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The Mind
General Theories
General Theories
The complexity of the brain makes it an uneasy puzzle to solve. Blending in the factor of the mind and we have a mystery inside a mystery. Scholars all over the world have attempted to describe the mind’s functioning from the detailed, microscopic perspective, as well as the big-picture perspective, such as the discussion of personality traits. The question of whether the brain explains the mind still pertains, as well posed by neurosurgeon Wilder Penfiled, does the brain think, “by the simple performance of its neuronal mechanisms, or by supplying energy to the mind? Or both?” Consciousness both encompasses and transcends its physical workings; that is the conclusion drawn by brain surgeon Roger Sperry, “In the human head there are forces within forces within forces, as in no other cubic half-foot of the universe that we know.” J. A. Hobson believes that when we finally have a full understanding of the brain and of the mind, the molecular and the molar views will eventually converge and, with the shock of realization, become one entity.
Cognitive Science
Nativism: The environment
has the ability to shape our mind and modify its behavior by nurturing or withholding
nurturance through the control of resources.
Unity: The brain and the mind are one and the same. Changes in one will cause
changes in the other.
Connectivity: Learning causes the growth of new connections and thus developing
the mind. The condition of these connection points is crucial to the brain's
ability to think.
Interconnectivity: The vast information and experiences that we store inside
our brain are all interconnected and related with each other, some more strongly
or loosely than others.
Control: The well being of the organism is determined by the degree to which
the organism feels in control of its environment or situation. Health varies
with the level of control that is perceived.
Neurons as Processing Units
Gerald M.Edelman, director
of the Neurosciences Institute, hypothesized that the brain is organized into
circuits consisting of 50 to 10,000 neurons. These groups serve as the "processing
units" of the brain. Each group is genetically programmed to recognize
a certain code or signal inputs. For example, as a visual image of a raccoon
enters the brain, only certain groups that recognize the signals will respond
and deal with the code. A memory trace is created as the electrical signals
leave imprints in the synapses, changing their structures. Quadrillions of links
between brain cells make up a network that Edelman calls the "primary repertoire."
After the first experience, the special groups of neurons will respond quickly
if the same signals enter the system again. The nerve cells, through experience
and specialization, are organized into "secondary repertoire" that
is patterned to receive, amplify, and retransmit specific coded signals. The
evidence supporting this theory is the discovery of nerve cells that group to
form minicolumns, which in turn, forms larger structures called macrocolumns.
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