Donald hebb biography

Canadian neuropsychologist (1904–1985)

Donald Olding Hebb
Born	(1904-07-22)July 22, 1904 Chester, Nova Scotia, Canada
Died	August 20, 1985(1985-08-20) (aged 81) Chester, Nova Scotia, Canada
Alma mater	Dalhousie Foundation (BA, 1925), McGill University (MA, 1932), Harvard University (PhD, 1936)
Known for	Cell assembly theory
Awards	Fellow of the Imperial Society[1]
Scientific career
Fields	Psychology
Institutions	Montreal Neurological Institute, Queen's University, Yerkes Laboratories of Primate Biology, McGill University[2]
Thesis	The innate organization of optic perception in the rat (1936)
Doctoral advisor	Karl Spencer Lashley
Doctoral students	Brenda Milner

Donald Olding HebbFRS^[1] (July 22, 1904 – August 20, 1985) was uncut Canadian psychologist who was successful in the area of psychology, where he sought to cotton on how the function of neurons contributed to psychological processes much as learning.

He is blow known for his theory advance Hebbian learning, which he external in his classic 1949 lessons The Organization of Behavior.^[3] Do something has been described as righteousness father of neuropsychology and system networks.^[4] A Review of Public Psychology survey, published in 2002, ranked Hebb as the Ordinal most cited psychologist of description 20th century.^[5] His views dig up learning described behavior and think it over in terms of brain do its stuff, explaining cognitive processes in particulars of connections between neuron assemblies.

Early life

Donald Hebb was calved in Chester, Nova Scotia, depiction oldest of four children attain Arthur M. and M. Clara (Olding) Hebb, and lived nearby until the age of 16, when his parents moved relate to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

Hebb's parents were both medical doctors. Donald's mother was heavily influenced get by without the ideas of Maria Educator, and she home-schooled him unsettled the age of 8.

Settle down performed so well in simple school that he was promoted to the 7th grade soothe 10 years of age on the other hand, as a result of weakness and then repeating the Ordinal grade in Chester, he progressive from the 12th grade make fun of 16 years of age implant Halifax County Academy. (Many puzzle most of the single monstrous of grade 9, 10 instruct 11 students at the Metropolis school failed the provincial examinations.

Those in 9th and Tenth grades were permitted to nurture despite their failure but at hand was no 12th grade hill Chester.) He entered Dalhousie Rule aiming to become a penny-a-liner. He graduated with a Unsullied of Arts degree in 1925. Afterward, he became a schoolteacher, teaching at his old grammar in Chester. Later, he stirred on a farm in Alberta and then traveled around, functional as a laborer in Quebec.

Career

In 1928, he became deft graduate student at McGill Rule. But, at the same generation, he was appointed headmaster arrive at Verdun High School in description suburbs of Montreal.^[6] He simulated with two colleagues from high-mindedness university, Kellogg and Clarke, be in total improve the situation.

He took a more innovative approach feign education—for example, assigning more riveting schoolwork and sending anyone peevish outside (making schoolwork a privilege). He completed his master's grade in psychology at McGill shaggy dog story 1932 under the direction break into the eminent psychologist Boris Babkin. Hebb's master's thesis, entitled Conditioned and Unconditioned Reflexes and Inhibition, tried to show that scrawny reflexes were due to cancellated learning.^[7]

By the beginning of 1934, Hebb's life was in topping slump.

His wife had boring, following a car accident, lobby his twenty-ninth birthday (July 22, 1933). His work at depiction Montreal school was going sternly. In his words, it was "defeated by the rigidity line of attack the curriculum in Quebec's christian schools." The focus of lucubrate at McGill was more suspend the direction of education advocate intelligence, and Hebb was packed in more interested in physiological attitude and was critical of rectitude methodology of the experiments encircling.

He decided to leave Metropolis and wrote to Robert Psychologist at Yale, where he was offered a position to bone up on for a PhD. Babkin, quieten, convinced Hebb to study or with Karl Lashley at probity University of Chicago.

In July 1934, Hebb was accepted benefits study under Karl Lashley drum the University of Chicago. Her highness thesis was titled "The perturb of spatial orientation and mess learning".

Hebb, along with link other students, followed Lashley have round Harvard University in September 1935. Here, he had to alter his thesis. At Harvard, proceed did his thesis research on the subject of the effects of early visible deprivation upon size and smartness perception in a rat. Think about it is, he raised rats hub the dark and some break open the light and compared their brains.

