The Life and Work of Donald Olding Hebb, Canada’s Greatest Psychologist

Abstract

Donald Olding Hebb’s lasting influence in psychology and neuroscience stemslargely from his influential book, The Organization of Behavior (Hebb 1949a) in which he introduced the concepts of synaptic change and cell assemblies to explain the neural events underlying behaviour. Hebb’s work revolutionized psychology by establishing a biological basis for psychological phenomena and expounding a neuropsychological theory which provided the structure for the development of the fields of cognitive and behavioural neuroscience. His ultimate fame could not have been predicted from his performance at Dalhousie University nor from his early career as a teacher. His career as a psychologist began as a night school student in psychology at McGill University in 1928. After completing his MA in psychology at McGill in 1932, he studied with Karl Lashley at the University of Chicago completing his PhD with Lashley at Harvard in 1936. For the next two years he conducted neuropsychological tests on the patientsof Dr. Wilder Penfield at the Montreal Neurological Institute and from 1939 to 1942 was a professor at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. He spent the next five years studying emotionality in chimpanzees at the Yerkes Primate Center in Florida where he began to write The Organization of Behavior. Hebb became a professor of Psychology at McGill University in 1947 and head of his department in 1948 where he completed his book and directed an internationally recognized graduate program in physiological psychology. Elected President of the Canadian Psychological Association in 1952 and the American Psychological Association in 1960 he also became a Fellow of the Royal Societies of Canada and England. Late in his career, he was Vice Dean of Biological Sciences (1964-66) and then Chancellor of McGill University (1970-74). Upon retirement from McGill, he moved back to Nova Scotia and became a professor emeritus at Dalhousie University from 1978 until his death in 1985. During this time he wrote his last book, Essay on Mind (Hebb 1980a). He was inducted into the CanadianMedical Hall of Fame in October 2003.L’influence durable de Donald Olding Hebb dans les domaines de la psychologieet de la neuroscience est en grande partie le résultat de son ouvrage prestigieux The Organization of Behavior (1949) dans lequel il présente les concepts de modification synaptique et de réseau neuronal pour expliquer les phénomènes neuronaux qui sous‑tendent le comportement. M. Hebb a révolutionné le domaine de la psychologie en établissant une base biologique pour des phénomènes psychologiques et en expliquant une théorie neuropsychologique qui a fourni la structure nécessaire au développement des domaines de la neuroscience cognitive et comportementale. Sa renommée n’aurait pu être prédite à partir de sa performance à l’Université Dalhousie ou de son poste d’enseignant au début de sa carrière. Sa carrière dans le domaine de la psychologie a débuté lorsqu’il a commencé à suivre des cours du soir dans le domaine à l’Université McGill en 1928. Après avoir obtenu une maîtrise en psychologie à l’Université McGill en 1932, il a étudié aux côtés de Karl Lashley à l’Université de Chicago pour finalement obtenir un doctorat avec M. Lashley à l’Université Harvard en 1936. Au cours des deux années suivantes, il a effectué des tests neuropsychologiques sur les patients du docteur Wilder Penfield à l’Institut neurologique de Montréal. De 1939 à 1942, il a été professeur à l’Université Queen’s, à Kingston en Ontario. Il a passé les cinq années suivantes à étudier les émotions chez le chimpanzé au Yerkes Primate Center en Floride. C’estau cours de cette période qu’il a commencé à rédiger The Organization of Behavior. M. Hebb a ensuite occupé un poste de professeur de psychologie à l’Université McGill en 1947 et il a été nommé chef du département de psychologie en 1948, poste dans le cadre duquel il a dirigé un programme d’études supérieures de renommée internationale en psychophysiologie. C’est à cette période qu’il a terminé son ouvrage prestigieux. Élu président de la Société canadienne de psychologie en 1952 et de l’American Psychological Association en 1960, il a également été un Membre de la Société royale du Canada et un membre de la Royal Society of England. Vers la fin de sa carrière, il a occupé le poste de vice-doyen des sciences biologiques à l’Université McGill (de 1964 à 1966) puis de chancelier de cette même université (de 1970 à 1974). Au moment de sa retraite de l’Université McGill, M. Hebb est retourné en Nouvelle‑Écosse. Il a été professeur émérite à l’Université Dalhousie de 1978 jusqu’à sa mort en 1985, période durant laquelle il a rédigé son dernier ouvrage Essay on Mind (1980a). Il a été intronisé au Temple de la renommée médicale canadienne en octobre 2003.

Enrichment Protocol for Rat Models

“…One of his areas of work was the development of rat intelligence. He discovered that rats kept in "enriched" conditions showed better cognitive ability than rats living in standard laboratory housing (Brown, 2006). He published the results as an abstract at an American Psychological Association meeting (Hebb, 1947).…”

Why Study the History of Neuroscience?

“…Donald O. Hebb’s influential book, The Organization of Behavior (Hebb, 1949/2002), established the concepts of synaptic change and cell assemblies. This was the basis for the prominent Hebbian theory, which has been summarized as “cells that fire together wire together.” Hebb’s research was diverse and involved a wide range of ideas (Brown, 2007b) and his research on intelligence A and B was used by Cattell to develop his theories of fluid and crystallized intelligence (Brown, 2016). Hebb was Professor Emeritus at Dalhousie University from 1977 to 1985 (Figure 5) and, after he died, a Hebb Memorial Lecture was established.…”

“…Hebb was Professor Emeritus at Dalhousie University from 1977 to 1985 (Figure 5) and, after he died, a Hebb Memorial Lecture was established. I began to write the introductions to these lectures and this resulted in having Hebb’s book republished (Hebb, 1949/2002) and writing articles on his life and work (Brown and Milner, 2003; Brown, 2007b). To research the life of Donald Hebb took me to the archives at Dalhousie University, McGill University, the University of Chicago, Harvard University and the archives of the History of Psychology in Akron Ohio, as well as to many small archives and museums.…”

BDNF–TrkB signaling as a therapeutic target in neuropsychiatric disorders

“…Much work has been done in rodent models -the first description of positive effects of environmental enrichment (EE) was made by Donald Hebb, who let his rats roam free in his house and found that these rats performed better in problem-solving tests than rats kept in cages in the laboratory. 207 While the ingredients of an enriched environment can differ greatly between laboratories and studies, what it essentially involves is a housing condition that promotes and enhances sensory, cognitive, and motor stimulation relative to standard housing. This is typically achieved through group housing in large boxes with the addition of various objects like tunnels, nesting material, and running wheels to the habitat.…”