| Abstract: | Reviews the book, Neuropsychology After Lashley. Fifty Years Since the Publication of Brain Mechanisms and Intelligence by J. Orbach (1982). Lashley's place in the history of psychology is by no means settled. Many view his influence as primarily negative. This view of Lashley is echoed in Harlow's comment to Hebb (see Orbach) that Lashley just couldn't grow out of playing the archetypal critic, the role that first led to his fame, and by Konorski, who baldly stated that "the man did more harm than good" to an acquiescing student of Lashley's who shall remain nameless (a conversation overheard in a New York City taxi, 1964). This attitude is also perhaps silently supported in this book by some of the students and associates of Lashley who fail to acknowledge his existence in their chapters. As a whole, however, a much more positive assessment of Lashley's legacy arises from this interesting book. Orbach relies on various sources and, in the first 100 pages or so, gives us Lashley, the person. Orbach's section includes a survey of some of the issues in which Lashley became embroiled. This treatment, however, is far too cursory and is one of the least satisfying parts of the book. As for Lashley's place in history, perhaps it can be maintained that he killed neuropsychology. Nevertheless, as this book makes clear, Lashley left us with a grand number of eminent students who just as decidedly brought about the resurrection! (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
