The study of mental processes has been a subject of interest for centuries. From the Ancient Greeks to the modern day, neuroscientists have sought to understand how our brains work and why we think, feel and act in certain ways. In recent years, advances in neuroscience research have enabled us to gain greater insight into these complex functions. This essay will provide an overview of the history behind this field as well as a detailed definition and description of mental processes in humans; methods used for evaluating them; relevant diseases associated with altered functioning; and finally some conclusions on what can be gained from further study. The evolution of understanding about mental processes began with early philosophers such as Aristotle who proposed that thought was based on sensory perception rather than rational reasoning or intuition alone1 . Later thinkers such as Descartes argued that thoughts were produced by an internal soul or mind2 . During this period scientific discoveries also began occurring which would eventually lead towards more concrete theories about how our minds operate3 . Important authors during this time included William James who wrote “Principles Of Psychology”4 , Sigmund Freud whose psychoanalytic theories remain influential today5 , Jean Piaget whose cognitive development studies revolutionized thinking about child psychology6 , Noam Chomsky who developed important concepts related language7 ;and many others8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244
