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He argued that the mind is responsible for thinking processes while the body is responsible for much of life’s functions, including movements. This suggested that some movements are not a result of the mind, but rather a reflex of the body. He ultimately established that the brain is important for behavior and thinking. This further supported Descartes claim that the mind and body are separate and fueled later research on the nervous system and its relationship to the mind and brain. It can also be argued that these contributions paved the path for modern behavioral psychology and more specifically the concept of stimulus-response. This type of psychology focuses on how people behave. Modern behavioral psychologists test this idea that the brain in responsible for behavior and thinking by manipulating situations and studying reactions. Descartes had a very mechanistic view of the brain. He believed the body works similar to machines as it is material and follows laws of physics. He suggests that mind and body interact at the pineal gland. He predicted that there are tube-like structures inside our bodies that tighten under DESCARTES INFLUENCE ON PSYCHOLOGY certain conditions and allow fluid, what we know today as cerebrospinal fluid, to spill through, causing a reaction. While we know today that his predictions were essentially incorrect, his research influenced other to explore the way in which in the mind works. Descartes did a lot of his studies about biology by using animals, just as many researchers in psychology do today. He opened up the possibility of using animals as subjects in comparison to humans by looking at both their anatomy and behavior. Descartes research sparked of a lot of attention. There were people in opposition to Descartes and others who took his ideas further to discover the truth. Much of his work has since been discredited; however, it is because of him that so many forms of science have evolved into what they are today. He opened the door for research on the mind and brain and how it works in accordance with the body. His ideas about the way the mind works sparked others to study it themselves and discover their own results. He essentially started a new movement in science by merging his philosophy with his research in biology to ultimately form the basis for what we know of today as psychology.
