Cognition and cognitive psychology Books

Book SynopsisA long-awaited book from developmental disorders expert John Morton, Understanding Developmental Disorders: A Causal Modelling Approach makes sense of the many competing theories about what can go wrong with early brain development, causing a child to develop outside the normal range. Based on the idea that understanding developmental disorders requires us to talk about biological, cognitive, behavioral and environmental factors, and to talk about causal relationships among these elements. Explains what causal modelling is and how to do it. Compares different theories about particular developmental disorders using causal modelling. Will have a profound impact on research in the fields of psychology, neuroscience and medicine. Trade Review"What causes disorders of development? How can they be meaningfully defined? These questions have resulted in deeply entangled controversies. John Morton has provided a razor-sharp tool that cuts the Gordian knot. This tool uses a simple pictorial notation that leaves aside ambiguous and divisive words. It resolves entrenched but illusory oppositions between cognition and brain and between nature and nurture. It makes the confusing facts about autism, dyslexia, and other disorders fall into a new coherent pattern and invigorates the comparison of different points of view. This book is indispensable for anyone trying to understand cognitive development and its disorders." Uta Frith, Professor of Cognitive Development, University College London Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience "In his compelling book, Understanding Developmental Disorders, John Morton applies a causal modeling approach to understanding the influences that biological, cognitive, behavioral, and environmental factors exert on the emergence of developmental disorders. Morton eloquently conveys a way of conceptualizing various theories of developmental disorders. This volume will provide an invaluable tool for students, practitioners, and those in academia. I highly recommend it as a must for all professionals striving to understand the origins and course of developmental disorders." Dante Cicchetti, Ph.D., Director, Mt. Hope Family Center "Causal modelling of cognition is a new and original tool not only for thinking with precision about cognitive development and the ways in which it can go amiss; I can see this book having a revolutionary impact on developmental psychology. The causal-modelling framework is also valuable for exposing the kind of sloppy thinking about the causes of developmental difficulties that one sees so often in statements by journalists and politicians (the book contains many such examples). Simply and cogently written, this book is of great importance both for scientists in developmental psychology and for public-health professionals concerned with disorders such as autism, ADHD and dyslexia." Prof Max Coltheart, Scientific Director, Macquarie Centre for Cognitive Science, Australia "John Morton's deep and wonderful book should be required reading for any serious student of cognitive development, as well as for any researcher concerned with developmental disabilities. In giving us a tool for thinking about the causal history of developmental disabilities, he offers profound insights into the nature of causality, the relations among different levels of analysis, and the causes of four developmental syndromes, including autism and dyslexia." Susan Carey, Professor, Harvard University "Morton's lucid and highly readable book offers an excellent tool to clarify the field of developmental disorders as it stands and to point the way to the future." Trends in Cognitive Sciences, August 2005 "Morton writes from first principles but then, as the book progresses, assumes some psychological sophistication. He has a comfortable and conversational...style that has become unusual in scientific writing. It invites reflection, questioning and discussion and I found it well suited to putting across concepts." Tom Berney, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, May 2006 “Morton’s causal modeling approach seems an innovative and insightful advance in examining and understanding the causes and diagnosis of pathologic conditions.” Psychological RecordTable of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgements viii Chapter 1 Introducing Cause 1 Cause and public issues 1 Cause and individual events: ‘Why did Romeo die?’ 6 Some more reasons for not looking at individual cases 9 The need for a framework for thinking in 10 Creating a tool: the problem of notation 14 An example of the limits of language 15 An invitation to consider diagrams as a tool 18 A tool for representing causal relationships 18 Chapter 2 Introducing Cognition 20 One thing I do want you to believe 20 Reductionism 22 Can we rely on behaviour? 24 The IQ example: a note of caution 27 Why cause needs cognition 29 Chapter 3 Representing Causal Relationships: Technical and Formal Considerations 34 Categorizing facts 34 The causal notation 38 Starting a causal model for autism 41 Complications 46 Some easy stuff on cause and correlation 51 Other notations 54 Chapter 4 Autism: How Causal Modelling Started 67 The biological origin of autism 74 The role of cognition in defining autism 81 What is mentalizing? 86 The non-social features of autism: how to diagram ideas on weak central coherence in autism 89 Summary 92 Chapter 5 The What and the How 98 Ground rules of causal modelling 99 Chapter 6 Competing Causal Accounts of Autism 106 Representing the effects of environmental factors 107 Cognitive theories of autism 112 Chapter 7 The Problem of Diagnosis 133 Diagnosis and cause: relying on behaviour 134 The Spanish Inquisition example: the dangers of labelling 135 Problems of diagnostic practice 140 Variability 148 Changes over time: improvement and deterioration 152 The variability of the phenotype 153 On co-morbidity and the question of residual normality 158 To summarize 160 Chapter 8 A Causal Analysis of Dyslexia 161 The dyslexia debate: Is there such a thing as dyslexia? 161 The discrepancy definition of specific reading disability 164 Towards a cognitive definition 166 An X-type causal model of dyslexia 168 Competing theories of dyslexia 176 Non-biological causes 195 Other biological causes of reading failure 199 How do we sort among the options? 200 The relationship between acquired and developmental dyslexia 204 A theoretical update 204 Chapter 9 The Hyperkinetic Confusions 208 Drugs as diagnostic refinement 212 Types of theory 216 The problem of co-morbidity: conduct disorder and ADHD 218 The cognitive level 219 Sonuga-Barke’s dual pathway model 223 Summary 226 Chapter 10 Theories of Conduct Disorder 227 The violence inhibition mechanism (VIM) model 228 The social information processing model for aggressive children 231 The coercive parenting model of Patterson 235 The theory of life-course persistent antisocial behaviour 236 What does the application of the framework tell us about the theories? 244 Chapter 11 Tying in Biology 247 Relations between the cognitive and biological levels 247 Equivalence: brain to cognition 251 Causal influences from cognition to brain 253 Genes and cause: the end of behaviour genetics 255 Endophenotypes 264 Mouse (and other) models for human disorders 266 Chapter 12 To Conclude 270 References 273 Name Index 292 Subject Index 296

Read more less

Book SynopsisA long-awaited book from developmental disorders expert John Morton, Understanding Developmental Disorders: A Causal Modelling Approach makes sense of the many competing theories about what can go wrong with early brain development, causing a child to develop outside the normal range. Based on the idea that understanding developmental disorders requires us to talk about biological, cognitive, behavioral and environmental factors, and to talk about causal relationships among these elements. Explains what causal modelling is and how to do it. Compares different theories about particular developmental disorders using causal modelling. Will have a profound impact on research in the fields of psychology, neuroscience and medicine. Trade Review"What causes disorders of development? How can they be meaningfully defined? These questions have resulted in deeply entangled controversies. John Morton has provided a razor-sharp tool that cuts the Gordian knot. This tool uses a simple pictorial notation that leaves aside ambiguous and divisive words. It resolves entrenched but illusory oppositions between cognition and brain and between nature and nurture. It makes the confusing facts about autism, dyslexia, and other disorders fall into a new coherent pattern and invigorates the comparison of different points of view. This book is indispensable for anyone trying to understand cognitive development and its disorders." Uta Frith, Professor of Cognitive Development, University College London Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience "In his compelling book, Understanding Developmental Disorders, John Morton applies a causal modeling approach to understanding the influences that biological, cognitive, behavioral, and environmental factors exert on the emergence of developmental disorders. Morton eloquently conveys a way of conceptualizing various theories of developmental disorders. This volume will provide an invaluable tool for students, practitioners, and those in academia. I highly recommend it as a must for all professionals striving to understand the origins and course of developmental disorders." Dante Cicchetti, Ph.D., Director, Mt. Hope Family Center "Causal modelling of cognition is a new and original tool not only for thinking with precision about cognitive development and the ways in which it can go amiss; I can see this book having a revolutionary impact on developmental psychology. The causal-modelling framework is also valuable for exposing the kind of sloppy thinking about the causes of developmental difficulties that one sees so often in statements by journalists and politicians (the book contains many such examples). Simply and cogently written, this book is of great importance both for scientists in developmental psychology and for public-health professionals concerned with disorders such as autism, ADHD and dyslexia." Prof Max Coltheart, Scientific Director, Macquarie Centre for Cognitive Science, Australia "John Morton's deep and wonderful book should be required reading for any serious student of cognitive development, as well as for any researcher concerned with developmental disabilities. In giving us a tool for thinking about the causal history of developmental disabilities, he offers profound insights into the nature of causality, the relations among different levels of analysis, and the causes of four developmental syndromes, including autism and dyslexia." Susan Carey, Professor, Harvard University "Morton's lucid and highly readable book offers an excellent tool to clarify the field of developmental disorders as it stands and to point the way to the future." Trends in Cognitive Sciences, August 2005 "Morton writes from first principles but then, as the book progresses, assumes some psychological sophistication. He has a comfortable and conversational...style that has become unusual in scientific writing. It invites reflection, questioning and discussion and I found it well suited to putting across concepts." Tom Berney, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, May 2006 “Morton’s causal modeling approach seems an innovative and insightful advance in examining and understanding the causes and diagnosis of pathologic conditions.” Psychological RecordTable of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgements viii Chapter 1 Introducing Cause 1 Cause and public issues 1 Cause and individual events: ‘Why did Romeo die?’ 6 Some more reasons for not looking at individual cases 9 The need for a framework for thinking in 10 Creating a tool: the problem of notation 14 An example of the limits of language 15 An invitation to consider diagrams as a tool 18 A tool for representing causal relationships 18 Chapter 2 Introducing Cognition 20 One thing I do want you to believe 20 Reductionism 22 Can we rely on behaviour? 24 The IQ example: a note of caution 27 Why cause needs cognition 29 Chapter 3 Representing Causal Relationships: Technical and Formal Considerations 34 Categorizing facts 34 The causal notation 38 Starting a causal model for autism 41 Complications 46 Some easy stuff on cause and correlation 51 Other notations 54 Chapter 4 Autism: How Causal Modelling Started 67 The biological origin of autism 74 The role of cognition in defining autism 81 What is mentalizing? 86 The non-social features of autism: how to diagram ideas on weak central coherence in autism 89 Summary 92 Chapter 5 The What and the How 98 Ground rules of causal modelling 99 Chapter 6 Competing Causal Accounts of Autism 106 Representing the effects of environmental factors 107 Cognitive theories of autism 112 Chapter 7 The Problem of Diagnosis 133 Diagnosis and cause: relying on behaviour 134 The Spanish Inquisition example: the dangers of labelling 135 Problems of diagnostic practice 140 Variability 148 Changes over time: improvement and deterioration 152 The variability of the phenotype 153 On co-morbidity and the question of residual normality 158 To summarize 160 Chapter 8 A Causal Analysis of Dyslexia 161 The dyslexia debate: Is there such a thing as dyslexia? 161 The discrepancy definition of specific reading disability 164 Towards a cognitive definition 166 An X-type causal model of dyslexia 168 Competing theories of dyslexia 176 Non-biological causes 195 Other biological causes of reading failure 199 How do we sort among the options? 200 The relationship between acquired and developmental dyslexia 204 A theoretical update 204 Chapter 9 The Hyperkinetic Confusions 208 Drugs as diagnostic refinement 212 Types of theory 216 The problem of co-morbidity: conduct disorder and ADHD 218 The cognitive level 219 Sonuga-Barke’s dual pathway model 223 Summary 226 Chapter 10 Theories of Conduct Disorder 227 The violence inhibition mechanism (VIM) model 228 The social information processing model for aggressive children 231 The coercive parenting model of Patterson 235 The theory of life-course persistent antisocial behaviour 236 What does the application of the framework tell us about the theories? 244 Chapter 11 Tying in Biology 247 Relations between the cognitive and biological levels 247 Equivalence: brain to cognition 251 Causal influences from cognition to brain 253 Genes and cause: the end of behaviour genetics 255 Endophenotypes 264 Mouse (and other) models for human disorders 266 Chapter 12 To Conclude 270 References 273 Name Index 292 Subject Index 296