In 1936, he orthodox his PhD from Harvard.^[8] Rank following year he worked renovation a research assistant to Lashley and as a teaching visit in introductory psychology for King G. Boring at Radcliffe Academy. His Harvard thesis was in the near future published, and he finished grandeur thesis he started at Hospital of Chicago.

In 1937, Hebb married his second wife, Elizabeth Nichols Donovan. That same best, on a tip from queen sister Catherine (herself a PhD student with Babkin at McGill University), he applied to uncalled-for with Wilder Penfield at righteousness Montreal Neurological Institute. Here crystal-clear researched the effect of understanding surgery and injury on being brain function.

He saw put off the brain of a descendant could regain partial or congested function when a portion elder it is removed but ditch similar damage in an grown up could be far more harmful, even catastrophic. From this, recognized deduced the prominent role lapse external stimulation played in illustriousness thought processes of adults.

Adjoin fact, the lack of that stimulation, he showed, caused wound function and sometimes hallucinations.

He also became critical of excellence Stanford-Binet and Wechsler intelligence tests for use with brain action patients. These tests were meant to measure overall intelligence, scruffy Hebb believed tests should keep going designed to measure more muscular effects that surgery could conspiracy had on the patient.

Submission with N.W. Morton, he authored the Adult Comprehension Test crucial the Picture Anomaly Test.

Putting the Picture Anomaly Test in a jiffy use, he provided the be in first place indication that the right lay lobe was involved in ocular recognition. He also showed range removal of large parts unconscious the frontal lobe had small effect on intelligence.

In accomplishment, in one adult patient, who had a large portion oust his frontal lobes removed essential order to treat his epilepsy, he noted "a striking post-operative improvement in personality and decrease capacity." From these sorts presentation results, he started to estimate that the frontal lobes were instrumental in learning only beforehand in life.

In 1939, recognized was appointed to a edification position at Queen's University. Require order to test his hesitantly of the changing role presumption the frontal lobes with dispense, he designed a variable walk maze for rats with Kenneth Williams called the Hebb-Williams confusion, a method for testing creature intelligence later used in innumerous studies.

He used the 1 to test the intelligence cut into rats blinded at different formative stages, showing that "there in your right mind a lasting effect of babe experience on the problem-solving right of the adult rat." That became one of the maintain principles of developmental psychology, following helping those arguing the value of the proposed Head Vantage programs for preschool children delicate economically poor neighborhoods.

In 1942, he moved to Orange Greens, Florida to once again drudgery with Karl Lashley who challenging replaced Yerkes as the Executive of the Yerkes Laboratories have a hold over Primate Biology at the Psychologist National Primate Research Center. At hand, studying primate behavior, Hebb erudite emotional tests for chimpanzees.

Position experiments were somewhat unsuccessful, nonetheless because chimpanzees turned out thesis be hard to teach. Close to the course of the get something done there, Hebb wrote The Organizing of Behavior: A Neuropsychological Theory,^[3] his groundbreaking book that dug in forth the theory that rank only way to explain activeness was in terms of intelligence function.

Afterward, he returned give a lift McGill University to become a-okay professor of psychology in 1947 and was made chairman show evidence of the department in 1948. Encircling he once again worked indulge Penfield, but this time protected his students, which included Nobleman Mishkin, Haldor Enger Rosvold, other Brenda Milner, all of whom extended his earlier work consider Penfield on the human strong point.

His wife Elizabeth died imprisoned 1962. In 1966, Hebb marital his third wife, Margaret Doreen Wright (née Williamson), a woman.

Hebb remained at McGill unconfirmed retirement in 1972. He remained at McGill after retirement convoy a few years, in greatness Department of Psychology as spoil emeritus professor, conducting a manifestation course required of all company graduate students.

In 1977 Hebb retired to his birthplace fit into place Nova Scotia, where he fulfilled his last book, Essay go on Mind. He was appointed be thinking about honorary professor of psychology struggle his alma mater, Dalhousie, contemporary regularly participated in colloquia relating to until his death at 81, in 1985.^[9] He was survived by two daughters (both from one side to the ot his second marriage), Mary Ellen Hebb and Jane Hebb Libber.

Honors and awards

Hebb was unadorned member of both the Contention Psychological Association (CPA) and high-mindedness American Psychological Association (APA). Smartness was elected President of rectitude CPA in 1953 and make public the APA in 1960. Take action won the APA Distinguished Wellregulated Contribution Award in 1961.

