purely environmental?
Even as I believe in more genetic influences than other people would, I don't believe that it can be purely genetic or purely environmental. Environment has to react with genes to make a genius. If someone grows up in a horrible environment, it is unlikely for them to grow up to be a genius.
4. To what extent can the environment change the outcome of genetics and vice versa? Can one override the other? Do either the environment or genetics have more force than the other?
For intelligence, it seems that genetics play a pretty substantial role starting as a child and increasing in magnitude over time. Shared environmental influences decrease over time as well. Both genetic and environmental differences are important. Based on his research performed on adopted children, a good environment could override a poor genetic make up, or good genes could override a poor environment.
5. Is there a specific part of the brain that is most associated with genius? Is there a physical difference in brain structure between a genius and typical person? Is there any truth to the past theories of genius that stated that the bigger the brain, the smarter you are?
Not that I know of. I don't think there's any such part. I'd be surprised if they found it really. There is probably a difference in size in that more intelligent people have moderately larger brains, not a large difference, but a moderate difference."
6. Are there any specific genes that seem to be related with a genius?
Robert Lowman has been looking for genes that cause intelligence, but there haven't been any identified yet.
7. Is there any common childhood development by parents or life pattern that seems to be most associated with a genius?
Parents encourage all different abilities than used to be the case. But they why don't all these kids grow up to be geniuses? Doesn't seem to me to be enough. Science camps may make children more intelligent or give them a greater interest in science, but wouldn't make them a genius. It seems kind of unscientific because it almost comes out of nowhere.