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The life and work of Donald O. Hebb

Richard Brown

Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia .

Donald O. Hebb has had a profound influence on the development of psychology and neuroscience. 
Hebb is best known for his neurophysiological postulate on synaptic plasticity and the concept of cell assemblies, which first appeared in The Organization of Behavior (1949, reprinted 2002). Neuroscientists associate Hebb with the Hebbian synapse and the Hebbian learning rule,  and much of our current understanding of functional neural connections is based on Hebbian concepts.  But Hebb's work has also influenced developmental psychology, neuropsychology, perception and the study of emotions.  Hebb's work with Wilder Penfield set the stage for the development of neuropsychological testing. His rearing of rats in an enriched environment initiated the idea that environmental input could alter neural development and that sensory - neural connections were shaped by experience.  This presentation was prepared to review Hebb's life and work and his lasting influence in psychology and neuroscience in honour of the 2004 centenary of his birth. 

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