Read more less

Book SynopsisStereotyping and Social Reality provides new treatment of one of the central issues in social psychology, and combines a comprehensive review of the field with new theoretical analysis. As such, the book will be of interest to a broad audience of students and researchers.Trade Review"I was very impressed with this book and greatly profited from reading it. It represents both a scholarly and comprehensive review of social psychological theories and research on stereotyping and a presentation of the authors' own theoretical approach and extensive research programme. Their analysis of stereotyping in terms of self-categorization theory provides a powerful and convincing alternative (as well as much needed antidote) to the prevailing cognitive perspective. This important book will be essential reading for all students and researchers interested in stereotyping." Professor Wolfgang Stroebe, Utrecht University "This is an important, controversial and scholarly book... In addition to being exceptionally well written, Stereotyping and Social Reality provides a relatively exhaustive review of the stereotyping literature and should be on the MUST READ LIST of people interested in intergroup relations." Professor Samuel L. Gaertner, University of Delaware "Essential reading." "Ambitious it is but somehow the book does indeed succeed." Psychology " Stereotyping and Social Reality is essential reading, written in an extremely accessible, inspirational, and persuasive style." Perception "It should also be required reading for all researchers involved in stereotype research and related areas... Oakes, Haslam and Turner give us an important critique of past stereotype research, a provocative challenge to current conceptualizations, and a source of ideas that will stimulate future work - precisely waht a good academic text should do." Contemporary Psychology "... what is most valuable about this volume is the detailed presentation of a comprehensive set of findings, from one of the most scientifically productive behaviour genetic adoption project currently in existence... it represents a potentially important direction for future integrative research on genetic and environmental influences." Contemporary PsychologyTable of ContentsAuthors. Preface and Acknowledgements. Prologue. 1. Introduction: The Social Psychology of Stereotyping. 2. Early Approaches to Stereotypes and Prejudice. 3. Stereotyping as Information Processing Error: The Cognitive Emphasis. 4. Cognition and the Group: Social Identity and Self-Categorization. 5. Categorization, Selective Perception and Stereotyping: A Critical Re-Examination. 6. The Social Contextual Basis of Stereotypic Accentuation. 7. Outgroup Homogeneity and Illusory Correlation Revisited. 8. Politics, Prejudice and Myth in the Study of Stereotypes. References.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE 2004 LAKATOS AWARD! Thought in a Hostile World is an exploration of the evolution of cognition, especially human cognition, by one of today''s foremost philosophers of biology and of mind. Featuresan exploration of the evolution of human cognition. Written by one of today's foremost philosophers of mind and language. Presents a set of analytic tools for thinking about cognition and its evolution. Offers a critique of nativist, modular versions of evolutionary psychology, rejecting the example of language as a model for thinking about human cognitive capacities. Applies to the areas of cognitive science, philosophy of mind, and evolutionary psychology. Trade Review"Written with both clarity and rigor, Thought in a Hostile World is a richly informed and sophisticated account of the evolution of complex cognition. Sterelny's arguments appeal, not so much because they reinforce our preconceptions – on the contrary, we are frequently challenged – but rather because they are informed, well-reasoned, and leave us with plenty to think about. Sterelny's book could aptly be renamed Clear Thought in a Muddled World and evolutionary psychologists, in particular, would benefit from reading it." Kevin N. Laland, University of St. Andrews "This book is a godsend for anyone wanting to understand the evolution of human cognition without buying into the wholesale modularism of recent evolutionary psychology. Densely, but elegantly, written and replete with fascinating empirical detail, this book represents a major advance in the philosophical understanding of human cognitive evolution." Fiona Cowie, California Institute of TechnologyTable of ContentsPreface. Part I: Assembling Intentionality:. 1. Evolutionary Naturalism:. Two Projects Of Evolutionary Naturalism. The Simple Co-Ordination Thesis. 2. Detection Systems:. The Environmental Complexity Hypothesis. Detection Systems. The Power Of Detection Systems. Transparent And Translucent Worlds. Robust Tracking Systems. 3. Fuels For Success:. Decoupled Representation. Response Breadth. Fuels For Success: Space. Fuels For Success: Intervention In The Material World. Reprise. 4. Fuels For Success: The Social Intelligence Hypothesis:. The Cognitive Demands Of Social Life. The Social Intelligence Hypothesis. The Cognitive World Of The Great Apes: Imitation. The Cognitive World Of Great Apes: Tracking Other Minds. 5. The Descent Of Preference:. Internal Environments. The Forager’s Dilemma. Preference Eliminativism?. Preference-Like States. Part II: Not Just Another Species Of Large Mammal:. 6. Reconstructing Hominid Evolution:. Testing Theories Of Human Evolution. From Cognitive Device To Evolutionary History. Making Progress. An Example: Tomasello’s Conjecture. Conclusions. 7. The Co-Operation Explosion:. The Co-Operative Primate. Group Selection And Human Co-Operation. The Ecological Trigger Of Hominid Co-Operation. Coalition And Enforcement. Commitment To Enforcement. Upshot. 8. The Self-Made Species:. Ecological Engineers. Cumulative Niche Construction: The Cognitive Condition. Cumulative Niche Construction: The Social Condition. Hominid Epistemic Engineering. Downstream Epistemic Engineering. 9. Heterogeneous Environments And Variable Response:. Phenotypic Plasticity. Is Plasticity An Adaptation?. Reprise. Part III: The Fate Of The Folk:. 10. The Massive Modularity Hypothesis:. Massive Modularity. Language: Paradigm Or Outlier?. Communicative Intentions. Fodor’s Modules And Their Limits. Inward Bound. Evolution And Encapsulation. The Poverty Of The Stimulus. The Case Of Folk Biology. Modularity And The Frame Problem. 11. Interpreting Other Agents:. A Theory Of Mind Module?. Deconstructing The Folk Psychology Module. Interpretation, Perception And Scaffolded Learning. Truth, Evidence And Success. Co-Ordination And Meaning. Something New Under The Sun?. References. Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis is an exploration of the evolution of cognition. The author begins by developing a set of analytic tools for thinking about cognition and its evolution,examining the relationship between folk psychology and an integrated scientific conception of human cognition.Trade Review"Written with both clarity and rigor, Thought in a Hostile World is a richly informed and sophisticated account of the evolution of complex cognition. Sterelny's arguments appeal, not so much because they reinforce our preconceptions – on the contrary, we are frequently challenged – but rather because they are informed, well-reasoned, and leave us with plenty to think about. Sterelny's book could aptly be renamed Clear Thought in a Muddled World and evolutionary psychologists, in particular, would benefit from reading it." Kevin N. Laland, University of St. Andrews "This book is a godsend for anyone wanting to understand the evolution of human cognition without buying into the wholesale modularism of recent evolutionary psychology. Densely, but elegantly, written and replete with fascinating empirical detail, this book represents a major advance in the philosophical understanding of human cognitive evolution." Fiona Cowie, California Institute of TechnologyTable of ContentsPreface. Part I: Assembling Intentionality:. 1. Evolutionary Naturalism:. Two Projects Of Evolutionary Naturalism. The Simple Co-Ordination Thesis. 2. Detection Systems:. The Environmental Complexity Hypothesis. Detection Systems. The Power Of Detection Systems. Transparent And Translucent Worlds. Robust Tracking Systems. 3. Fuels For Success:. Decoupled Representation. Response Breadth. Fuels For Success: Space. Fuels For Success: Intervention In The Material World. Reprise. 4. Fuels For Success: The Social Intelligence Hypothesis:. The Cognitive Demands Of Social Life. The Social Intelligence Hypothesis. The Cognitive World Of The Great Apes: Imitation. The Cognitive World Of Great Apes: Tracking Other Minds. 5. The Descent Of Preference:. Internal Environments. The Forager’s Dilemma. Preference Eliminativism?. Preference-Like States. Part II: Not Just Another Species Of Large Mammal:. 6. Reconstructing Hominid Evolution:. Testing Theories Of Human Evolution. From Cognitive Device To Evolutionary History. Making Progress. An Example: Tomasello’s Conjecture. Conclusions. 7. The Co-Operation Explosion:. The Co-Operative Primate. Group Selection And Human Co-Operation. The Ecological Trigger Of Hominid Co-Operation. Coalition And Enforcement. Commitment To Enforcement. Upshot. 8. The Self-Made Species:. Ecological Engineers. Cumulative Niche Construction: The Cognitive Condition. Cumulative Niche Construction: The Social Condition. Hominid Epistemic Engineering. Downstream Epistemic Engineering. 9. Heterogeneous Environments And Variable Response:. Phenotypic Plasticity. Is Plasticity An Adaptation?. Reprise. Part III: The Fate Of The Folk:. 10. The Massive Modularity Hypothesis:. Massive Modularity. Language: Paradigm Or Outlier?. Communicative Intentions. Fodor’s Modules And Their Limits. Inward Bound. Evolution And Encapsulation. The Poverty Of The Stimulus. The Case Of Folk Biology. Modularity And The Frame Problem. 11. Interpreting Other Agents:. A Theory Of Mind Module?. Deconstructing The Folk Psychology Module. Interpretation, Perception And Scaffolded Learning. Truth, Evidence And Success. Co-Ordination And Meaning. Something New Under The Sun?. References. Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe influence of Patricia and Paul Churchlanda s work on contemporary philosophy and cognitive science has been profound. The Churchlands have challenged nearly all prevailing doctrines concerning knowledge, mind, science, and language.Table of ContentsIntroduction. Part I: Essays Addressed to the Churchlands:. 1. Explanatory Pluralism and the Co-evolution of Theories in Science: Robert N McCauley (Emory University). 2. From Neurophilosophy to neurocomputation: Searching for the Cognitive Forest: Patricia Kitcher (University of California at San Diego). 3. Dealing in Futures: Folk Psychology and the Role of Representations in Cognitive Science: Andy Clark (Washington University). 4. Paul Churchland's PDP Approach to Explanation: William G Lycan (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). 5. What should a Connectionist Philosophy of Science Look Like?: William Bechtel (Georgia State University). 6. Paul Churchland and State Space Semantics: Jerry Fodor and Ernie Lepore (Rutgers University). 7. Reply to Churchland: Jerry Fodor and Ernie Lepore (Rutgers University). 8. Images and subjectivity: Neurobiological Trials and Tribulations: Antonio R Damasio and Hanna Damasio (University of California at San Diego). 9. Neurophilosophy: Without a Hyphen Already: John Marshall and Jennifer Gurd (University of Oxford). 10. The Moral Network: Owen Flanagan (Duke University). Part II: Replies From the Churchlands A: The Future of Psychology, Folk and Scientific:. 1. McCauley's Demand for a Co-level Competitor. 2. Connectionism as Psychology. 3. Kitcher's Empirical Challenge to PSC: Has There Been Progress in Neurophilosophy?. 4. Clark's Connectionist Defense of Folk Psychology. B: The Impact of Neural Network Models on the Philosophy of Science:. 5. On the Nature of Explanation: William Lycan. 6. Bechtel on the Proper Form of a Connectionist Philosophy of Science. C: Semantics in a New Vein:. 7. Fodor and Lepore: State-Space Semantics and Meaning Holism. 8. Second Reply to Fodor and Lepore. D: Consciousness and Methodology:. 9. Neuropsychology and Brain Organization: The Damasios. 10. Conceptual Analysis and Neuropsychology: John Marshall and Jennifer Gurd. 11. Do We Propose to Eliminate Consciousness?E: Moral Psychology and the Rebirth of Moral Theory:. 12. Flanagan on Moral Knowledge.

