MATTHEW EFFECT IN SCIENCE
MATTHEW EFFECT IN SCIENCE
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DOI：
10.1126/science.159.3810.56
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发表时间：
1968-01-01
期刊：
影响因子：
56.9
通讯作者：
MERTON, RK
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
MERTON, RK
对马太效应的描述是对科学作为一个社会机构的运作进行心理社会学分析的另一个小练习。最初的问题因理论视角的转变而发生了转变。正如最初所指出的那样，马太效应被解释为提高了已经杰出的科学家的地位，这些科学家在合作或独立多项发现的情况下获得了不成比例的荣誉。因此，它的意义仅限于它对科学奖励制度的影响。通过改变视角，我们注意到其他可能的后果，这次是针对科学传播系统。马太效应可能有助于提高具有公认地位的科学家对科学贡献的可见度，并降低知名度较低的作者的贡献的可见度。我们研究了这种效应背后的心理社会条件和机制，并发现多项发现的冗余功能与杰出科学人士的聚焦功能之间的相关性——这些人对发现基本问题的高度重视和他们的自信强化了这一功能。这种自信部分是固有的，部分是创造性科学环境中的经验和联想的结果，部分是后来社会对其立场的认可的结果，鼓励他们寻找有风险但重要的问题，并强调他们的探究结果。马太原理的宏观社会版本显然涉及目前导致科学资源和人才集中的社会选择过程。
This account of the Matthew effect is another small exercise in the psychosociological analysis of the workings of science as a social institution. The initial problem is transformed by a shift in theoretical perspective. As originally identified, the Matthew effect was construed in terms of enhancement of the position of already eminent scientists who are given disproportionate credit in cases of collaboration or of independent multiple discoveries. Its significance was thus confined to its implications for the reward system of science. By shifting the angle of vision, we note other possible kinds of consequences, this time for the communication system of science. The Matthew effect may serve to heighten the visibility of contributions to science by scientists of acknowledged standing and to reduce the visibility of contributions by authors who are less well known. We examine the psychosocial conditions and mechanisms underlying this effect and find a correlation between the redundancy function of multiple discoveries and the focalizing function of eminent men of science—a function which is reinforced by the great value these men place upon finding basic problems and by their self-assurance. This self-assurance, which is partly inherent, partly the result of experiences and associations in creative scientific environments, and partly a result of later social validation of their position, encourages them to search out risky but important problems and to highlight the results of their inquiry. A macrosocial version of the Matthew principle is apparently involved in those processes of social selection that currently lead to the concentration of scientific resources and talent.