title: Early contributions to the reflex chain hypothesis.
abstract: The reflex chain hypothesis was developed to explain the observation that successive movements could be linked together into a contiguous sequence. From the established principles of reflex physiology and association psychology, scientists in the last half of the 19th century began to develop the notion that each of a series of movements may be linked through the sensory results of prior movements. In addition, the same basic principles were applied to mental actions, thus providing a credible explanation for all behavior. The wide applicability of this hpothesis made it an important influence on the scientific thought in the early 20th century.
authors.affiliation: Institute des Sciences Cognitive, Universite Claude Bernard, Lyon Cedex, France.
authors.forename: W T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Clower
mesh_terms: D001244:Association; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D012018:Reflex