Read more less

Book SynopsisHow does human language contribute to the cognitive edge humans have over other species? Incorporating research results in psychology, the author develops an original account of language acquisition which holds important implications for standard theories of language and the philosophical foundations of cognitive science.Trade Review"Rita Nolan successfully criticizes ideas -among them, Fodor's 'language of thought' model and Chomsky's 'innateness hypothesis' -that have dominated cognitive psychology and linguistics for decades. But this is much more than a critical book, valuable as good philosophical criticism always is; with a remarkable combination of philosophical imagination and breadth of knowledge, she illuminates the entire area of philosophy and psychology of language. The social practice account of language that she proposes sheds light on a host of topics (including the philosophy of the earlier and the later Wittgenstein), and it leads her to suggest a novel but highly plausible reconceptualization of the development of logical and linguistic skills in the child that will fascinate psychologists as well as philosophers." Hilary Putnam, Harvard UniversityTable of ContentsPreface. Introduction. Part I: Language and Cognitive Dynamics:. 1. The Question. 2. Language Realism. 3. Cognitive Dynamics. 4. Society and Language. 5. Desiderata for a Theory of Language. 6. The Standard Theory. 7. Foci for Revision. Part II: The Code Metaphor for Languages:. 8. The Semantic Content of the Code Metaphor. 9. Referential Semantics: Breaking the Code?. 10. The New Code Theory. 11. Mature Competency and Language Learning. Part III: Language Entry:. 12. Linguistic Constructionalism. 13. The Fallacy of Linguistic Supervenience. 14. Semantic Theory and Language Learning. 15. Reconceptualizing Language Acquisition. 16. How Long Does it Take?. 17. Superordination. 18. The Cognitive Import of Superordination. 19. The Categorical Structure of Discourse. 20. Conclusion. Part IV: Society in Mind:. 21. The Superordination Hypothesis. 22. Unavailable Routes to Language Entry. 23. Two Questions. 24. Interpreting Early Speech. 25. Early Syntax. 26. But What Is Predication?. Part V: From Response to Assertion:. 27. Is There a Transition from Response to Assertion. 28. Subjects and Predicates. 29. Formal Approaches to Predication. 30. Sensation, Perception, Conception and Judgement. 31. Categories of Perception, Categories of Conception. 32. The Generality Constraint. 33. Developmental Data. 34. From Perceptual Categories to Conceptual Categories. 35. The Emergence of Predication. 36. Some Consequences of "Thick" Superordination. Part VI: Discursive Practices:. 37. Mutant Predicates. 38. Conceptual Structures. 39. Towards a Topology of Concepts. 40. Conceptual Structures. 41. Meaning as Analogical. 42. Discourse Genres. 43. Non-Gricean Pragmatists. 44. Socially Contingent Phenomena. 45. The Attitudes as Socially Contingent. 46. Substructural Indeterminacy. References. Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAdopting a cognitive neuroscience approach to this question generates a new perspective and some challenging hypotheses. The book explores in detail the contribution of the brain structures, particularly the cerebral cortex, to the various aspects of movement preparation and execution.Trade Review"The Cognitive Neuroscience of Action provides an interesting historical context to many of the important ideas that guide current thinking about the neural basis of action." Peter Redgrave, University of Sheffield"It is both innovative and integrative and certainly is a must read for those working in the area...I would certainly recommend this book in advanced undergraduate work, perhaps as an adjunct to a third year undergraduate course or for a reading group in visual perception, perception and action, or neuropsychology." Alan M. Wing, Psychology Teaching Review "Jeannerod's book is an impressive example of a cognitive neuroscientific approach to action." Johannes Engelkamp, University of the Saarland, American Journal of Psychology, Spring 2001.Table of ContentsPart I: General Introduction:. 1.1. Action as a Coordination Problem. 1.2. Internal Models and the Purpose of Actions. 1.3. Motor Engrams. 1.4. Outline. Part II: Neural Substrates for Object Orientated Actions:. 2.1. Visuomotor Coordination as a Dissociable Visual Function. 2.1.1. The Two-Visual-Systems Hypothesis. 2.1.2. Two Cortical Visual Systems. 2.1.3. Visuomotor Channels. 2.2 Neural Coding in the Visuomotor (dorsal) Pathway: Reaching Movements. 2.2.1. Reaching Neurons in the Parietal Cortex. 2.2.2. The Role of Motor and Premotor Cortex. 2.3 Neural Coding in the Visuomotor (dorsal) Pathway: Grasping Movements. 2.3.1. The Pattern of Grip Formation. 2.3.2. Neural Mechanisms Involved in the Control of Visually Guided Grasping. 2.3.2.1. Motor Cortex. 2.3.2.2. Parietal Cortical Areas. 2.3.2.3. Premotor Cortex Neurons. 2.4. Predetermined Motor Patterns: The Schema Approach. Part III: Task-Dependent Representations for Action:. 3.1. Relevance of Neural Systems to Task-Dependent Representations of Action. 3.1.1. Effects of Posterior Parietal Lesions on Object-Orientated Actions. 3.1.2. Testing Object-Oriented Behavior. 3.1.3. Two Illustrative Clinical Cases. 3.2. Object-Oriented Behaviour in Lesions of the Ventral System. 3.3. Brain Activity Mapping During Object-Oriented Actions. 3.4. The Representation of Object-Oriented Actions. 3.4.1. Classifying Object Attributes. 3.4.2. The Frame of Reference Problem. 3.5. Task Dependent Dissociations of Visumotor and Perceptual Responses. 3.5.1. Motor Vs Perceptual Responses. 3.5.2. Time-Based Dissociations. 3.5.3. Implicit Functioning of Pragmatic Representations. 3.5.4. The Semantic Penetration of Pragmatic Representations. 3.6. A Note on Apraxia. Part IV: The Contribution of Mental Imagery to Understanding Motor Representations:. 4.1. Motor Imagery, A "First Person" Process. 4.2. What is Represented in Motor Images. 4.2.1. The Problem of the Representation of Time. 4.2.2. The Representation of Motor Rules. 4.2.3. Representation of Motor Constraints and Potentialities. 4.3. Physiological Correlates of Mental Simulation of Movement. 4.3.1. Muscular Activity. 4.3.2. Autonomic Nervous System. 4.3.3. Brain Activity. 4.4. The Effects of Mental Training. 4.5. Motor Imagery in Clinical Disorders of Movement and Action. Part V: Action Planning:. 5.1. A Cognitive Approach to Action Planning. 5.1.1. Mental Chronometry Paradigms. 5.2. A Neuropsychological Approach to Action Planning. 5.2.1. Anatomical Connections of the Frontal Granular Cortex. 5.2.2. Frontal Lobe Lesions in Mokeys. 5.2.3. Paradigms for Studying Neuronal Activity in Prefrontal Areas. 5.2.4. Planning Deficits Following Frontal Lesion in Man. 5.3. Study of Human Brain Activity during Motor Preparation and Action Planning. 5.4. The Role of Basal Ganglia in Action Planning. 5.5. A Synthetic Conclusion on Action Planning. Part VI: Design for a Motor Representation:. 6.1. Requirements for Representing Neurons. 6.2. The Internal Structure of Motor Representations. 6.2.1. The Corollary Discharge Concept. 6.2.2. Comparator Models. 6.3. Testing the Validity of Comparator Models. 6.3.1. Perturbation Experiments. 6.3.2. The Role of Reafference. 6.4. Monitoring Intentions. 6.4.1. Sensations of Innervation. 6.4.2. The Problem of Awareness of Intentions. 6.4.3. Understanding Intentions of Others. 6.4.4. Imitation and Observational Learning.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIdeas, Dan Sperber argues, may be contagious. They may invade whole populations. In the process, the people, their environment, and the ideas themselves are being transformed. To explain culture is to describe the causes and the effects of this contagion of ideas. This book will be read by all those with an interest in the impact of the cognitive revolution on our understanding of culture.Trade Review"Dan Sperber is to be thanked for continuing to contribute to dialogue between the cognitive and social branches of the human sciences." Daniel Nettle, Merton College Oxford "Apart from its wealth of insight, cogent arguments, apposite illustrations, and lucid and entertaining prose, Explaining Culture also offers a glimpse of what cultural study might be: rather than foreclosing possibilities on the strength of received wisdom or a selective interdisciplinary which rules out so much interesting thinking, it makes its own start on the formulation of fresh, apparently basic but at the same time far-reaching research questions. Alan Durant "Sperber emphasizes macro-and micro-processes of distribution that make cultural transformation and individual development possible and most simply processes of replication. Sperber offers the beginnings of a naturalistic theory of both culture and religion that will interest students and scholars alike." Susan Henking, Hobart and William Smith Colleges Geneva "Explaining Culture is a good read. It is full of interesting suggestions on a wide range of anthropological and psychological issues." Kim Sterelny, Music and Letters, Vol 110, July 2001.Table of ContentsPreface. Introduction. 1. How to be a True Materialist in Anthropology. 2. Interpreting and Explaining Cultural Representations. 3. Anthropology and Psychology: Towards an Epidemiology of Representations. 4. The Epidemiology of Beliefs. 5. Selection and Attraction in Cultural Evolution. 6. Mental Modularity and Cultural Diversity. Conclusion: What is at Stake?. Notes. References. Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis volume provides the first general introduction to optimality theory -- arguably the linguistic theory of the 1990s. The book leads the reader to an understanding of optimality theory via the exploration and resolution of specific problems in phonology, morphology, and syntax, but presumes virtually no background knowledge in linguistics.Trade Review"This book does offer a well-rounded entry point into the theory for anyone with some basic training in linguistics, including researchers who wish to take a crash course in the theory." Second Language ResearchTable of Contents1. Optimality Theory: An Introduction to Linguistics for the 1990s: Diana B. Archangeli (University of Arizona). 2. Optimality Theory and Features: Douglas Pulleybank (University of British Columbia). 3. Optimality Theory and Prosody: Michael Hammond (University of Arizona). 4. Optimality Theory and Morphology: Kevin Russell (University of Manitoba). 5. Optimality Theory and Syntax: Null Arguments and Control: Margaret Speas (University of Massachusetts at Amherst). 6. Optimality Theory and Syntax: Parallels with Phonology: David Pesetsky (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

