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 20th century neuropsychologist. 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 know some of the most important contributions of him related to behavior, motivation and some higher psychological processes, which served as the basis for creating neurophysiology modern.

• Related article: "Neuropsychology: what is it and what is its object of study?"

Donald Hebb: A Summary Biography

Donald Olding Hebb, born in Chester (Nova Scotia, Canada) in 1904 and died in the same place at the age of 81 years, he 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. What's more, many consider that Hebb laid the foundations of modern neurology.

Hebb was born to a medical mother and father. In addition, his mother was especially influenced and interested in Maria Montessori and her pedagogical trend. Hebb attended school until he was 8 years old, and at the age of 10 he entered secondary school, being at an advanced level due to his great abilities.

Academic trajectory

Donald hebb he enrolled at Dalhousie University (Canada) and graduated in 1925. In addition, he became very interested in Psychology and began studying it at McGill University, especially thanks to authors such as William James and Freudy Watson.

A) Yes, 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 finished it there, in 1936 and at the age of 32. In his thesis Hebb he talked about the perception of brightness and size in rats, studying this group of animals in light and dark conditions.

Career path

Subsequently, Donald Hebb returned to Canada, specifically Montreal, and He began working as a research assistant for Wilder G. Penfield, a leading 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 initially opted for the educational field, becoming the director of a school in Québec. However, his steps led him to the world of psychobiology and neuroscience, as we will see.

• You may be interested: "Hebb's Law: The Neuropsychological Basis of Learning"

Initiator of Psychobiology

Donald hebb he was one of the most important creators of psychobiology, a discipline straddling 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 towards 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 the great investigations of Hebb. In this famous work, Donald Hebb deals with phenomena and concepts of basic psychologysuch as emotions, memory, thought, and perception.

It was a work that went "against" behaviorism; That is why the 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 elaborates 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. What's more, The Organization of Behavior he collects other theories of the author, especially of a behavioral nature.

Investigations and works

Donald hebb 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 in animals, as well as the evaluation of animal intelligence.

Some of his outstanding works were: Psychology manual (1966) and Essay on the mind (1980).

Hebb's Law

Another of the great contributions of Donald Hebb was the "Law of Hebb." According to this law, brain synaptic connections are strengthened (they become stronger) at the moment when two or more neurons are activated in a contiguous way, both in time and in space.

Actually, 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.

Final synthesis

It can be said that Donald Hebb was a very influential psychologist in his time, leaving an important legacy through which to continue research. Although in the beginning he wanted to be a novelist and write, eventually his career focused more on the field of psychobiology and animal research.

In 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 Behavior, acquires 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 of the relationship between brain activity and important higher functions (such as behaviour).

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 is considered one of the great figures of psychology.

His contributions served as the basis for further research in the field of psychobiology and neuropsychology.

Bibliographic references:

• Hebb, D. OR. (1949). The Organization of Behavior: A neuropsychological theory. New York: Wiley.
• Milner, P.M. (1993). Donald O. Hebb, theorist of mind. Research and science.
• Pinel, J. (2006). Biopsychology. 6ED. Publisher: Prentice Hall.