Psychologists point out that the idea that ``new brain structures were added on top of old brain structures'', which is also included in psychology textbooks, is a mistake
The brain is divided into several parts, but the limbic system, which is involved in autonomic nerve activity, is considered the 'old brain,' and the neocortex, which is involved in perception and intelligence, is considered the 'new brain.' there is. There is an idea that ``new brains have evolved by adding onto old brain structures,'' but Joseph Cesario of Michigan State University's Department of Psychology points out that this is ``a mistake.'' I'll explain why.
Your Brain Is Not an Onion With a Tiny Reptile Inside - Joseph Cesario, David J. Johnson, Heather L. Eisthen, 2020
The cerebral neocortex, which controls thinking and language, tends to be larger in so-called 'higher organisms,' and in humans it is about three times the size of chimpanzees.
In the field of psychology, Cesario says, ``In primitive animals like sharks, less complex brains control basic survival functions; In other mammals, more complex brains allow them to control emotions and memory.In advanced mammals, like humans, they have brains that process more information.The complexity of the brain is similar to that of geological formations. The idea that 'a new brain is built on top of an old one' is so widely known that it is even included in textbooks.
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This theory is also known as the ``Trinity Brain Theory,'' and the human brain consists of a ``reptilian brain,'' which controls instincts, a ``mammalian brain,'' which controls emotions, and a logical, human-specific brain. It is argued that the human brain is divided into three layers, which are responsible for ethical thinking.
Paul MacLean, the proponent of the trinity brain theory, stated in a paper published in 1964 that ``the brain developed as inherited from reptiles and lower mammals,'' but this theory is It was proposed at a time when brain science and technology were not fully developed, and is basically rejected today.
Why was the ``Trinity brain theory'' that the human brain is divided into three layers believed for a long time? - GIGAZINE
Mr. McClain introduces the image below and explains the problems with the above theory. A and b shown in the image are incorrect views regarding human evolution. It may seem a little difficult to write that ``a new brain was added on top of an old brain structure,'' but it becomes easier to imagine if you say that ``the brain has evolved along a single path,'' as shown in the image. This linear evolution has been completely denied in modern evolutionary biology, and theories C and D, which say that living things evolved in widely divergent ways like the branches of a tree, are accepted as common knowledge.
McClain points out, ``Psychologists understand that view A is incorrect, but view B, which shows neural structure, is still widely supported,'' and urges psychologists to abandon their mistaken view. I called.
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