Read more less

Book SynopsisProvides a non-technical introduction to cognitive science, and the key issues that animate the field. This work explores subject areas such as Mind, Vision, Language, and Neuroscience, and contains selections on the foundations of cognitive science, cognition development, reasoning, object recognition, eye movements, and visual recognition.Trade Review"Many of the authors are major academic figures (e.g., Fodor, Pylyshyn, Stich), and all are authoritative in their fields. The book, taken as a whole, conveys some of the excitement going on today in cognitive science. Recommended." C. Koch, Choice "Having been based on a lecture series that brought together some of the most innovative research in the field, this collection will work superbly as an introductory text. Aimed at a diverse audience, the issues are given a systematic presentation with technical concepts introduced both gradually and precisely. Lepore and Pylyshyn's edition serves as a quite complete and provocative path of entry into the science of the mind." David Kilfoyle, York University, Canada "An excellent collection of chapters by very talented investigators who truly understand the mission of cognitive science." -- Rochel Gelman, Rutgers UniversityTable of ContentsPreface vii Acknowledgements ix 1 What’s in your mind? 1 Zenon W. Pylyshyn 2 Explaining the infant’s object concept: Beyond the perception/cognition dichotomy 26 Brian J. Scholl and Alan M. Leslie 3 Rethinking rationality: From bleak implications to Darwinian modules 74 Richard Samuels, Stephen Stich, and Patrice D. Tremoulet 4 New foundations for perception 121 Michael Leyton 5 Object representation and recognition 172 Sven J. Dickinson 6 Does vision work? Towards a semantics of perception 208 Jacob Feldman 7 The brain as a hypothesis-constructing-and-testing agent 230 Thomas V. Papathomas 8 What movements of the eye tell us about the mind 248 Eileen Kowler 9 Visual dilemmas: Competition between eyes and between percepts in binocular rivalry 263 Thomas V. Papathomas, Ilona Kovacs, Akos Feher, and Bela Julesz 10 Linguistic and cognitive explanation in optimality theory 295 Bruce Tesar, Jane Grimshaw, and Alan Prince 11 Impossible words? 327 Jerry Fodor and Ernest Lepore 12 Bridging the symbolic-connectionist gap in language comprehension 336 Suzanne Stevenson 13 Cognitive and neural aspects of language acquisitions 356 Karin Stromswold 14 Connectionist neuroscience: representational and learning issues for neuroscience 401 Stephen Jose Hanson Index 429

Read more less

Book SynopsisProvides a non-technical introduction to cognitive science, and the key issues that animate the field. This work explores subject areas such as Mind, Vision, Language, and Neuroscience, and contains selections on the foundations of cognitive science, cognition development, reasoning, object recognition, eye movements, and visual recognition.Trade Review"Many of the authors are major academic figures (e.g., Fodor, Pylyshyn, Stich), and all are authoritative in their fields. The book, taken as a whole, conveys some of the excitement going on today in cognitive science. Recommended." C. Koch, Choice "Having been based on a lecture series that brought together some of the most innovative research in the field, this collection will work superbly as an introductory text. Aimed at a diverse audience, the issues are given a systematic presentation with technical concepts introduced both gradually and precisely. Lepore and Pylyshyn's edition serves as a quite complete and provocative path of entry into the science of the mind." David Kilfoyle, York University, Canada "An excellent collection of chapters by very talented investigators who truly understand the mission of cognitive science." -- Rochel Gelman, Rutgers UniversityTable of ContentsPreface vii Acknowledgements ix 1 What’s in your mind? 1 Zenon W. Pylyshyn 2 Explaining the infant’s object concept: Beyond the perception/cognition dichotomy 26 Brian J. Scholl and Alan M. Leslie 3 Rethinking rationality: From bleak implications to Darwinian modules 74 Richard Samuels, Stephen Stich, and Patrice D. Tremoulet 4 New foundations for perception 121 Michael Leyton 5 Object representation and recognition 172 Sven J. Dickinson 6 Does vision work? Towards a semantics of perception 208 Jacob Feldman 7 The brain as a hypothesis-constructing-and-testing agent 230 Thomas V. Papathomas 8 What movements of the eye tell us about the mind 248 Eileen Kowler 9 Visual dilemmas: Competition between eyes and between percepts in binocular rivalry 263 Thomas V. Papathomas, Ilona Kovacs, Akos Feher, and Bela Julesz 10 Linguistic and cognitive explanation in optimality theory 295 Bruce Tesar, Jane Grimshaw, and Alan Prince 11 Impossible words? 327 Jerry Fodor and Ernest Lepore 12 Bridging the symbolic-connectionist gap in language comprehension 336 Suzanne Stevenson 13 Cognitive and neural aspects of language acquisitions 356 Karin Stromswold 14 Connectionist neuroscience: representational and learning issues for neuroscience 401 Stephen Jose Hanson Index 429

Read more less

Book Synopsisaeo Extensively re--written and updated, ensuring it remains the leading text in the field. aeo Reviews research on the cognitive deficits of dyslexia and the evidence concerning its biological basis. aeo Represents the only single authored book that offers a cognitive perspective on dyslexia.Trade Review"This book by Margaret Snowling...is a very welcome update of her well-received first edition book published in 1987 and reflects the significant amount of research that has taken place since this time. Margaret Snowling's thesis is that dyslexia is a consequence of a phonological deficit. Her evidence for this is extremely well presented throughout her book. Chapter 3 - The Phonological Representations Hypothesis - is exceptionally well written and assertively lays down the foundation of her argument. This book, although written with an academic rigour, cleverly embraces the impact of dyslexia on the individual...This promotes a very positive and optimistic theme on the treatment of dyslexia throughout the book. This book successfully provides a contemporary synthesis of research on the cognitive deficits of dyslexia and is strongly recommended to anyone with any involvement or interest in this complex area. It will be of enormous value to educational psychologists and teachers of students with specific learning difficulties and, no doubt, will continue to be the essential book on any training course's reading list on the subject. The book is very generously priced and therefore of exceptional value, given its contents." Dr. Barry Johnson BSc, Cert Ed, Dip Ed Psych, PhD, C. Psych Principal Educational Psychologist, The Dyslexia Institute. "An excellent view of the current state-of-the-art in dyslexia research, as is to be expected from this author, who is a recognized authority in the field. It is committed to a phonological approach to dyslexia, which explains the condition as a deficit of phonological representations. Snowling's book gives an outstanding account of this research tradition." TRENDS in Cognitive Sciences, Vol 5, No 3, March 2001. "Dyslexia is a basic work that explains in a very understandable way, very complex themes. It gives insight in the definition, ethicality and the treatment of children with dyslexia. That makes this work definitely a must-read (or: definitely very recommendable) for anyone that wants to resource himself in the understanding of and dealing with children that have dyslexia. On top of that, even experienced therapists get a better insight in the severity and characteristics of the problems of their clients". SIG NAAL, Journaal van Vormingsdienst SIG, August-September 2001.Table of ContentsPreface to the Second Edition. 1. What is Dyslexia?. 2. The Definition of Dyslexia. 3. The Phonological Representations Hypothesis. 4. Learning to Read and to Spell. 5. Dyslexia: A Written Language Disorder. 6. Individual Differences in Dyslexia. 7. The Severity Hypothesis. 8. Biological Bases of Dyslexia. 9. Dyslexia: A Sensory Impairment?. 10. Helping to Overcome Dyslexia. 11. Proficiency and Deficiency: The Role of Compensation. 12. Conclusions and Future Prospects. References. Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn introduction to cognitive science, this title provides undergraduate and graduate students with the theoretical foundations of classical and connectionist cognitive science to explain the and teach the underlying unity of the field.Trade Review"Dawson knows how to write charming prose and to apply his talent to unravelling hard ideas. Few people can write about cognitive science methodology in such a disarmingly easy-to-read style. This is not only a thorough book that reaches into all the serious issues of the day, but it is one that is more accessible than any I have read." Zenon Pylyshyn, Professor of Cognitive Science, Rutgers University "Dawson's book is a fine treatment of the computational and psychological heartland of cognitive science for senior students. There is no serious competition. Many texts are a forced march through the disciplines. By contrast, Dawson has found what he calls the 'unifying glue' that keeps the different disciplines within cognitive science working together." Andrew Brook, Carleton University "This is not a novel hypothesis, but Dawson's use of the tri-level hypothesis to drive a cognitive science text is admirable. Dawson's book is very readable and will suit advanced-level undergraduates or postgraduates cognitive science students with a speciality in one of the contributing disciplines. This is a book which I recommend not just as a text, but as essential reading for practising cognitive scientists." Richard Cooper, Times Higher Education Supplement "....this new unique casebook ismore than a welcome compliment to existing learning materials, it is the first vehicle to educating students for the global retailer's market." Journal of Retialing and Consumter ServicesTable of ContentsList of Figures. List of Tables. 1. The Coffee Room and Cognitive Science. 2. The Classical View of Information Processing. 3. The Connectionist View of Information Processing. 4. The Computational Level of Analysis. 5. The Algorithmic Level. 6. The Functional Architecture. 7. The Implementation Level. 8. A Case Study in Cognitive Science. 9. The Tri-Level Hypothesis and Cognitive Science. References. Name Index. Subject Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn introduction to the cognitive neuroscience of vision. The book introduces the reader to the anatomy of the eye and visual cortex and then proceeds to discuss image and representation, face recognition, printed word recognition, visual sematic memory and visual attention and perception.Trade Review"This is an outstanding overview of an exciting frontier of research on the mind. Farah has a gift for ingenious and original syntheses of complicated research topics, which makes this book an invaluable resource for anyone interested in how the brain lets us see," Steven Pinker, Professor, MIT, and author of How the Mind Works and Words and Rules "Farah’s book gives a comprehensive account of the cognitive neuroscience of vision, filtered through the judgment and enlivened by the comments of one of its best-known contributors. An excellent and lively survey to interest and inform both students and researchers." Anne Treisman, Princeton UniversityTable of Contents1. Early Vision. 2. From Local To Global Image Representation. 3. The Problem Of Visual Recognition. 4. Object Recognition. 5. Face Recognition. 6. Word Recognition. 7. Visual Attention. 8. Hemispatial Neglect. 9. Mental Imagery. 10. Visual Awareness.

