This module/week relates the story of Phineas Gage, whose name appears in virtually every general psychology textbook. After a heavy metal rod was blown through his frontal and temporal lobes, Phineas experienced dramatic behavioral change. The study of the trauma and its physiological effects provided the first documented evidence of how brain injury can affect human behavior.
- Identify the change in Phineas's behavior that was concerning to Phineas and to those around him.
- Describe what might be done today to help him compensate or adjust to his losses.
- Explain what is necessary to know about the brain to understand what happened to Phineas.