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Introduction to Part I

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 October 2011

Kathleen R. Gibson
Affiliation:
University of Texas
Dean Falk
Affiliation:
State University of New York, Albany
Kathleen R. Gibson
Affiliation:
University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
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Summary

Jerison's now classic volume, Evolution of the Brain and Intelligence (1973), drew inspiration from the words of Karl Lashley

The only neurological character for which a correlation with behavioral capacity in different animals is supported by significant evidence is the total mass of tissue, or rather, the index of cephalization, measured by the ratio of brain to body weight, which seems to represent the amount of brain tissue in excess of that required for transmitting impulses to and from the integrative centers.

(Lashley, 1949, p. 33, cited Jerison, 1973, p. 3.)

Jerison expanded Lashley's views in key respects. First, he postulated that brain size is a natural biological statistic that can be readily used to estimate other anatomical characteristics of the brain including the size of other neural structures, the degree of fissurization, and neuronal density. He recognized, however, one major exception to this rule – the size of the olfactory bulbs appears to have little relationship to that of other brain structures. Second, Jerison articulated the principle of proper mass – ‘the mass of neural tissue controlling a particular function is appropriate to the amount of information processing involved in performing the function.’ (Jerison, 1973, p. 8). Third, Jerison recognized that brain mass varies with body mass, and he developed a model of brain/body size relationships according to which, with increasing body size, brain size expands in a mathematically predictable way in each vertebrate class.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2001

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  • Introduction to Part I
  • Edited by Dean Falk, State University of New York, Albany, Kathleen R. Gibson, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
  • Book: Evolutionary Anatomy of the Primate Cerebral Cortex
  • Online publication: 07 October 2011
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511897085.003
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  • Introduction to Part I
  • Edited by Dean Falk, State University of New York, Albany, Kathleen R. Gibson, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
  • Book: Evolutionary Anatomy of the Primate Cerebral Cortex
  • Online publication: 07 October 2011
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511897085.003
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Introduction to Part I
  • Edited by Dean Falk, State University of New York, Albany, Kathleen R. Gibson, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
  • Book: Evolutionary Anatomy of the Primate Cerebral Cortex
  • Online publication: 07 October 2011
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511897085.003
Available formats
×