Read more less

Book Synopsis* The first definitive collection of readings in cognitive neuroscience* Edited by one of the leading researchers in the field* Introductions and contextualisations provide a context for each section's papers. .Trade Review"This book will enjoy a wide readership." Robert R. Rafal, Professor of Clinical Neuroscience and Neuropsychology, University of Wales, Bangor "An excellent set of readings." Professor Tim Shallice, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College, LondonTable of ContentsPreface. Acknowledgments. Part I: History and Methods of CNS:. 1. The Birth of the Cognitive Neuroscience Institute: M. S. Gazzaniga. 2. Perspectives on Cognitive Neuroscience: P. S. Churchland and T. J. Sejnowski. 3. Electrical and Magnetic Brain Recordings: S. A. Hillyard. 4. Behind the Scenes of Functional Brain Imaging: M. E. Raichle. Part II: Perception:. 5. Exploration of the Primary Visual Cortex: D. H. Hubel. 6. The Parietal System and Some Higher Brain Functions: Vernon B. Mountcastle. 7. The Visual Pathways Mediating Perception and Prehension: M. A. Goodale, L. S. Jakobson and P. Servos. 8. Neural Mechanisms for Forming a Perceptual Decision: C. D. Salzman and W. T. Newsome. 9. James J. Gibson - An appreciation: K. Nakayama. Part III: Attention:. 10. Attentional networks: M. I. Posner and S. Dehaene. 11. Attentional Resolution and the Locus of Visual Awareness: S. He, P. Cavanagh and J. Intriligator. 12. Information-Processing of Visual-Stimuli in an Extinguished Field: B. T. Volpe, J. E. Ledoux and M. S. Gazzaniga. 13. Negative Priming Between Pictures and Words in a Selective Attention Task - Evidence for Semantic Processing of Ignored Stimuli: S. P. Tipper and J. Driver. Part IV: Imagery:. 14. Mental Rotation of Three-Dimensional Objects: R. N. Shepard, and J. Metzler. 15. Unilateral Neglect of Representational Space: E. Bisiach, & C. Luzzatti,. 16. Topographical Representations of Mental Images in Primary Visual Cortex: S. M. Kosslyn, W. L. Thompson, I. J. Kim & N. M. Alpert. Part V: Plasticity and Development:. 17. The Effect of Crossing Nerves to Antagonistic Muscles in the Hind Limb of the Rat: R. W. Sperry. 18. Spatial Integration and Cortical Dynamics: C. D. Gilbert, A. Das, M. Ito, M. Kapadia and G. Westheimer. 19. Cortical Mechanisms of Cognitive Development: Mark H. Johnson. Part VI: Memory:. 20. Loss of Recent Memory after Bilateral Hipposcampal Lesions: W. B. Scoville and B. Milner. 21. Episodic Memory, Semantic Memory, and Amnesia: L. R. Squire and S. M. Zola. 22. Working Memory - The Interface Between Memory and Cognition: A. Baddeley. 23. Understanding Implicit Memory: A Cognitive Neuroscience Approach: D. L. Schacter. Part VII: Action and Executive Function:. 24. Cognitive Neurophysiology of the Motor Cortex: A. P. Georgopoulos, Masato Taira, Alexander Lukashin. 25. Vision for the Control of Movement: R. H. Wurtz. 26. Combining Versus Gating Motor Programs: Differential Roles for Cerebellum and Basal Ganglia?: W. T. Thach, J. W. Mink, H. P. Goodkin, & J. G. Keating. 27. Attention to Action: Willed and Automatic Control of Behavior: D. A. Norman and T. Shallice. 28. Architecture of the Prefrontal Cortex and the Central Executive: P. S. Goldman-Rakic. Part VIII: Language:. 29. Category-Specific Naming Deficit Following Cerebral Infarction: J. Hart, R. S. Berndt, and A. Caramazza. 30. Right-Hemisphere Language Following Brain Bisection - A 20-Year Perspective: M. S. Gazzaniga. 31. Current Thinking on Language Structures: Marta Kutas. Part IX: Evolution:. 32. Why Does the Brain Have So Many Visual Areas?: J. H. Kaas. 33. Antibodies and Learning: Selection versus Instruction: Jerne, Niels and Kaj. 34. The Argument From Animals to Humans in Cognitive Neuroscience: T. M. Preuss. Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe first edition of this successful reader brought together key readings in the area of developmental cognitive neuroscience for students. Now updated in order to keep up with this fast moving field, the volume includes new readings illustrating recent developments along with updated versions of previous contributions.Trade Review"For child language researchers who wish to gain some background knowledge in this field, we reccommend this volume highly. This text is suitable for academics and students alike. It is an excellent source, and the associated teaching resources available on-line are well constructed and highly useful... The clarity and coherence of the overall argumements contained in the volume make the book a worthwhile component of any developmentalist's library." Vincent Reid & Tricia Striano, Cultural Ontogeny Group, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyTable of ContentsContributors. Preface.. Part I: Perspectives on Development. Introduction. 1. Critique of the Modern Ethologists Attitude (Konard Lorenz). 2. The Problem of Change (Susan Oyama). 3. The Epigenetic System and the Development of Cognitive Functions (Jean Piaget). 4. From Gene to Organism: The Developing Individual as an Emergent, Interactional, Hierachical System (G. Gottlieb). Part II: Brain Maturation. Introduction. 5. General Principles of CNS Development (R .S. Nowakowski and N.L. Hayes). 6. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Determinants of Neocortial Parcellation: A Radical Unit Model (P. Rakic). 7. Positron Emission Tomography Study of Human Brain Functional Development (Harry T. Chugani, Michael E. Phelps and John C. Mazziotta). 8. Morphometric Study of Human Cerebral Cortex Developemt (Peter R. Huttenlocher). Part III: Brain Maturation and Cognition. Introduction. 9. The Development of Visual Attention: A Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective (Mark H. Johnson). 10. The Ontogeny of Human Memory: A Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective (C.A. Nelson). Part IV: Brain Plasticity. Introduction. 11. Experience and Brain Development (William T. Greenough, James E. Black and Christopher S. Wallace). 12. Do Cortical Areas Emerge from a Protocortex? (Dennis D. M. O'Leary). 13. Emergence of Order in Visual System Development (C.J. Shatz). Part V: Brain Plasticity and Cognition. Introduction. 14. Specificity and plasticity in Neurocognitive Development in Humans (H. Neville and D. Bavelier). 15. Linguistic, Cognitive, and Affective Development in Children with Pre- and Perinatal Focal Brain Injury: A Ten-Year Overview from the San Diego Longitudinal Project (Joan Stiles, Elizabeth A. Bates, Donna Thal, Doris A. Trauner, and Judy Reilly). 16. Cortical Plasticity Underlying Perceptual, Motor, and Cognitive Skill Development: Implications for Neurorehabilitation (Michael M. Merzenich, Beverly A. Wright, William Jenkins, Christina Xerri, Nancy Byl, Steve. Miller and Paula. Tallal). 17. The Instinct to Learn (Peter Marler). Part VI: Self Organization and Development. Introduction. 18. Self-Organization in Developmental Processes: Can system Approaches Work? (Esther Thelen). 19. Development Itself is the Key to Understanding Developmental Disorders. Annette Karmiloff-Smith). 20. Object Recognition and Sensitive Periods: A Computational Analysis of Visual Imprinting (Randall C. O’Reilly and Mark H. Johnson). Part VII: New Directions. Introduction. 21. Connectionism and the Study of Change: Elizabeth Bates and Jeffrey L. Elman). 22. A Model System for Studying the Role of Dopamine in Prefrontal Cortex During Early Development in Humans (Adele Diamond). 23. Genes and Brain: Individual Differences and Human Universals: Bruce F. Pennington). Name Index. Subject Index.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFocusing on cognitive science, this volume looks at what this science has accomplished and where it will be going in the 21st century. Beginning with an introduction that maps the narrative history of cognitive science as a whole, the book follows with 60 newly-commissioned essays.Table of ContentsList of Contributors and Website Notice. Preface. Acknowledgements. Part I: The Life of Cognitive Science:. William Bechtel (Washington University in St Louis), Adele Abrahamsen (Washington University in St Louis), and George Graham (University of Alabama at Birmingham). Part II: Areas of Study in Cognitive Science:. 1. Analogy: Dedre Gentner (Northwestern University). 2. Animal Cognition: Herbert L. Roitblat (University of Hawaii). 3. Attention: A.H.C. Van Der Heijden (Leiden University). 4. Brain Mapping: Jennifer Mundale (Hartwick College). 5. Cognitive Anthropology: Charles W. Nuckolls (Emory University). 6. Cognitive and Linguistic Development: Adele Abrahamsen (Washington University in St Louis). 7. Conceptual Change: Nancy J. Nersessian (Georgia Institute of Technology). 8. Conceptual Organization: Douglas Medin (Northwestern University) and Sandra R. Waxman (Northwestern University). 9. Consciousness: Owen Flanagan (Duke University). 10. Decision Making: J. Frank Yates (University of Michigan) and Paul A. Estin (University of Michigan). 11. Emotions: Paul E. Griffiths (Otago University). 12. Imagery and Spatial Representation: Rita E. Anderson (Memorial University of Newfoundland). 13. Language Evolution and Neuromechanisms: Terrence W. Deacon (Boston University). 14. Language Processing: Kathryn Bock (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) and Susan M. Garnsey (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign). 15. Linguistics Theory: D. Terence Langendoen (University of Arizona). 16. Machine Learning: Paul Thagard (University of Waterloo). 17. Memory: Henry L. Roediger III (Washington University in St Louis) and Lyn M. Goff (Washington University in St Louis). 18. Perception: Cees Van Leeuwen (University of Amsterdam). 19. Perception: Color: Austen Clark (University of Connecticut). 20. Problem Solving: Kevin Dunbar (McGill University). 21. Reasoning: Lance J. Rips (Northwestern University). 22. Social Cognition: Alan J. Lambert (Washington University in St Louis) and Alison L. Chasteen (Washington University in St Louis). 23. Unconscious Intelligence: Rhianon Allen (Long Island University) and Arthur S. Reber (City University of New York). 24. Understanding Texts: Art Graesser (University of Memphis) and Pam Tipping (University of Memphis). 25. Word Meaning: Barbara C. Malt (Lehigh University). Part III: Methodologies of Cognitive Science:. 26. Artificial Intelligence: Ron Sun (University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa). 27. Behavioral Experimentation: Alexander Pollatsek (University of Massachusetts at Amherst) and Keith Rayner (University of Massachusetts at Amherst). 28. Cognitive Ethology: Marc Bekoff (University of Colorado). 29. Deficits and Pathologies: Christopher D. Frith (Institute of Neurology, London). 30. Ethnomethodology: Barry Saferstein (California State University). 31. Functional Analysis: Brian Macwhinney (Carnegie-Mellon University). 32. Neuroimaging: Randy L. Buckner (Washington University in St Louis) and Steven E. Petersen (Washington University Medical School). 33. Protocal Analysis: K. Anders Ericsson (Florida State University). 34. Single Neuron Electrophysiology: B. E. Stein (Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University), M.T. Wallace (Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University), and T.R. Stanford (Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University). 35. Structural Analysis: Robert Frank (John Hopkins University). Part IV: Stances in Cognitive Science:. 36. Case-based Reasoning: David B. Leake (Indiana University). 37. Cognitive Linguistics: Michael Tomasello (Emory University). 38. Connectionism, Artificial Life, and Dynamical Systems: Jeffrey L. Elman (University of California at San Diego). 39. Embodied, Situated, and Distributed Cognition: Andy Clark (Washington University in St Louis). 40. Mediated Action: James V. Wertsch (Washington University in St Louis). 41. Neurobiological Modeling: P. Read Montague (Baylor College of Medicine) and Peter Dayan (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). 42. Production Systems: Christian D. Schunn (Carnegie-Mellon University) and David Klahr (Carnegie-Mellon University). Part V: Controversies in Cognitive Science:. 43. The Binding Problem: Valerie Gray Hardcastle (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University). 44. Heuristics and Satisficing: Robert C. Richardson (University of Cincinnati). 45. Innate Knowledge: Barbara Landau (University of Delaware). 46. Innateness and Emergentism: Elizabeth Bates (University of California at San Diego), Jeffrey L. Elman (University of California at San Diego), Mark H. Johnson (MRC Cognitive Development Unit, London), Annette Karmiloff-Smith (MRC Cognitive Development Unit, London), Domenico Parisi (National Research Council, Rome), and Kim Plunkett (Oxford University). 47. Intentionality: Gilbert Harman (Princeton University). 48. Levels of Explanation and Cognition Architectures: Robert N. McCauley (Emory University). 49. Modularity: Irene Appelbaum (University of Mantana). 50. Representation and Computation: Robert S. Stufflebeam (University of Tulsa). 51. Representations: Dorrit Billman (Georgia Institute of Technology). 52. Rules: Terence Horgan (University of Memphis) and John Tienson (University of Memphis). 53. Stage Theories Refuted: Donald G. Mackay (University of California at Los Angeles). Part VI: Cognitive Science in the Real World:. 54. Education: John T. Bruer (James S. McDonnell Foundation, St Louis). 55. Ethics: Mark L. Johnson (University of Oregon). 56. Everyday Life Environments: Alex Kirlik (Georgia Institute of Technology). 57. Institutions and Economics: Douglass C. North (Washington University in St Louis). 58. Legal Reasoning: Edwina L. Rissland (University of Massachusetts at Amherst). 59. Mental Retardation: Norman W. Bray (University of Alabama at Birmingham), Kevin D. Reilly (University of Alabama at Birmingham), Lisa F. Huffman ((University of Alabama at Birmingham), Lisa A. Grupe (University of Alabama at Birmingham), Mark F. Villa (University of Alabama at Birmingham), Kathryn L. Fletcher (University of Miami) , and Vivek Anumolu (CompuWare, Inc., Milwaukee). 60. Science: William F. Brewer (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) and Punyashloke Mishra (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign). Selective Biographies of Major Contributors to Cognitive Science: William Bechtel (Washington University in St Louis) and Tadeusz Zawidzki (Washington University in St Louis). Author Index. Subject Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA long-held intellectual tradition states that children's early fantasy life is primitive and disorganized. The author aims to show that children's ability to imagine hypothetical and counterfactual possibilities makes a continuing contribution to their cognitive and emotional development.Trade Review"In a book as creative and inventive as his subject matter, Paul Harris leads us on an intriguing journey into the world of, and the work of, the imagination...he shows us how thoroughly the mundane, the imaginative, and the magical intermingle, in childhood and adulthood, to form the very nature of human cognition." Henry M. Wellman, University of Michigan. "Paul Harris's intriguing and lucid book summarizes twenty years of empirical research." Alison Gopnik, Science, April 2001 "A fascinating, accessible and extremely well-researched introduction to how much evolutionary psychologists have learnt over the past few years about this unique ability." Infancia y Aprendizaje, vol 24(2), 2001. "Ground-breaking...this book is quickly becoming required reading for all students of cognitive development and will have an important impact on the field". Social Development "An extraordinarily comprehensive and informative book" Tamar Szabo Gendler, Mind, Vol. 3, Apr. 2002 "This is a highly interesting, nontechnical, easy to read book on children's imagination and related topics by one of Great Britain's most distinguished developmental psychologist." John H. Flavell. Department of Psychology, Stanford University. "In a series of ingenious experiments, Paul Harris leads the reader to discoveries and conclusions which are quite extraordinary. The book [has] value and originality." Eugene Subbostsky, Lancaster University "It is a great topic; some of the ideas and materials are very novel and should create a lot of interest. For example, the chapter and ideas on emotion and pretence, and the discussion of functional issues. The chapters are very smoothly and readably written - fascinating>" Judy Dunn, Institute of Psychiatry, University of London. "The chapters read very smoothly and well. The writing is clear, there is lots of interesting experimental material and theoretical ideas, always well presented." Peter Carruthers, University of Sheffield.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements. Introduction. Bleuler in Weimar. Pretend Play. Role Play. Imagination and Emotion. Reasoning, Make-believe and Dialogue. Counterfactual Thinking. Obligation and Violation. Beyond Possibility. Language and Imagination. References. Name Index. Subject Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis engaging story of an eighteenth century Scottish laird whose brief arranged marriage was annulled on the grounds of his mental capacity -- which seen through modern eyes can be identified as autism. It is a story of villainy and innocence, and provides a fascinating historical context to which the latest theories on autism are applied.Trade Review"This is a comprehensive history, charting thinking, practice and theories from the late 1930s to the present day . . . Recommended - a much-needed addition to the autism library." (Communication Magazine, 1 April 2011) "I found this book utterly absorbing and utterly convincing. The richness of historical detail - testimonies and actual interrogations - and its telling hold one like a novel. The minute sifting of the evidence is in the best historico-clinical tradition, weighing everything carefully, never overstating or pushing. The interest spreads in all directions - about the way the law, the culture, and ordinary people thought of mental incapacity or madness in the eighteenth century. I think Autism in History will be extremely valuable in many different ways." Oliver Sacks M.D. Author of Awakenings "The authors guide us through the case with an expert hand, in a book written for a wide range of non-specialist readers. What's more, the book constitutes a unique introduction to autism, presenting both its scientific and clinical aspects, as well as the person and their social circumstances. A stimulating read." Infancia y Aprendizaje, vol 24(2), 2001. "Rab Houston and Uta Frith provide a splendid case study of probably autism from eighteenth-century Scotland. Houston and Frith are to be congratulated in their synthesis of the evidence for Hugh Blair of Borgue being a case of autism in history. They have done so in a manner and style that is as cautious as it is thorough." Stephen Jones, Norfolk Mental Health Care Trust, Social History of Medicine, vol 14 (2), 2001. "This is a fascinating book." RH Campbell, Transactions, Vol 75, 2001 "In presenting Hugh Blair, a member of the landowning class in eighteenth-century Scotland, Autism in History demonstrates a refreshing lack of squeamishness ... Although Houston and Frith conclude confidently that they are looking at a case of the same condition we now call autism, they remain sensitive to the ways that historical conditions could influence the perception or presentation of the disorder. In addition, Houston and Frith amass convincing data to show that Blair was, in fact, autistic. It might be possible to quibble with their retrospective diagnosis, but they make a highly plausible case." Jonathan Sadowsky, Castele Associate Professor of Medical History, Case Western Reserve University, Journal of the History of the Behavioural Sciences, Fall 2003Table of ContentsList of Plates. Acknowledgements. 1. The Background to the Study. 2. The Life and Times of Hugh Blair. 3. Understanding Mental Incapacity in the Past. 4. Autism and its Relevance to the Case of High Blair. 5. Reading the Court Case as a Clinical Case. 6. Historical-clinical Approach to the Case of Hugh Blair. Notes. Glossary of Historical Terms. Glossary and Topics in Autism. Further Historical Reading. Further Reading on Autism. Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis work presents a theory of cognitive development, arguing that the mind develops across three fronts: a general processing system that defines the general potentials of mind to develop cognitive strategies and skills; a hypercognitive system that governs self-understanding; and self-regulation.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn investigation into differences in early childhood development Variability in Early Communicative Development demonstrates that the modal child does not, in fact, exist. Interviews with parents of over 1,800 children reveals both typical and exceptional communication development between the ages of eight and 30 months, providing unusually specific detail on the variability of individual lexical, gestural, and grammatical skills. Discussion of the Macarthur Communicative Development Inventories delves into the inventory's reliability, validity, and interrelations, before moving into an examination of the stability of differences and individual contributing factors.Table of ContentsAbstract I: Introduction II: History and Development III: The Macarthur Communicative Development Inventories and Methods of the Normative Study IV: Reliability and Validity of the CDI Inventories V: Developmental Trends and Variability in the Acquisition of Communicative Skills VI: Interrelations Among the Major Components of the CDI VII: The Contribution of Gender, Social Class, and Birth Order to Variation in Early Language and Communication VIII: Stability of Individual Differences IX: Individual Item Analyses X: Discussion Appendix A: The CDI Infant and Toddler Forms Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D Appendix E References Acknowledgments The Instrument is Great, But Measuring Comprehension is Still a ProblemMichael Tomasello, Carolyn B. Mervis. On the Nature of Informant Judgments in Inventory Measures: . . . and So What is it You Want to Know? Joan Stiles Contributors Statement of Editorial Policy

