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Developmental Psychobiology and Developmental Neurobiology pp 1–33Cite as

Early Development of Behavior and the Nervous System

An Embryological Perspective

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Part of the book series: Handbook of Behavioral Neurobiology ((HBNE,volume 8))

Abstract

For much of the period between 1950 and 1970 the Canadian psychologist D. O. Hebb was a leading exponent of a developmental approach to neural and behavioral problems. Perhaps his best-known contribution in this regard was his now classic book Organization of Behavior (1949). In this work Hebb not only outlined a plausible and testable conceptual framework for understanding the role of sensory and perceptual experience in the development of the nervous system and behavior, but also provided empirical support for the model. By virtue of this, Hebb’s book is considered to be an important milestone in the age-old debate over the role of nature versus nuture, heredity versus environment, or preformation versus epigenesis in the development of behavioral and psychological processes.

Dedicated to the memory of G. E. Coghill (1872–1941) whose writings on related issues have been an inspiration to our own thoughts on these matters.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, Wake Forest University, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27103, USA

    R. W. Oppenheim

  2. Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, 77004, USA

    L. Haverkamp

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  1. R. W. Oppenheim
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  2. L. Haverkamp
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

    Elliott M. Blass

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© 1986 Plenum Press, New York

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Oppenheim, R.W., Haverkamp, L. (1986). Early Development of Behavior and the Nervous System. In: Blass, E.M. (eds) Developmental Psychobiology and Developmental Neurobiology. Handbook of Behavioral Neurobiology, vol 8. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-2113-2_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-2113-2_1

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