Invention and inventivity is a random, Poisson process: A potential guide to analysis of general creativity

Recent analyses have demonstrated that the time pattern of patents for most inventors was random and fit the Poisson distribution. However, that study was based on high-output inventors in one company. The present study covers a broader spectrum of inventors: random sample by last name including all levels of output, ones with high level of output, and national award winners. The results were the same. For most inventors, inventivity, the time pattern of invention, is random and fits the Poisson distribution at a significance level of 0.10. The data also support Simonton's (1988) chance-configuration theory of creativity and Kirton's (1994) adaptor-innovator theory of creativity. The extreme rarity of individuals with generalizable inventive experience leads to guidelines for empirical studies in general creativity.