Reflexes of the Brain. Elements of Thought

«What has been done a thousand times can be easily done for the thousand and first time» Sechenov Ivan Mikhailovich (1829–1905) – an outstanding Russian scientist, the father of Russian physiology and scientific psychology. The book brings together two key works: • «Reflexes of the Brain» (1863) – a classic of neurobiology. The scientist explains how physiological processes influence thoughts and emotions, revealing the mechanism of central inhibition (for example, why we stop noticing the ticking of clocks). • «Elements of Thought» (1878) – a work that complements the ideas of «Reflexes of the Brain». The author discusses how complex thoughts arise from simple sensations and why skills (such as riding a bicycle) are performed automatically over time. The ideas of I. M. Sechenov influenced behaviorism and cognitive psychology, inspired I. P. Pavlov and V. M. Bekhterev, and will also help to understand the nature of habits and how the brain transforms the chaos of sensations into a coherent picture of the world.