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis important text presents a comprehensive introduction to the history, methods, and applications of psychophysiology and explores other areas concerned with the "mind-body interface," such as psychosomatic medicine, behavioral medicine, clinical psychology, psychiatry, neuropsychology, and cognitive neuroscience.Trade ReviewThe book has many strengths. Nonspecialists in psychophysiology will appreciate the book for its broad perspective; for the way in which it presents various psychophysiological theories, models, and methods in a comprehensive but brief manner; and for the captivating style of Hugdahl's discourse ...Hugdahl's mission of advocating the need for psychophysiology to step forward into the arena of cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology is timely and well-fulfilled. -- Daniel Tranel and Antoine Bechara * Contemporary Psychology *Table of ContentsPreface PART 1: AN OVERVIEW OF PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY 1. Introduction Psychophysiological Studies of Emotional and Cognitive Processes Methodology and Definition Physiological Changes and Their Measurement Psychophysiology and Disease Cognitive Psychophysiology Clinical Psychophysiology Future Challenges to Psychophysiology Summary 2. Concepts and Terms Stimulus Specificity

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn a contribution to the theory of perception, A.D. Smith presents a truly original defence of direct realism - the view that in perception we are directly aware of things in the physical world.Trade ReviewDirect realism claims that there is a purely physical stratum of the world and that we can be directly aware of objects that possess such a stratum. Smith wants to show not that direct realism is true or even possibly true but that it is compatible with the philosophy of perception. More specifically, he contends that the two most serious challenges to direct realism from the philosophy of perception--the argument from illusion and the argument from hallucination--do not refute it. Against these, he argues, respectively, that perceptual constancy is compatible with sensory fluctuation and that an intentional object is not really a thing at all and should be distinguished from the (putative) thing it is taken to be. The book is painstakingly argued and deserves the careful reading it requires. -- Robert Hoffman * Library Journal *Smith's The Problem of Perception is an indirect defense of direct realism (also known as naïve realism). Direct realism is the view that (1) we perceive mind-independent, external physical objects, and (2) typically, we do not perceive them by perceiving any other objects, including mental objects...One of the interesting and unusual features of Smith's position is that he regards both direct realism and idealism as more plausible than representational or indirect realism. Another is that he is well acquainted with both the analytic and Continental philosophical literature on his topics. -- J. Hoffman * Choice *In this book A. D. Smith offers an original defence of Direct Realism against the challenges offered by the Argument from Illusion and the Argument from Hallucination. To this end the book is divided into two parts; the first part dealing with the former argument, the second part dealing with the latter. Throughout the course of the book Smith discusses a wide range of competing accounts of perception and potential responses to his own views, which are represented fairly and discussed with sensitivity...The Problem of Perception is an excellent contribution to the literature on perception. It represents a compellingly written account of the issues involved in defending Direct Realism from these arguments; an account that is clear enough to be informative to those not already familiar with these issues. -- Phillip Meadows * Philosophical Writings *There are at least two vital respects in which this book’s excellence is beyond dispute. The first is the range of scholarship that is brought to bear. Smith’s grasp on and use of philosophical material from all relevant times and traditions, and of a wide range of psychology, is both impressive and enlightening. The second is the fairness and thoroughness with which he sets up the arguments he is attempting to answer. None of the usual facile answers to either ‘illusion’ or ‘hallucination’ are accepted, and in rejecting the common replies, the arguments themselves are developed in their strongest forms. In the course of doing this several fashionable theories are shown to be false. -- Howard Robinson * Mind *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction I. The Argument from Illusion 1. The Argument 2. Three Theories of Perception 3. Perception and Conception 4. Taking Stock 5. The Nature of Perceptual Consciousness 6. The Solution II. The Argument from Hallucination 7. The Argument 8. An Extreme Proposal 9. The Solution Notes Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisBerthoz describes how human beings on earth perceive and control bodily movement. In his view, the brain acts like a simulator that is constantly inventing models to project onto the changing world, models that are corrected by steady, minute feedback from the world.Trade ReviewThis book is fascinating if one reads no more than the table of contents! With a jacket photo of semiweightless astronauts and chapter sections titled ‘Am I in My Bed Hanging from the Ceiling?,’ ‘The Art of Breaking,’ ‘What If Newton Had Wanted to Catch the Apple?,’ and ‘“Go Where I’m Looking,” Not “Look Where I’m Going,”’ among others, how could one not investigate further? …Anyone who has ever wondered, ‘How did I catch that?,’ ‘How did I hit that?,’ or ‘How in the world did I get out of the way of that?!’ will find this a good read. -- L. A. Meserve * Choice *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book, by a clinician who is also a laboratory researcher, is the first comprehensive, balanced analysis of the clinical and scientific evidence bearing on memory and trauma—and the first to provide definitive answers to the urgent questions at the heart of the controversy.Trade ReviewHere we have the most comprehensive and sober treatment yet undertaken of this sensitive and provocative topic. From the clinic to the laboratory, from psychotherapy to cognitive science, McNally considers the broad and often discordant literature about how people remember and forget traumatic experiences. The result is a masterly review of the evidence that will be an essential resource for mental health professionals, social workers, lawyers, and scientists interested in the psychological effects of trauma. -- Larry R. Squire, University of California School of Medicine, San DiegoRichard McNally has given us an incisive, lucid and remarkably comprehensive review and analysis of the conditions that produce lasting memories of traumatic experiences. It is a benchmark book that should be read by anyone who is interested in the consequences of emotional trauma. -- James L. McGaugh, University of California, IrvineA stimulating, erudite, wry, dispassionate overview of an impassioned battleground. No better analysis exists. -- Donald F. Klein, Columbia UniversityWhat happens to the mind after severe trauma? Can memories of terrible experiences be repressed only to be recovered at a later date? Richard McNally draws on his encyclopedic knowledge of evidence from cognitive, behavioral, and neuroscience to answer these troubling questions, among the most difficult ever faced by psychologists, psychotherapists, and families. Anyone who wants to go behind the headlines and polemics about repressed memories will be enthralled by this book. -- David H. Barlow, Boston UniversityRichard McNally calls this theory of amnesia "psychiatric folklore." As a therapist and a professor of psychology at Harvard, he has spent years studying the effects of trauma on people's mental processes--including memory. He is on top of the research and has done some of it himself. The investigational literature is vast, and Remembering Trauma covers virtually all of it...Elegant and impassioned. [This book] makes a supposedly complex topic simple. Or at least simple enough to make readers wonder about the ready acceptance of a notion that goes against common sense and experience. -- Debbie Nathan * Washington Post *McNally...is both a clinician who studies anxiety disorders and one of the leading scientific investigators in the field of trauma and memory. Remembering Trauma is an exhaustive review of the scientific research and clinical evidence pertaining to trauma and memory, including what is known about dreams and nightmares, flashbacks, repression, dissociation, amnesia, and post-traumatic stress disorder. -- Carol Tavris * Times Literary Supplement *There are those occasional books that restore faith in reason, whose authors have the courage to take on the professional and scientific ideologies of the age. Remembering Trauma, by Richard McNally, is such a book...I recommend this book to all those working in the field of memory and trauma and to lay readers with an interest in the intriguing field of psychological amnesia. McNally has set a standard for application of experimental and observational data to notions and hypotheses about memory and trauma. The book informs the current public and professional debates, clarifies battling ideologies, and avoids the 'political correctness' that has been so damaging to scientific inquiry. The reader, whether lay or professional, will emerge more knowledgeable and more skeptical of many scientific and clinical assertions about memory and particularly amnesia. -- Glenn Craig Davis * Journal of the American Medical Association *[McNally] addresses all of the relevant data, including those studies heralded as definitive by proponents of repressed memory. Meticulously analyzing the morass of findings, he makes sense of the rampant contradictions...McNally's synthesis of research from clinical psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and developmental psychology provides the most comprehensive and even-handed work on this important topic. -- Stephen J. Ceci * Science *Every now and then a book appears that can be instantly recognized as essential for its field--a work that must become standard reading if that field is to be purged of needless confusion and fortified against future errors of the same general kind. Such a book is Remembering Trauma, by the Harvard psychology professor Richard J. McNally. -- Frederick Crews * New York Review of Books *'How victims remember trauma is the most divisive issue facing psychology today,' according to Richard J. McNally, professor of psychology at Harvard University, in his informative and engrossing new book Remembering Trauma...I highly recommend [this book] to anyone curious about human memory and its vicissitudes. -- Richard Restak * Washington Times *The mechanisms by which therapists, police interrogators and others can lead people to believe that they remember events that did not occur are carefully described by McNally...Anyone interested in understanding how trauma is remembered must read this book. And anyone who has been poisoned by 'recovered memories,' as victim or accused, will find it a powerful antidote. -- David Canter * New Scientist *Remembering Trauma is a powerful counterweight to a literature that has often ranged from sloppy to ill-informed to overwrought, and to a field that is too often susceptible to the promptings of politics and culture. McNally has produced a work of exemplary scholarship that should begin to free our conceptions of trauma from the grip of many contemporary illusions. If it accomplishes this, it will be a grand achievement far beyond its field. -- Sally Satel * New Republic *The importance of Richard J. McNally's new book Remembering Trauma lies not just in the superb and definitive survey McNally makes of the history of repressed memories, but also in what the book stands for: Remembering Trauma is the monument built to mark the end of the memory wars...[It] is more than the final nail in the coffin of the repressed-memory craze. It is the blueprint for how psychiatry can best progress in the years to come. -- Paul R. McHugh * Weekly Standard *McNally summarizes the science of trauma and memory and considers whether therapists can implant 'false memory.' McNally suggests that U.S. culture's position concerning all forms of abuse is characterized by hysteria, and he points out that data reveal that traumatic information is memorable and that most people remember it well. Though an individual may be unwilling to reveal a traumatic event, he argues, that should not be mistaken for repressed memory...Clinical psychologists should read McNally's book for its data summaries and discussions of applied problems, including forensics. This book is a must for therapists working with trauma victims, and it will be a valuable resource for therapists who wish to avoid unethically or naively 'implanting' false memory in their clients. -- S. K. Hall * Choice *We are fortunate that Richard McNally has produced a fine, thorough survey of what has been learned on this subject in recent years...Remembering Trauma is an indispensable work for anyone interested in Freudian theory, current therapeutic methods, and the recent history of psychology generally. It is also useful for those interested in the epistemology of memory (and its application to critical thinking), as well as issues in the philosophy of psychology. I have seldom read as clear an exposition of a complex scientific topic, all the more remarkable because it is written by a highly respected, active researcher in the field. McNally has done us all a great service. -- Gary Jason * Philosophia *In the remarkably dispassionate and thorough Remembering Trauma, Harvard scientist and clinical psychologist Richard J. McNally looks closely at the issue of traumatic memory--its history and its application in psychiatric explanations and therapy. The book systematically lays out all the claims about repressed memories and their role in mental disorders. And then McNally just as systematically demolishes every one of the claims...This book effectively ended a disgraceful therapeutic craze. -- Paul McHugh * Wall Street Journal *Table of Contents1. The Politics of Trauma 2. How We Remember 3. What Is Psychological Trauma? 