Brief History of Neuropsychology Flashcards
What is Franz Gall’s (1758-1828) main contribution to Neuropsychology?
FRANology
Franz Gall theorized that behavior, intellect & personality might be linked to the brain’s anatomy via his Doctrine of Phrenology which states that if a particular trait is well-developed, then that part of the brain responsible for the trait would expand.
The expansion/growth of said region would push on the skull outward, causing a bulge. Additionally, he believed psychological traits can be measured by an individual’s skull size.
What is Pierre Flourens’ (1794-1867) main contribution to Neuropsychology?
CutMyBrainIntoPierre-ces
Pierre Flourens was the first individual to study the functions of the major sections of the brain via extirpation (or ablation) on rabbits & pigeons. Through extirpation, Flourens surgically removed various parts of the brain and observed the behavioral consequences with each removed part.
Through this study, Flourens asserted that the brain had specific parts for specific functions. Additionally, Flourens believed that once a part of the brain is removed, the whole brain weakens.
What is William James’ (1842-1910) main contribution to Neuropsychology?
AmericanPSYCHOlogyDaddy
William James was labeled as the Father of American Psychology as his theories contributed to functionalism. Functionalism is a system of thought in psychology that studied how mental processes help individuals adapt to their environment.
What is John Dewey’s (1859-1952) main contribution to Neuropsychology?
DeweyTooMuch
John Dewey contributed to functionalism through his 1896 article where he criticized the concept of reflex arc, which breaks the process of reacting to a stimulus into discrete parts. More specifically, he believed that sensory stimulus, central connections and motor responses shall be viewed, not as separate and complete entities in themselves, but as divisions of labor, function factors, within the single concrete whole, now designated the reflex arc.
Dewey also believed that psychology should focus on the study of the organism as a whole as it functioned to adapt to the environment.
What is Paul Broca’s (1824-1880) main contribution to Neuropsychology?
BROCAfellerCenter
Paul Broca examined the behavioral deficits of people with brain damage and was the first individual to demonstrate that specific functional impairments could be linked with specific brain lesions.
Broca discovered that an individual who is unable to speak is a result of a lesion in a specific area on the left side of the brain. This specific area is now referred to Broca’s area.
What is Hermann von Helmholtz’s (1821-1894) main contribution to Neuropsychology?
AMilli[voltz]ByLilHelmholtz
Hermann von Helmholtz was the first individual to measure the speed of a nerve impulse in terms of reaction time. Due to this discovery, he is credited for the transition of psychology into a field of natural sciences.
What is Sir Charles Sherrington’s (1857-1952) main contribution to Neuropsychology?
#SynapseOutOfItSirCharles Sir Charles Sherrington was the first to infer the existence of synapses. Sherrington believe that synaptic transmission was an electrical process, but was proven wrong as synaptic transmission is primarily a chemical process.
