Donald Hebb: Biography Of The Father Of Biopsychology
Psychobiology is a discipline within psychology that studies behavior through biological principles.
Donald Hebb is considered its creator, an influential neuropsychologist of the 20th century. Hebb understood behavior through the functioning of neurons, responsible for transmitting different signals at the brain level.
In this article we will see a biography of Donald Hebb we will learn about some of his most important contributions related to behavior, motivation and some higher psychological processes, which served as the basis for creating modern neurophysiology.
Donald Olding Hebb, born in Chester (Nova Scotia, Canada) in 1904 and died in the same place at the age of 81, was a neuropsychologist interested in writing novels, who ended up working especially in the field of psychobiology. In fact, he is considered the founder of this discipline. Besides, Hebb is considered by many to have laid the foundations of modern neurology
Hebb was born to a doctor mother and father. Furthermore, her mother was especially influenced and interested in Maria Montessori and her pedagogical current. Hebb attended school until she was 8 years old, and at the age of 10 she entered secondary school, being at an advanced level due to her great abilities.
Academic career
Donald Hebb He enrolled at Dalhousie University (Canada) and graduated in 1925 Furthermore, he became very interested in Psychology and began studying it at McGill University, especially thanks to authors such as William James and Freudy Watson.
So, He entered McGill University and earned a master’s degree in Psychology It was then that he began a doctorate with Karl Lashley, an American behavioral psychologist. At that stage, Donald Hebb met Sigmund Freud.
Hebb continued with his doctorate at Harvard University, and completed it there, in 1936 and at the age of 32. In Hebb’s thesis talked about the perception of brightness and size in rats studying this group of animals in light conditions and in dark conditions.
Career path
Later, Donald Hebb returned to Canada, specifically to Montreal, and began working as a research assistant to Wilder G. Penfield a prominent American neurosurgeon.
Penfield by then was studying nerve deficits in people who had suffered some type of brain injury. Later, Hebb went to Florida with Lashley to study the behavior of primates, where he spent 5 years. Finally, he returned to Montreal and wrote his most famous work: The Organization of Behavior (1948).
It should be noted that prior to his tour, Donald Hebb He initially opted for the educational field, becoming the director of a school in Quebec. However, his steps took him towards the world of psychobiology and neuroscience, as we will see.
Initiator of Psychobiology
Donald Hebb He was one of the most important creators of psychobiology, a discipline halfway between biology and psychology; Specifically, it is responsible for the study of human and animal behavior through the principles of biology.
Psychobiology was considered a neuroscientific discipline around the 20th century. One of the key works that helped make this happen was The Organization of Behavior.
The Organization of Behavior
The Organization of Behavior It is considered the culmination of Hebb’s great investigations. In this famous work, Donald Hebb deals with phenomena and concepts of basic psychology such as emotions, memory, thinking and perception.
It was a work that went “against” behaviorism; That is why behaviorists criticized it, since for them explaining behavior through the association of ideas was simply “mentalism.”
In the work, Donald Hebb considered that these phenomena (memory, emotions…) arise thanks to brain activity Specifically, in this work Hebb develops the first reasonable and accepted theory about these phenomena.
Throughout the book, Hebb talks about the possibility that these basic phenomena could arise from groups of neurons in the brain. Besides, The Organization of Behavior It includes other theories of the author, especially of a behavioral nature.
Research and works
Donald Hebb He developed his theories in the field of psychobiology through different experiments He developed these in animals and humans, through clinical studies and observations.
Specifically, Donald Hebb specialized in psychobiology and neuropsychology, and studied the emotional processes that occur in chimpanzees. He was also interested in the effects of brain damage and surgery on animals, as well as the assessment of animal intelligence.
Some of his notable works were: Psychology manual (1966) and Essay on the mind (1980).
Hebb’s Law
Another of Donald Hebb’s great contributions was “Hebb’s Law”. According to this law, Brain synaptic connections are strengthened (they become stronger) when two or more neurons activate contiguously, both in time and space.
In reality, according to Hebb’s Law, what happens is that the firing of the cell (presynaptic) is associated with the activity of the other neuron (postsynaptic). This association creates changes in brain structure that contribute to the development of neural networks.
It can be said that Donald Hebb was a very influential psychologist in his time, who left an important legacy through which to continue researching. Although at the beginning he wanted to be a novelist and write, eventually his career focused more on the field of psychobiology and animal research.
This way, Hebb spent more than 20 years researching, since he considered that he needed all that training to be a novelist With his great work, The Organization of Behavioracquires greater recognition, and the doors of modern neurophysiology are opened.
In it he talks especially about cellular networks (which he also calls cellular assemblies), and the relationship between brain activity and important higher functions (such as behavior).
Death and legacy
Donald Hebb died in the same Canadian province where he was born (Chester, Nova Scotia), at the age of 81. Hebb’s legacy continues to be transmitted in universities and schools and he is considered one of the great figures of psychology.
His contributions served as a basis for further research in the field of psychobiology and neuropsychology.
