title: The theory of the organism-environment system: II. Significance of nervous activity in the organism-environment system.
abstract: The relation between mental processes and brain activity is studied from the point of view of the theory of the organism-environment system. It is argued that the systemic point of view leads to a new kind of definition of the primary tasks of neurophysiology and to a new understanding of the traditional neurophysiological concepts. Neurophysiology is restored to its place as a part of biology: its task is the study of neurons as living units, not as computer chips. Neurons are living units which are organised as metabolic systems in connection with other neurons; they are not units which would carry out some psychological functions or maintain states which are typical only of the whole organism-environment system. Psychological processes, on the other hand, are processes always comprising the whole organism-environment system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Järvilehto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001695:Biology / Q000266:history; D004777:Environment; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D008606:Mental Processes / Q000502:physiology; D008954:Models, Biological; D009424:Nervous System Physiological Phenomena