In a message dated 11/10/99 8:34:07 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > Subj: Donald Hebb > Date: 11/10/99 8:34:07 AM Eastern Standard Time > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Michael Sylvester) > Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Reply-to: <A HREF="mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]">[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> (Michael Sylvester) > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (TIPS) > > > Did Donald Hebb lived in a rat infested house? > And is it true that he adopted some of those rats as his personal pets > and when they died he examined their brains and hence formulated > his idea of cell assemblies? > Apparently,it was alleged that those rats in his enriched > environment household had unique cell assemblies than those lurking > around the garbage cans outside the house. > > MIchael Sylvester > Daytona Beach,Florida > "I get by with a little help with my tipster > friends." > Michael et al,- In response to your question, I decided to touch base with an old mentor, Gus Buchtel, and ask for his input. . . Gus did his doctoral training at McGill (Hebb's academic home), and has had a long-standing interest in Hebb's life and work (e.g., see ref. below). With his permission, I am sharing his response to your questions. Buchtel, H.A. (Ed.) (1982). The Conceptual Nervous System. Oxford: Pergamon Press (Selected papers from the works of D.O. Hebb, with preface by Oliver Zangwill). _________________________________________________ In a message dated 11/10/99 10:20:11 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > Subj: Re: Donald Hebb - myth > Date: 11/10/99 10:20:11 AM Eastern Standard Time > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Gus) > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Hi, Sandi! This sounds like one of those distorted rumors that assume > mythic > proportions. It may have its origin in the work by Ron Melzack when he was > Hebb's student. This is from the period during which they were interested in > sensory deprivation (because of "brain washing" during the Korean War) and > were > looking particularly at home-reared and deprived Scotties (which led to > Melzack > being interested in pain, since the "deprived" dogs were relatively > insensitive > to pain), but I think that there was a side "study" that involved people > taking > rats home as pets and then later comparing the maze learning of these > animals to > those that had had a deprived environment. He had the cell assembly worked > out > in the mid 1940s and these other studies were done in the mid 1950s and > later, > so no connection (and, anyhow, how could his looking at their brains have > given > him the idea of cell assemblies? All rats, whether enriched or deprived, > would > have cell assemblies and the idea that differences between rearing groups > would > be visible under the microscope strains credulity). > Hope this helps to clarify ! Sandra Nagel Randall SVSU, MI Athabasca U, Alberta
