A Theory of Age Stratification

, )

.;;

Age, Aging and Age Structure in Science

Harriet Zuckerman and Robert K. Merton

Reprinted from:

A Theory of Age Stratification

Matilda White Riley, Marylin Johnson,

and Anne Foner (eds.). Vol. III of

Aging and Society. New York:

Russell Sage Foundation, 1972.

Rosenberg, Morris, 1957. OccllpatiollS and Values, Glencoe, III.: Free Press. Schneider, David M., 1968. American Kinship: A Cultural Account, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice·Hali. Shils, Edward, 1956. Tlte Torment of Secrecy: Tile Bacilground and Conse­ qllcllce~ of American Secllritu Policies, Glencoe, III.: Free Press. - - - , 1961. "Centre and Periphery," in 'fhe Logic of Persollal Knowledge: l';,
4 Gerontocracy in science Dysfunctions of gerontocracy Evidence of gerontocracy: The National Academy of Sciences Exercise of power; The referee system

292

Ag...'ra'ifiea'ioll ill s: II/(' l>ot'iolo!l!1 of .~cknce awl tlf(' .~od{JI(J!I!I of (/1/1" s/mt i/iClll iOll, By illlroc/lldll!1 rclevant COIIC{'l'ts of af/e stratification iI/to tile sodol­ O!JII of ."dC'III'(', IIw!! c/evl'iop 1/('/(1 tlworeliral statclI/(mts (lml fre,~h evalu­ aliolls of (lvailah/c cvic/('1tc(' Oil sl/ch slIhjccts as ti,e rcialioll ')clwCel/ III(> !//'01I'11t of .~dellc(, alld III(' {I!/f' sirucillre of tire sci('IIIi/ic l}o/mlalioll. or the ill{1l1cllce of scielllifk cocii/icalion 011 age lJat/erlls of sciellti/ic I)c­ Iravlol'. Ti,ey show IIOW /JoIII historical trcuds aud 'he socially l}(ltlerneci IJrocess of (lgillY ('Iller ;1110 IIIl' a[/oc(lliOIl of leachillg, rese(lrch. al/(I ad­ millis/ml;11t' wl,'s ;11 s!'i('lIn'. III (',\/lIII;nill!! 1111' of flC'flJl/loc'nlcy ill .~ci('IIC(·. IIIC'!! III/vall(,c til(' lmsk id,'" 111111 Sllel, jmJl,il'!I III 111'1 (11'111 1101 olll!! wilh III(! fI!W hierarch!! ill ,lisili/Jlliion of powerflll posiliolls. IJIII also with Iltc cOllseqll(,l/('(',~ of IIIi.~ af/crilE as "citillion analysis."11 Weiss found Ihilt references to recent work were :ouch more frequent in "analyticill physiolop,y than in its more descriptive t,':>logical sister sciences" of 7Oo10r,y ,md entomology.

It appears, moreover, that the citation pattern of a science transcends national and cultural boundaries. At any rate. American. EUropean, and Soviet journals of physics have been found to exhibit almost identical age distribu" tions of citations (Dedijer. 1964. p. 461).

I he general pa\lern has SIllCC been confirmed fer a wider variety of dis· Clplines. ". J he j(1I1111,115 in fields WI' inl.uiliv!'!'ly id!'!'nlify as more hir.hly codifif!d -physics. biophysics. and chemistry-show a larg~r share of reference to recent work: they exhibit a greater "immediacy." as Derek Price calls it.l:1 By way of illustration,

One Ifmiled aspect of the cognitive structure of the various sciences. then. is the extent of their codification. We want now to explore possible relations between codification and age·patterned behavior and processes in the sci. ences. along the following lines:

72% of the references ill 'rllt' PI",SiclI' Rel'iell'· are to papers published with ill the preceding live ye in the Iil/Hellt of Newtun uv!!r the ,,"'lllatulv death ill age Jif of his protege. the mathematician, Hoger Cotes: "If he had lived. we micht hilve known something." Or the similar observation by John Maynard Keynes about the brilliant young logician and mathematician, Frank Ramsey, robbed of his fulure at the age of 27. We suggest. moreover, that the statistical bias in apparent age· specific productivity differs among the variously codified sciences. In doing so. we de­ pari a bit from the allcient adage that the good die young, We propose a less crisp but more germane version: ('om IUlI'nUIII'i!l::" more good mathematicians and phYSicists than good historians and sociologists die young. In saying this, we do not propose the improbable hypothesis that rates of premature mortal· ", Dennis (1956a. 1956b. 1956c. 1966). For a discussion of the fallacies in the interpreta· tions 2 at Ihe tHlle 01 !!II! Beagle voyagl! ,HId 1'9 when he for. Illul.lled Ihe essentials of 11s, wllh gauging the validity and worth of manuscripts submitted for publication, t' in the proportion of time assigned to research and a steady increase in the time assigned to administration.1fI Teaching, like re­ search. also tends to dec/ine over the life course, with the interesting excep­ tion of 1950. when each cohort increased the relative time devoted to teach­ ing. This deviation from the general life course pattern apparently reflects, as Chapter 2 alerts us to nole, the impact of unique historical events upon the .1rCh of 0111(>r5 or docs a '-IIIIIIIII,",.hly .. 1 (:lIlt-II,' 11;'111','(>1111 ;'1,'(> dlll(>,cllr.- "!II."1.,-1 .f"c·.'h'd IB'I"C'~ of !C(.ci("!1

40 55 53 51 46

(288) (756) (590) (622) (264)

51 (2.520)

:; Only ol1e I,mleale cOll1plained Ihat he had been deprived of authorship by his senior col. laborator wl"'n, in hi!' il/dRIlI!!nl. it wa" ctf'''!'IV"ct. r,1I 1II0'f' 0/(f'1I. Ihf' la",,,.,"'" "'I'OIIo'1i wh•• ! th"y I"" c"ivI'd ilS .:""'" OilS II eatment in tim matte, of coauthorship with their typically eminent sponsors. !. On th" hias in favor of pmCOCity built into Cllllent institutions for detecting and rewarding talellt, sce Gregg (1957). ThE' crucial point, whiCh holds in the domain of science as well as In the field of medical practice of which Gregg writes. is this: ", , . Ollce YOII ',ave most of YOllr s/lI(kll/S of 11,(, s"ml' "1/('. the academic rewards-from scholarships to internships and residencies-go to those who are uncommonly bright for their age. In other words, you have rewarded precocity which mayor may not be the precursor of later ability. So. In effect, you have unwittingly belittled man's cardinal educational capital-time to mature." For further sociological Implications of this Institutionalized bias. see Merton (1960. pp. 310­

313).

8

AGE, AGING. AND AGE STRUCTURE IN SCIENCE

341

found \l1f'nlselves with younger sCientists wanting to work with them on the problems in hand. RE-ENACTED ROLES IN AGE COHORTS

As they move into the role of senior collaborators. the laureates seem to reo produce the same patlerns of collaborative work with youngsters that they themselves experienced when they were young. This may turn out to be one of several kinds 01 rl'·('I/(/(·tllt(,1I1 of rolc-III'/il/(,d pat/crus of /lc1/avior at suc· cessive stages in the careers of scientists. especially those who occupy stat· uses comparable to those of their masters in the past. They are in a position to JUract promising young scientists whose contributions are sufficient to merit coauthorship. much as the laureates. when they were young. were also in· cluded among the aulhors of papers. They are also in a position. even before receiving the Nobel prize (since most of them were eminent before being accorded th"t ultimate symbol 01 accomplishment). to exercise cost·free /loIJII'!lS(' oM;!/t"ct. of .0ci;:l!!

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