Phrenology: Skulls and Gall

"Appearance can be deceiving" -Aesop.

Before the age medical technologies of CT scans, MRI's, and PET's, psychologists believed in how the shape of one's head determines his or her intelligence. Psychologist Franz Joseph Gall promoted phrenology, the study of the shape and size of the cranium.

The practice of phrenology draws a red flag for me. Psychology, the scientific study of behavior and mental processes, goes beyond the anatomy of the brain to explain its functions and nature. Galls had reason for confirmation and expectancy biases. His childhood as not the smartest student in the class could have caused him to look for an excuse. Bulging eyes to any bright student can invoke hypotheses we see nonsensical. Today, technology reveals the in depth technology of the anatomical and the physiological aspects of the human brain.

However, we cannot completely discredit Gall's theories. Though phrenology currently lacks the ethos it once had, a correlation exists between the brain's anatomy and the brain's functions. The anatomy of the brain can help to explain an individual's cognitive and behavioral activities. When observing the evolution of the human species, the shape of the skull evolved from flat to more rounded. So much, it suggests a growth in the human brain.

At least of handful of my classmates will discuss Gall's nonsensical hypotheses. However, his contributions to psychology were not short. Rather than slowing the development of psychology, I believe his experiments and discoveries contributed to the development of medical technologies to digitally see the working brain.