Equipotentiality Hypothesis

Speaker: Rose Mae S. Tecson

ACTIVITY:
Brain Stimulation!

1. L_VE

2. M_D

3. _RY
 Equipotentiality hypothesis

Equipotentiality is the theory that the brain has the

capacity (in the case of injury) to transfer functional
memory from the damaged portion of the brain to
other undamaged portions of the brain.
https://www.alleydog.com/glossary/definition.php?term=Equipotentiality
Karl Lashley
(1890-1958)
• American psychologist who conducted
quantitative investigations of the relation
between brain mass and learning ability.
• Trained by the founder of the behaviorist
movement in American psychology, John
B. Watson
• Johns Hopkins University
• He came up with the Equipotentiality
Theory
http://www.nasonline.org/publications/biographical-memoirs/memoir-pdfs/lashley-karl.pdf
 HOW DID THE THEORY CAME ABOUT?
Lashley pioneered experimental work conducted on
rats with surgically induced brain lesions, by damaging
or removing specific areas of a rat’s cortex, either
before or after the animals were trained in mazes and
visual discrimination.

https://psychology.fas.harvard.edu/people/karl-lashley

The results showed that such operations reduce the

efficiency of learning, and that the degree of reduction
is roughly proportionate to the amount of cortex
destroyed, but unrelated to the locus of the lesion.

http://www.nasonline.org/publications/biographical-memoirs/memoir-pdfs/lashley-
karl.pdf
 The experiment
led to 2 KEY PRINCIPLES:

Mass Action & Equipotentiality

MASS ACTION
Lashley stated the efficiency of any complex function of the brain is reduced proportionately to how
much damage the brain as a whole has sustained, not to the damage of any particular area of the brain.
EQUIPOTENTIALITY HYPOTHESIS
His complementary principle of "equipotentiality" stated that in the event of damage to one area of the
brain, other parts of the brain can sometimes assume the role of the damaged region.
EXAMPLE and IMPORTANCE
OF THE THEORY

Using the idea of equipotentiality we can explain

how someone who's received damage to a specific
part of their brain can relearn how to perform
actions that were lost due to brain damage.

Since the area of the brain that was originally

performing this function is damaged and unusable,
the brain compensates and can code that
information in other parts of the brain.
 SUMMARY
PROPONENT OF THE THEORY

• American neuropsychologist, Karl Lashley, developed the Equipotentiality

Hypothesis.

ORIGIN OF THE THEORY

• The notion of equipotentiality was generated through Lashley’s experiments

on rats. He was testing if lesions had an influence on the rats' memory and
ability to get through the mazes. He made multiple lesions in specific parts of
the brains and after they healed, put them through the maze to see if they
had deficits in finding the food. What he discovered was that if the lesions
damaged a large portion of the brain, they did have troubles finding food.
 SUMMARY

2 KEY PRINCIPLES OF THE THEORY

• MASS ACTION – the efficiency of any complex function of the

brain is reduced proportionately to how much damage the brain
as a whole has sustained, but not to the damage of any particular
area of the brain.

• EQUIPOTENTIAL – the brain has the ability to use any

functioning part of the brain to do what a damaged part of the
brain no longer can do
 EVALUATION
1-3 TRUE OR FALSE

1. Mass Action states that the efficiency of any complex function of the brain is reduced proportionately
to how much damage the brain as a whole has sustained, not to the damage of any particular area of
the brain.
2. Equipotentiality is the theory that the brain has the capacity (in the case of injury) to transfer
functional memory from the damaged portion of the brain to other undamaged portions of the brain.
3. Equipotentiality theory shows that someone who's received damage to a specific part of their brain
can no longer potentially relearn how to perform actions that were lost due to brain damage.

4-5 IDENTIFICATION

4. Who is the proponent of the Equipotentiality Theory?

5. What notable animal did he use for his experiment?
Resources
• http://www.nasonline.org/publications/biographical-
memoirs/memoir-pdfs/lashley-karl.pdf
• https://www.alleydog.com/glossary/definition.php?
term=Equipotentiality
• https://psychology.fas.harvard.edu/people/karl-lashley