James Olds
James Olds | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 30, 1922 Chicago, Illinois |
| Died | August 21, 1976 (aged 54) |
| Alma mater | |
| Known for | "Pleasure centers in the brain" |
| Father | Leland Olds |
| Awards | Newcomb Cleveland Prize |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Neuroscience |
| Institutions | |
| Thesis | "The Acquisition of Motives" (1952) |
| Doctoral advisor | Richard L. Solomon |
| Other academic advisors | Donald O. Hebb |
James Olds (May 30, 1922 – August 21, 1976) was an American psychologist who is considered to be one of the founders of modern neuroscience. In 1954, while working at McGill University, Olds and Peter Milner made their most important discovery, initially considered to be the brain's "pleasure centres", and now known to be parts of its reward system. Olds received numerous distinctions ranging from election to the United States National Academy of Sciences to the Newcomb Cleveland Prize of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.