4. Memory for Trauma 5. Mechanisms of Traumatic Memory 6. Theories of Repression and Dissociation 7. Traumatic Amnesia 8. False Memories of Trauma 9. A View from the Laboratory 10. Controversies on the Horizon Notes Works Cited Acknowledgments Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisOver a long and distinguished career Libet has conducted experiments that have helped us see, in clear and concrete ways, how the brain produces conscious awareness. For the first time, Libet gives his own account of these experiments and their importance to our understanding of consciousness.Trade ReviewMind Time makes for extremely interesting, engaging reading. Its discussions of consciousness, subjectivity, free will, and perception will intrigue anybody in philosophy or psychology interested in those topics. This is a valuable book to have available. -- David Rosenthal, Philosophy and Cognitive Science Graduate Center, City University of New YorkBenjamin Libet's discoveries are of extraordinary interest. His is almost the only approach yet to yield any credible evidence of how conscious awareness is produced by the brain. Mind Time endeavors to clarify these startling observations for the general public, set them in proper framework of neuroscientific knowledge, and probe their philosophical meaning. Libet's work is unique, and speaks to questions asked by all humankind. -- Robert W. Doty, PhD, Professor of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of RochesterThis book is strikingly different from most of the other books on consciousness in one key respect: it focuses on empirical discoveries, not speculation or argument. -- From the Foreword by Stephen KosslynLibet only dared switch to the study of consciousness after he got tenure. It is fortunate for us that he did, and that he has presented us here with what amounts to a retrospective exhibition of his work...The refreshing result is that we are immediately engaged in an earnest one-to-one tutorial with [him]...In [his] work, philosophers have found grist for what they do best. Indeed, his experiments...must rank as one of the major contributions of experimental psychology to modern philosophy of mind...[W]hether or not one agrees with his thesis or not, one must acknowledge that his pioneering experimental work has certainly been stimulating. -- Kevan Martin * Nature *What makes Benjamin Libet different from all the others writing on [consciousness]...is that he has actually spent the past 40 years experimenting on the topic. His findings have played a central role in others' speculations. Now he has put his life's work into a single short book. -- Steven Rose * New Scientist *[Libet's] book is greatly to be welcomed because it provides the first full and detailed account of his famous experiments, explaining how and why he carried them out, and how he came to his conclusions...What is new is Libet's 'conscious mental field theory,' which is startlingly different from any other current theory of consciousness. -- Susan Blackmore * Times Higher Education Supplement *Table of ContentsForeword Preface 1. Introduction to the Question 2. The Delay in Our Conscious Sensory Awareness 3. Unconscious and Conscious Mental Functions 4. Intention to Act: Do We Have Free Will? 5. Conscious Mental Field Theory: Explaining How the Mental Arises from the Physical 6. What Does It All Mean? Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this forcefully argued book, the leading evolutionary theorist of language provides a framework for studying the evolution of human language and cognition. Philip Lieberman asserts that the widely influential theories of language’s development are inconsistent with principles and findings of evolutionary biology and neuroscience.Trade ReviewDiscussions of language tend to start from the assumption that it is a uniquely human trait without antecedent in the animal kingdom. Toward an Evolutionary Biology of Language forcefully challenges this assumption. Lieberman brings together a wide range of evidence from comparative anatomy, physiology, neurobiology, genetics, neuropsychology, and linguistics to illuminate the protolinguistic abilities in other species. -- Joseph T. Devlin * Science *Table of ContentsPreface 1. The Mark of Evolution 2. Primitive and Derived Features of Language 3. The Singularity of Speech 4. The Neural Bases of Language 5. Motor Control and the Evolution of Language 6. The Gift of Tongue 7. Linguistic Issues 8. Where We Might Go Notes References Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisAnimal Cognition presents a lucid and comprehensive overview of cognitive processes in animals--bees and wasps, cats and dogs, dolphins and sea otters, pigeons, titmice, and chimpanzees--and offers a novel discussion of the ways in which Piagetian concepts may be used to develop models for the study of animal cognition.Trade ReviewAnimal Cognition accounts for all the main study areas as well as some key experiments [in comparative psychology]. The treatment is economical, empirical, and overtly psychological...Straightforward chapters cover the cognitive implications of tool use, spatial orientation, communication, imitation, theory of mind and self-awareness. [Vauclair] has a knack for distilling out the essence of experiments and letting the reader decide. But the book is not devoid of theoretical context. A whole chapter is devoted to Piaget's 'experimental epistemology' and its application to comparative psychology and the book concludes with a sketch of semiotics and its application. Animal cognition has been in danger of becoming something of a bandwagon, with researchers nourishing their own theoretical idiosyncrasies, speculating on the basis of their own particular experiments on their own particular species. Since ideas come rather cheaply, Animal Cognition has wisely built its foundations on empirical ground. -- Thomas Sambrook * Times Higher Education Supplement *Vauclair has a clear agenda: progress in this field is not to be made with fuzzy concepts, interest in what it is like to be a certain kind of animal, and assumptions of continuity where none exists; the experimental path that eschews issues of animal consciousness is the one to follow. Yet, those with a broader focus than Vauclair's, who welcome richer, more qualitative methods, will still feel comfortable with his presentation of experimental research. Without a polemicist's stick, beating the drum of human uniqueness and grossly underestimating the abilities of animals, he discusses animal cognition, often concluding that the glass is half-empty rather than half-full, but with an eye to reason, not dogma...Clear and very readable, this excellent volume will serve graduate and advanced students well in courses dealing with animal cognition, cognitive studies, primate studies, or philosophy of mind. But, it is best taken as an extended review of current research and essay arguing for methodological precision. Those outside of comparative psychology and cognitive research will be enlightened by reading this careful summation of experimental approaches to questions of animal cognition, along with Vauclair's arguments both for and against continuity between humans and other animals. -- H.L. Miles * Contemporary Psychology *Vauclair has produced a state-of-the-field review that reveals contemporary comparative psychology to be vital, interesting and heuristically rich. Eschewing the many parametric investigations of classical and instrumental conditioning (leaving their summary to the excellent volumes already in print) and focusing instead on topics comparable to those typical of human cognition, Vauclair has provided a tool that should encourage a new generation of students to consider a research career in comparative cognition. -- David A. Washburn * Trends in Cognitive Sciences *The book can be recommended to those seeking an overview of experimental studies of animal cognition that have been conducted in the last decade or so. Within the topics that are covered, the review of the relevant literature is on the whole thorough. Moreover, the conclusions that are drawn from experimental findings are fair and, when necessary, appropriately cautious. -- J.M. Pearce * Animal Behaviour *Vauclair emphasizes Piagetian studies and laudably presents its framework, chief findings and criticisms of these...Social cognition is considered functionally and experimentally, with appropriate attention to problems of methodology and interpretation (e.g., conditioning or concept-formation as explanatory mechanisms)...The especially illusive topics of imitation, self-recognition, and theory of mind are well treated, with due acknowledgement of controversies...In the final chapter, ambitiously titled Agenda for Comparative Studies, Vauclair attempts to criticize and reconcile different approaches, including Donald Griffin's animal thinking...The style of writing is straightforward; each chapter helpfully ends with a critical summary...This book gives a thoughtful introduction to comparative psychology. * Behavioural Processes *This is an interesting and thought-provoking book that works well at several levels. It provides a good introduction to animal cognition for the reader new to the subject, and its crisp approach and fresh organisation of material means that experts, too, will have something to learn from it. * Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology *Vauclair's well-referenced volume provides an excellent introduction to the scientific study of cognition in animals. The book traces the roots of modern comparative psychology and describes the typical laboratory methods for assessing mental representations of knowledge; it then discusses diverse topics such as animal applications of Piagetian concepts, tool use in animals, spatial and temporal representations, social cognition, animal communication, and theory of mind in a straightforward, easily comprehensible manner...An excellent resource. * Choice *A concise and very useful introduction to what the author identifies as 'modern comparative psychology'. Although the text is kept simple and accessible to the non-specialized reader, the treatment is rigorous and reliable. -- Juan Carlos Gómez * Estudios de Psicología *Table of ContentsPreface 1. Origins and Development of the Study of Animal Cognition The Darwinian Heritage and Nineteenth-Century Psychology The Behaviorist Break The Emergence of the Cognitive Approach The Modern Concepts of Representation and Memory The Study of Representation in Animals Problems Posed by the Study of Cognition in Animals 2. Laboratory Methods for Assessing Representation in Animals Learning Sets Mastery of Relations between Stimuli Category Formation Serial Learning as Evidence of Nonverbal Thought Mental Images in Animals Summary and Current Debate 3. Piagetian Studies in Animal Psychology Developmental Psychology and Comparative Psychology The Development of Intelligence Sensorimotor Activities in Animals "Concrete Operations" in Animals Summary and Current Debate 4. Tool Use and Spatial and Temporal Representations Tool Use Spatial Representations Temporal Representations Summary and Current Debate 5. Social Cognition Experimental Methods for the Study of Social Cognition Social Cognition in Monkeys Social versus Nonsocial Cognition Suggestions for Future Research Summary and Current Debate 6. Animal Communication and Human Language Comparisons of Animal and Human Communication Language-Trained Animals Differences in the Use of Signs by Apes and Children Pre-Linguistic Communication in Human Infants and Chimpanzee Infants Summary and Current Debate 7. Imitation, Self-Recognition, and the Theory of Mind Is There Evidence for Imitation in Animals? The Attribution of Mental States in Animals Self-Knowledge and Self-Recognition Relationships between Mirror Recognition, Social Attribution, Imitation, and Teaching Summary and Current Debate 8. An Agenda for Comparative Cognitive Studies Cognitive Ethology: Mental Representations or Mental Experiences? The Generalist versus Ecological Approach to Animal Cognition Conclusions References Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this ambitious book, Jaan Valsiner argues for a theoretical integration of two long-standing approaches to personality theory: the individualistic tradition of personalistic psychology, typified by the work of William Stern and Gordon Allport, and the semiotic tradition of cultural-historical psychology, typified by the work of L. S. Vygotsky.Trade ReviewLovers of Vygotsky, Lewin, G. Allport, Stern, and Bakhtin rejoice: The Guided Mind relies on the perspectives of these (and other) theoreticians to provide a provocative account of how personality may be organized. -- D. S. Dunn * Choice *

