Inducer of selective differentiation into neural stem cells and/or neural precursor cells

Disclosed are: a differentiation inducer which is capable of selectively inducing the differentiation of stem cells into neural stem cells and/or neural precursor cells; and a method for inducing the differentiation of stem cells into neural stem cells and/or neural precursor cells. Specifically disclosed is a differentiation inducer which contains a compound represented by general formula (I). (In the formula, R 1 represents an oxygen atom, H 2 , or a C 1 -C 9 alkyl group which is substituted by a phenyl group; R 2 represents a hydrogen atom, -OH, or a C 1 -C 9 alkyl group, alkenyl group or alkynyl group; R 3 and R 4 combine together to form a cyclic alkyl or a cyclic alkenyl, or alternatively R 3 and R 4 each independently represents a hydrogen atom, -O, or a C 1 -C 9 alkyl group, alkenyl group or alkynyl group; and R 5 and R 6 combine together to form a cyclic alkyl or a cyclic alkenyl, or alternatively R 5 and R 6 each independently represents a hydrogen atom or a C 1 -C 9 alkyl group. In this connection, the cyclic alkyl, the cyclic alkenyl, the alkyl group, the alkenyl group or the alkynyl group may be independently substituted by one or more substituents that are selected from among a hydrogen atom, -OH, an aliphatic ester, an aliphatic dicarboxylic acid ester and a halogen.)