According to Hebb, what are cell assemblies and phase sequences, and how do they develop? Give an example of how Hebb employed the concepts of cell assembly and phase sequence in explaining cognitive experience.
Donald Olding Hebb was a Canadian psychologist, who worked in the area of neuropsychology and demonstrated the functioning of neurons and their contributions to psychological processes, like learning. He proposed the theory of Hebbian Learning. The theory explained the role of neurons in the brain processing during the learning process via synaptic plasticity.
According to Hebb, in an infant, the neural development is random. With his growth, and experiences in life, neurons get organized and show effectiveness in their functioning. This arrangement of the neural system based on the experiences of an individual is called cell assembly.
As the neurons are arranged to form cell assemblies, these cell assemblies further are neurologically interconnected to form phase sequences. It was explained by Hebb as a temporary integrated series of cell assembly units and their activities, which function as one account against any internal and external stimulation.
Childhood learning explains both theories well. When a child is born, he is unaware of everything. Slowly, he observes, learns and experience several things happening around his life. His brain gets activated, neurons get activated and the cell assemblies are formed. Then, the phase assembly is fired by these further stimulations and the entire stream of thought is processed, leading to firing and arrangements of phase sequences.