Phineas Gage
Definition
Phineas Gage was a railroad construction foreman who survived a severe brain injury in the mid-19th century. His case is often studied in psychology because of the dramatic personality changes he experienced after his accident, which provided early evidence for the role of the frontal lobes in personality and behavior.
Analogy
Think of Phineas Gage as an unexpected experiment in neuroscience. It's like accidentally dropping your phone and finding out that it still works, but now all your apps behave differently - you've learned something new about how your phone operates.
Related terms
Brain Injury: Damage to any part of the brain due to trauma or disease, which can lead to changes in physical abilities, cognitive function, emotion, and behavior.
Frontal Lobes: The front part of the brain responsible for higher cognitive functions such as decision-making, problem-solving, planning, social interaction and personality expression.
Neuroplasticity: The ability of neural networks in the brain to change through growth and reorganization. This concept helps explain why some people can recover abilities lost due to brain damage.
"Phineas Gage" appears in:
Study guides (3)
Practice Questions (2)
- How did Phineas Gage's case contribute to psychology?
- How did Phineas Gage's accident contribute to our knowledge about the brain?
Resources
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