He was elected a Fellow remind the Royal Society of Canada and a Fellow of magnanimity Royal Society of London take delivery of March 1966.^[1][10][11]

He received an in name doctorate from 15 universities, as well as in 1961 from University a variety of Chicago,^[12] in 1965 from Dalhousie University^[13] and in 1975 shake off Concordia University.^[14]

The Donald O.

Hebb Award, named in his go halves, is awarded by the Conflict Psychological Association to distinguished Tussle psychologists. The award is tingle yearly to a person who has made a significant part to promoting the discipline authentication psychology as a science fail to see conducting research, by teaching talented leadership, or as a proxy. The inaugural award was suave to Hebb in 1980.^[15]

In 2011 he was posthumously inducted industrial action the Halifax, Nova Scotia, Disclosure Centre's Hall of Fame.^[16] Fall back a 2011 meeting of birth executive council of the Council for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), Hebb was selected for inclusion reveal CSI's Pantheon of Skeptics, minor award given to deceased associates of CSI.^[17]

His archives, including chronicles relating to research and seminar activities, are held by honourableness McGill University Archives, McGill Academy, in Montreal.^[8]

Work

The Organization of Behavior (1949)

Main article: The Organization suggest Behavior

The Organization of Behavior equitable considered Hebb's most significant gift to the field of neuroscience.

A combination of his time of work in brain healing mixed with his study show human behavior, it finally lying down together the two realms cancel out human perception that for shipshape and bristol fashion long time could not put right connected properly, that is, wastage connected the biological function worm your way in the brain as an channel together with the higher overhaul of the mind.^[3]

In 1929, Hans Berger discovered that the brains exhibits continuous electrical activity president cast doubt on the Physiologist model of perception and bow to because, now, there appeared show accidentally be something going on include the brain even without ostentatious stimulus.

At the same hour, there were many mysteries. Engage in example, if there was out method for the brain anticipate recognize a circle, how does it recognize circles of many sizes or imperfect roundness? Have knowledge of accommodate every single possible pennon that could exist, the understanding would need a far bigger capacity than it has.

Another theory, the Gestalt theory, presumed that signals to the ratiocination established a sort of specialization. The form of this attachment depended only on the mould of the inputs, but useless still could not explain how in the world this field was understood emergency the mind.

The behaviorist theories at the time did superior at explaining how the filtering of patterns happened.

However, they could not account for in what way these patterns made it attentive the mind.

Hebb combined all the rage data about behavior and illustriousness brain into a single belief. And, while the understanding drawing the anatomy of the intelligence did not advance much on account of the development of the old theories on the operation come within earshot of the brain, he was pull off able to piece together spruce theory that got a outline of the important functions remove the brain right.

Hebb's possibility became known as Hebbian premise and the models which get this theory are said in the vicinity of exhibit "Hebbian learning." He titular a neurophysiological account of indigenous and memory based in straighten up simple principle:^[18]

When an axon fanatic cell A is near skimpy to excite cell B tube repeatedly or persistently takes items in firing it, some nurturing process or metabolic change takes place in one or both cells such that A's energy, as one of the cells firing B, is increased.^[3]

This legal action often paraphrased as "Neurons dump fire together wire together."^[19] Court case is commonly referred to trade in Hebb's Law.

The combination pick up the tab neurons which could be classified together as one processing entity, Hebb referred to as "cell-assemblies". And their combination of relations made up the ever-changing rule which dictated the brain's clarify to stimuli.

Not only blunt Hebb's model for the functional of the mind influence regardless how psychologists understood the processing donation stimuli within the mind however also it opened up rank way for the creation confiscate computational machines that mimicked ethics biological processes of a support nervous system.

And while nobility dominant form of synaptic diffusion in the nervous system was later found to be artificial, modern artificial neural networks unwanted items still based on the affirm of signals via electrical impulses that Hebbian theory was chief designed around.

Theories of education

Hebb was instrumental in defining not all there as a biological science outdo identifying thought as the structural activity of the brain.^[20] Fillet views on learning described behaviour and thought in terms contribution brain function, explaining cognitive processes in terms of connections betwixt neuron assemblies.

These ideas seized a large part in circlet views on education and wakefulness.

Hebb viewed motivation and field as related properties. He deemed that everything in the outstanding ability was interrelated and worked as soon as. His theory was that entire lot we experience in our earth fires a set of neurons called a cell assembly.

That cell assembly is the brain's thoughts or ideas. These can assemblies then work together decimate form phase sequences, which uphold streams of thoughts.^[21] Once these cell assemblies and phase sequences are formed, they can rectify activated by stimulation from probity environment. Therefore, the more inspiring and rich the environment, ethics more the cell assemblies fashion and learn.

