Phineas Gage Research Paper

Perhaps one of the most well known cases in cognitive psychology is that of Phineas Gage. A man who suffered from an injury to his prefrontal lobes thirty years before the field of Psychology even began (Moulin, 2006). However, psychologists’ continue to study his brain and the effects of his injury and its role in cognitive functions years later.

In our lifetime we will hear unimaginable stories of people who survive the craziest circumstances. One that comes to mind is the story about 50 Cent being shot nine times, surviving, and then thriving in his music career afterward. Although 50 Cent’s dramatic situation is a bit different than the one I will be informing you about, it’s still an interesting survivor’s story. On the other hand, Phineas Gage’s injury surviving story is one that has gone down in the history books for a couple of different reasons. Phineas Gage’s incident differs from most survivor stories because Gage had a 3 foot, 8 inch long, 1.25 inch diameter iron rod, weighing almost 14 pounds, missile through a portion of his head

Cognitive functioning is when an individual has the ability to use mental processes to learn, reason, problem solve, make decisions, and comprehend. It also helps in focusing your attention and remembering events. Without cognitive processing

The brain is very complex and allows us to do different things. The part of the brain known as the

Phineas Gage, a railroad worker, was accidently struck by a piece of iron through the frontal lobe after an explosion he set himself (Phineas Gage Information). The iron piece shredded the front left side of his brain when it entered under his cheek bone and exited out the top of his head (Phineas Gage Information). Phineas was treated after the explosion by Dr. John Martyn Harlow (Phineas Gage Information). The treatment by Dr. Harlow allowed Phineas to return back to his house only ten weeks after the incident; which is a significantly short time considering the trauma from his accident and the medical advances at this time were not nearly what they are today (Phineas Gage Information). The accounts of his personality change seem to have differencing opinions (Phineas Gage Information).

“Fred, I know what we're going to do today!”, this famous line comes from Phineas from the kid show “Phineas and Ferb”. Phineas and Ferb was created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff marsh. They also created his friends Isabela, Baljeet, Buford, Perry the Platypus and many others. Phineas is friendly and has a very big imagination, he always wants to make the most of the summer before they have to go back to school.

Harvard University is the pinnacle of social and academic success. Just the name, Harvard, brings to mind twenty year-old future business leaders and politicians gathering around in the library to discuss stock options and boating knots while they finish up their assignments for macro-economic courses. Exciting for some, but for most, as dull as it gets. Yet, after visiting the campus, I have come away with a very different perspective of Harvard. There’s a lot of strange and interesting stuff there—the famous Widener Library, named after a victim of the Titanic disaster, the comically ridiculous Lampoon Building, and a book bound in human flesh in the rare books library just to name a few. It makes sense that a university older than the United States –Harvard was established in 1636—to house a few oddities. Perhaps the most interesting one resides in a glass display case within Harvard’s Medical School Library, the skull of Phineas Gage.

The brain is a very complicated and delicate. If even the slightest part of your brain is damaged there could be major effects. When Phineas Gage lost part of his brain his life and personality completely changed. Before being injured he was a hard-working, nice, and respected man. After the injury nobody respected him because he would always curse at people. The iron rod went through Gage’s frontal lobe. The frontal lobe is a part of the cerebrum and the cerebrum controls many things. The cerebrum is the part of the brain that controls important cognitive skills in humans, such as emotional expression, problem solving, memory, language, and judgment. One ability that Gage lost was his ability to problem solve. After being injured, if Phineas

While working on a railroad line, Phineas Gage’s skull was pierced by a metal rod from an explosion. However, instead of being killed, Phineas “was immediately able to sit up and speak, and after the wound healed he returned to work” (Myers, 2014, p. 56). This case forced scientists to rethink the parts and functions of the brain. Upon hearing this, I was amazed by the

The cerebrum is the large part of the brain and it helps the body performs functions that involve body movements, emotional reactions, and the senses. The cerebrum is divided into four sections. Each of these sections allows the cerebrum to do some of its functions. The first section of the cerebrum is the frontal lobe and its function is to regulate emotions, speech patterns, and body motions. The second part of the cerebrum is the parietal lobe and this part is responsible for auditory and tactile interpretation. The third area of the cerebrum is the occipital lobe and it is responsible for visual interpretation. The fourth region of the cerebrum is the temporal lobe and it aids the body in remembering information and comprehending the definition of terms.

Cerebrum: The cerebrum is the main part of the brain, which has two halves, or hemispheres. The right hemisphere controls the left side of the body and deals with things such as creativity, music, and art. While the left hemisphere of the cerebrum controls the right side of the body and is in charge of language, problem solving, and math. The cerebrum’s many tasks are carried out by its outer layer, or its cortex. This has distinct areas that have different roles. Motor areas trigger movement; sensory areas deal with the senses, while association areas clarify information.

The human brain is an organ that is responsible for operating every aspect of our body, and one of those aspects is learning. This vital organ is part of our central nervous system and has three parts to it; the brainstem, the cerebellum, and the cerebrum. The part most responsible for learning is the cerebrum. The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain and because of this it has the ability to gather information, process and understand the information, and convert it to memory. The cerebrum is often times referred to as the “little brain” and is also responsible for higher level thinking and learning. Within the cerebrum there are four lobes that control a specific behavior or function. The two lobes primarily associated with learning are the frontal lobe and temporal lobe in association with the hippocampus.

“Cognitive psychology is a modern approach to the study of [processes by which people come to understand the world- such processes as memory, learning, comprehending language, problem solving, and creativity. Cognitive psychology has been influenced by developments in language, computer science, and of course, earlier work in philosophy and psychology” – Hayes (cited by Lundin)

The cortex consists of four sections, called "lobes". The frontal lobe is connected to reasoning, planning, speech, movement, emotions, and problem solving. The parietal lobe is associated with balance, recognizing, and movement. The occipital lobe is associated with vision. The temporal lobe is connected to hearing, memory, and speech. The cortex is highly wrinkled, making the brain more convenient, as this increases the brain's surface area, giving it more room for neurons. The cerebrum is divided into two hemispheres- the left hemisphere, and the right hemisphere. The right hemisphere is associated with creativity, and the left one is linked with logic. A bundle of nerve fibers, known as the corpus callosum connects these "hemispheres" (Brain Structures and their Functions). The cerebellum, which is also known as the "little brain", is similar to the cerebrum, since it also has two hemispheres and a highly folded surface. This part of the brain is linked with movement and balance. The cerebellum is assumed to be older than the cerebrum "evolutionarily" (Brain Structures and Their Functions). The brain stem controls basic life functions such as blood pressure, breathing, and heartbeat. Scientists say that the brain stem is the simplest part of the brain (Brain Structures and Their Functions).

Cognitive development consists of language, memory, and attention. Cognitive functioning is a collection of abilities, attentions the focusing of mental resources on select information, short-term memory the retention of information over 30 seconds with no