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From neurology,
not psychology. The 1st example of behavior not
internally caused was the reflex.
Reflex: an
unlearned consistent relation between an environmental event and a
piece of behavior.
Descartes, René
(1596-1650), French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician,
sometimes called the father of modern
philosophy.
He was a
dualist. He believed in a dichotomy. Behavior has two causes:
- Mechanical –
external events impinging on behavior
-
Psychological (mind) – internal events
Claimed that
man’s unique behaviors are products of the mind. Therefore man was
still responsible for his acts and sins – the church liked it.
Descartes would
go to royal events with the kings. The royal gardens were like a
first Disneyland with animals jumping out. He saw a water tank used
for animation.
There
was a pathway that the guess would walk down. Upon stepping on a
treadle, a valve would release water from a reservoir down a spout
and into a bladder which would cause animals attached to it to move
or jump out. Descartes believed that explained human behavior.
He believed that
movement started from the environment, to the skin, the nerves,
enter into the brain, releasing animal spirits, which then moved
down towards the muscles causing human movement.

Descartes
contributed to reflex physiology and set off two disciplines:
- Psychology
- Physiology
(reflex)
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