What Is Phrenology?

 

Phrenology is a pseudoscience

While some people view phrenology with interest, most early scientists viewed it with suspicion. Because it was so contrary to accepted belief, phrenology has repeatedly been condemned as silly. However, several serious problems had already been identified in the technique that allowed only for crude analysis.

A number of eminent scientists, beginning with Gall himself, have pointed out weaknesses in his methodology. For example, he performed no control analyses where subjects were given random answers to all questions or tests, allowing the comparison of specific faculties at different times.

Later psychologists noted that because Gall relied upon subjective assessment, there would be a wide variation between individuals who claimed expertise. In other words, not only would you have difficulty determining someone’s abilities through testing alone, but anyone could claim to know more about someone else just by watching them.

Four scientific disciplines

Phrenology is a method of neuroscience where brain size, shape, and organization are studied in order to understand behavior and mental capabilities. The science of phrenology was first developed in Germany and analyzed primarily through medical expertise. With the development of neurological surgery, which allowed surgeons to explore the functionality of the human cortex, doctors began looking for ways to correlate anatomy with psychology, in particular toward understanding the mind’s functioning basis.

Phrenologists use diagnostic tools such as scalpels, imaging equipment, and laboratory instruments to evaluate anatomical features including texture, colour, form, density, and relative prominence of organs. They also measure capacity, motor skills, sensory abilities, and other characteristics.

The belief that individual differences can be explained by examining the shapes and sizes of the various parts of the brain evolved from observations that meningitis (an infection of the membranes surrounding the brain) affects particular brain regions. 

More specifically, phrenologists believe that each person has a unique “shape” or configuration of their brain at rest and during cognitive tasks. Some of these configurations are associated with specific qualities, behaviors, and activities. These associations can help diagnose potential problems. In modern times, advances in technology have merely served to reinforce what phrenology already teaches us about the structure of the brain, helping confirm its validity.

Brain-behavior relationship

The human brain is the most complex organ in the body. It is not fully understood how it works, but there are many things we can do to improve its function.

Phrenology is an information age science that investigates the functionality of your head as related to your behavior, personality, and emotions.

Many people believe that by taking phrenological measures they will get a better understanding of someone else’s behavior. Some studies suggest this may be true.

The brain itself is so complicated, that it is hard to say what exactly causes any given behavior. However, scientists have come up with several theories for explaining certain behaviors.

One theory explains that our brains were designed for learning about life through three channels: perception, feeling, and thinking.

For example, if you feel hungry before dinner time, then you probably won’t eat much right after work because you wouldn’t notice that feeling. You would just want to go home and eat something.

That desire could prevent you from enjoying your food or being excited about eating. By knowing where your feelings lie, you can tell when you are hungry and act accordingly.

Another theory talks about how hormones play a role in behavioral characteristics. For instance, testosterone is associated with aggression, while female estrogen is linked to softer traits such as empathy and sensitivity.

Some researchers think that environmental factors influence hormone production. For example, stress levels affect hormones.

Binaural auditory perception

In phrenology, hearing is considered one of the most sensitive receptors in the human body, capable of detecting pressures as low as 2 micro pascals (μbar).)

This extremely sensitive ear should be situated close to the top of your brain’s forehead at its junction with the occipital region.

Namely, it should be located just above where the ears are positioned. This area is known as the apex auriculare or tympanum acusticum.

It has been established that humans have two main types of hearing — normal hearing and impaired hearing.

More significant levels of pressure are detected by the binaural auditory system in those individuals with normal hearing, while people with impaired hearing can detect higher-level signals.

Visual perception

According to Dr. Barker, our own visual perceptions of speech are highly detailed. For example, we know that facial emotions such as anger or happiness have specific colors and shapes. He believes it’s not just words that carry meaning, but also how they look and sound. This creates an entire pool of data that can tell us more about someone’s personality. This is why phrenologists focus so much on their readers/ listeners with pictures in order to make the text more understandable. By knowing where particular traits originate, one can use that information to decide what message to send and what question to ask. Phrenology has many subtler aspects than can be understood by simply looking at the shape of the head (which was the only formal diagnosis people would get if they had symptoms suggesting a psychological problem).