Abstract
In attempting to forecast the progress of the brain sciences, let me start with a general proposition which I will then apply to the study of the brain mechanisms of learning and memory. The proposition is this: The brain exists only for purposes of behavior.† Perhaps this assertion will not arouse much debate, but perhaps I can provoke some by drawing from it the following conclusion: Study of the brain as an organ can progress in the long run only in collaboration with the study of behavior. In the short run, we may be able to describe a chemical compound that is specific to the brain or a specialized anatomical structure without yet knowing “what is it there for?” Or we may be able to describe a property or capacity of the behaving organism without yet know in neural terms “what makes it work?” Thus at any time biological findings may outstrip behavioral work in a particular area, or behavioral study may advance even where biological mechanisms have not yet been revealed.
For helpful comments and suggestions on the original draft of this paper, I wish to thank Drs. Edward L. Bennett, James A. Dyal, Leo J. Postman and Walter H. Riege.
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Rosenzweig, M.R. (1969). Relations between Behavioral and Other Biological Disciplines in Investigation of Brain Processes in Learning and Memory. In: Bogoch, S. (eds) The Future of the Brain Sciences. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-6323-9_34
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