Neural Darwinism: a new approach in declarative memory neuropsychology

• Grant number: 11/21855-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2012
• End date: December 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Experimental Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Fernandes da Costa
• Grantee: Rodolfo Santos Flaborea
• Host Institution: Instituto de Psicologia (IP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Neuropsychology is the approach which analyzes the behavioral effects of brain lesions. In the first decades of its emergence as a science, many theories, much of them opposed to each other, made an effort to explain the findings from countless neuropsychological researches. The theoretical constructs from the emergent Cognitive Psychology, particularly from its Information Processing approach, promised to provide the solid foundations which lacked in these previous theories, giving rise, then, to the Cognitive Neuropsychology. Despite the huge influence of cognitive approach, criticism concerning its functionalists assumptions, as observed, for example, in the methodological difficulties of Cognitive Neuropsychology, gave opportunity to new ways of dealing with the brain-mind relation question, such as Neural Darwinism. The principles of Neural Darwinism highlight the importance, to the development and operation of the neuropsychological functions, of the relation of the brain - conceived as a somatic selection system - with the environment, providing, to Neuropsychology, an original and global perspective on the brain. Accordingly, this study aims to analyze, from the neural Darwinist standpoint, the neuropsychological function of declarative memory. Thus, it is intended to establish theoretical foundations to plan future research in Neuropsychology. Thereunto, a bibliographic research is going to be performed, in electronic databases and in USP libraries and, from the obtained data, a text with the proposed analyzes will be elaborated. (AU)