THE LIFE AND WORK OF DONALD OLDING HEBB, CANADA’S GREATEST PSYCHOLOGIST

Donald Olding Hebb’s lasting influence in psychology and neuroscience stems largely 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 patients of 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 Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in October 2003. L’influence durable de Donald Olding Hebb dans les domaines de la psychologie et de la neuroscience est en grande partie le resultat de son ouvrage prestigieux The Organization of Behavior (1949) dans lequel il presente les concepts de modification synaptique et de reseau neuronal pour expliquer les phenomenes neuronaux qui sous‑tendent le comportement. M. Hebb a revolutionne le domaine de la psychologie en etablissant une base biologique pour des phenomenes psychologiques et en expliquant une theorie neuropsychologique qui a fourni la structure necessaire au developpement des domaines de la neuroscience cognitive et comportementale. Sa renommee n’aurait pu etre predite a partir de sa performance a l’Universite Dalhousie ou de son poste d’enseignant au debut de sa carriere. Sa carriere dans le domaine de la psychologie a debute lorsqu’il a commence a suivre des cours du soir dans le domaine a l’Universite McGill en 1928. Apres avoir obtenu une maitrise en psychologie a l’Universite McGill en 1932, il a etudie aux cotes de Karl Lashley a l’Universite de Chicago pour finalement obtenir un doctorat avec M. Lashley a l’Universite Harvard en 1936. Au cours des deux annees suivantes, il a effectue des tests neuropsychologiques sur les patients du docteur Wilder Penfield a l’Institut neurologique de Montreal. De 1939 a 1942, il a ete professeur a l’Universite Queen’s, a Kingston en Ontario. Il a passe les cinq annees suivantes a etudier les emotions chez le chimpanze au Yerkes Primate Center en Floride. C’est au cours de cette periode qu’il a commence a rediger The Organization of Behavior. M. Hebb a ensuite occupe un poste de professeur de psychologie a l’Universite McGill en 1947 et il a ete nomme chef du departement de psychologie en 1948, poste dans le cadre duquel il a dirige un programme d’etudes superieures de renommee internationale en psychophysiologie. C’est a cette periode qu’il a termine son ouvrage prestigieux. Elu president de la Societe canadienne de psychologie en 1952 et de l’American Psychological Association en 1960, il a egalement ete un Membre de la Societe royale du Canada et un membre de la Royal Society of England. Vers la fin de sa carriere, il a occupe le poste de vice-doyen des sciences biologiques a l’Universite McGill (de 1964 a 1966) puis de chancelier de cette meme universite (de 1970 a 1974). Au moment de sa retraite de l’Universite McGill, M. Hebb est retourne en Nouvelle‑Ecosse. Il a ete professeur emerite a l’Universite Dalhousie de 1978 jusqu’a sa mort en 1985, periode durant laquelle il a redige son dernier ouvrage Essay on Mind (1980a). Il a ete intronise au Temple de la renommee medicale canadienne en octobre 2003.