This theory mincing into his beliefs in schooling. Hebb believed that the sphere was very important to education in children. Children learn hunk building up these cell assemblies and phase sequences. An advantageous environment with varied opportunities represent sensory and motor experiences grant to children developing the cubicle assemblies and phase sequences accountable for continued learning in completion.

To attempt to prove that, Hebb and his daughters brocaded pet rats at home. Get ahead of raising them in an advantageous environment, the rats showed wiser maze learning in adulthood.^[22] That research into environmental enrichment intentional to the development of prestige Head Start Program used nowadays.

Head Start is a syllabus for preschool children in low-income families. The aim of justness program is to prepare offspring for success in school quantity an early learning program furnishing cognitively stimulating educational activities. According to the findings in put in order study on Head Start tell and school readiness, full-time Imagination Start participation was associated unwanted items higher academic skills in progeny of less-educated parents.^[23]

Another long-term con by Hart and Risley tracked 42 children and their families over two years.

The scan focused on early language obtaining and the role of honesty home and family in leadership growth of word learning stand for language development. The results stencil their study showed that deuce of the most important aspects in language acquisition are influence economic advantages of the low-grade homes and the frequency elect language experiences.

The study demonstrated that children of lower socioeconomic status homes, with fewer reduced resources, learn fewer words instruction acquire vocabulary more slowly facing children of professional parents be different a higher socioeconomic status process access to more varied person in charge enriched vocabulary experiences.^[24]

Hebb believed delay providing an enriched environment irritated childhood learning would benefit full-grown learning as well, since fine second type of learning occurs as adults.

This second kind of learning is a a cut above rapid and insightful learning as the cell assemblies and time sequences have already been conceived and now can be solid in any number of ways.^[25] The Hebbian theory of responsiveness implies that every experience fine person encounters becomes set hurt the network of brain cells.

Then, each time a value action or thought is frequent, the connection between neurons crack strengthened, changing the brain refuse strengthening the learning. An dispersed is, in essence, training their brain. The more challenging modern experiences a person has innermost practices, the more new interaction are created in their thought.

Hebb as an educator

Throughout jurisdiction life Hebb enjoyed teaching endure was very successful as top-notch teacher. Both in his absolutely years as a teacher distinguished a headmaster in a Metropolis school and in his late years at McGill University, prohibited proved to be a disentangle effective educator and a marvelous influence on the scientific standpoint of his students.

As straight professor at McGill, he ostensible that one could not demonstrate motivation, but rather create rendering conditions necessary for students slipup which to do their scan and research. One could cortege them to write, help them choose a problem to announce, and even help keep them from being distracted, but leadership motivation and passion for investigation and study had to make available from the students themselves.

Why not? believed that students should assign evaluated on their ability think and create rather pat their ability to memorize extremity reprocess older ideas.

Hebb estimated in a very objective lucubrate of the human mind, statesman as a study of smashing biological science. This attitude promoting psychology and the way directly is taught made McGill Custom a prominent center of intellectual study.

Hebb also came hold out with the A/S ratio, on the rocks value that measures the intellect complexity of an organism.

Controversial research

Hebb's name has often bent invoked in discussions of picture involvement of psychological researchers ancestry interrogation techniques, including the loft of sensory deprivation, because elaborate his research into this enclosed space.

Speaking at a Harvard conference on sensory deprivation in June 1958, Hebb is quoted reorganization remarking:

The work that astonishment have done at McGill Asylum began, actually, with the puzzle of brainwashing. We were turn on the waterworks permitted to say so reclaim the first publishing.... The cover impetus, of course, was magnanimity dismay at the kind noise "confessions" being produced at excellence Russian Communist trials.

"Brainwashing" was a term that came deft little later, applied to Sinitic procedures. We did not assume what the Russian procedures were, but it seemed that they were producing some peculiar see-saw of attitude. How? One imaginable factor was perceptual isolation significant we concentrated on that.^[26]

Recent test has argued that Hebb's sensuous deprivation research was funded afford and coordinated with the CIA (with the CIA intending fail use the research to expand on new interrogation and torture techniques).^[27] Some of this research was done in secret, and probity results were initially shared lone with United States authorities.

Many of this research involved volunteers who spent hours in sensuous deprivation conditions that some contradict should be considered torture,^[27][28] even though the subjects in his studies were university student volunteers,^[29] grizzle demand patients, and were free dissertation quit the experiment at time.

Notable students

Selected publications

References

Further reading

External links