Read more less

Book SynopsisPresents a critique of contemporary cognitivism and develops a philosophy of the mind. Examining American cognitivism and French structuralism, this title offers a general critique of the philosophies that view the mind in strictly causal terms and suppose that the brain - and not the person - thinks.Trade Review"The real strength and the delight of Descombes' (and Schwartz's) book--once one struggles through the more difficult passages--is the treatment he offers to some of the most influential ideas (Jerry Fodor's language of thought) and thought experiments (Putnam's twin Earth, Alan Turing's imitation game, John Searle's Chinese room) in the recent history of philosophy of mind."--Joel Parthemore, Metapsychology Online ReviewsTable of ContentsTranslator's Introduction: The Complete Holist xi CHAPTER 1. The Phenomena of Mind 1 1.1. What is the place of the mental in the world? Common sense cannot decide: in ordinary usage, the adjective "mental" does not apply only to the subject's immanent activities, but may also be used to qualify anything dependent on intellectual competence--a book, for example, which is a mental commodity. 2 1.2. Philosophy of mind becomes a mental philosophy when the mind is defined as a sphere detached from the external world, a sphere for which a place must be found in the order of things. 9 1.3. Classification of the phenomenologies of mind: mental phenomena can be conceived as given to everyone (exteriority) or only to the subject (interiority); they can be conceived as indirect manifestations of mind (symptoms) or as direct manifestations (criteria, expressions). 11 1.4. The philosophy of consciousness detaches mind from the world by contrasting our indirect knowledge of events in the world with our infallible direct knowledge of mental events. 14 1.5. Theories of the unconscious contest the identification of the mental and the conscious, but maintain the dissociation between the representational mind and the world. Theories of mental causes extend the philosophy of representational mind into a third-person psychology. 17 1.6. The philosophy of intention does not define intentionality as a special relation between subject and object, but as an order of meaning imposed on a material. 19 CHAPTER 2. Two Sciences? 30 2.1. In the nineteenth century, the project for the scientific study of the human mind led to a debate regarding the unity of method in the sciences. 30 2.2. The hermeneutic dualism of explanation through laws, on the one hand, and the understanding of meaning, on the other, today takes the form of a conflict between two philosophies of action: the causal theory of action and the intentionalist conception. 32 2.3. The traditional opposition between explanation and understanding rests on a positivist philosophy of naturalistic explanation, one conceived as an explanation by means of laws, i.e., observed regularities. 35 2.4. Laws conceived as general propositions have no explicative power. In order for explanation to take place, the regularly observed link between two kinds of phenomena must correspond to a real connection. 39 2.5. Not every teleological explanation is an intentional explanation: thus, the functional explanation of a natural system makes no reference to intention. 42 CHAPTER 3. The Anthropological Investigation of the Mind 47 3.1. Structural anthropology is the project of explaining (the variety of) human institutions by (common) intellectual structures. 47 3.2. Levi-Strauss sees structural explanation as a way of overcoming the opposition between explanation of social phenomena by means of consciousness, on the one hand, and explanation by historical circumstances, on the other. The social totality has a rational meaning because it can be given (in the mind) before its parts. 51 3.3. According to Levi-Strauss, the holism of the social should be based on a theory of the structural unconscious. However, a naturalistic psychology cannot account for symbolic systems. 54 3.4. According to another brand of structural explanation (that of Louis Dumont), the opposition between voluntarist and historical explanation can be overcome by an understanding based in the radical comparison between our culture and other cultures. 58 CHAPTER 4. The New Mental Philosophy 66 4.1. According to cognitivism, the model provided by the computer makes it possible for a naturalistic psychology to study intellectual activities. 66 4.2. The materialism of contemporary mental philosophy is in fact a dualism for which the subject of mental operations is the brain. 69 4.3. The new mental philosophy advances three theses: (1) that mental life consists of a sequence of mental states; (2) that these mental states can be redescribed as brain states; and, (3) that the behavior of a subject is the effect of an interaction among internal mental causes. 73 Note on the Concept of Metaphysics 78 CHAPTER 5. The Doctrines of Psychical Materialism 84 5.1. Ordinary psychological explanations apply no theory to events. 84 5.2. The notion of a "folk psychological theory" is confused. 87 5.3. There is a real theory of the art of influencing people's behavior by giving them good reasons to act: rhetoric. 90 5.4. Explanation by means of psychical causes seems magical: representations are held effectively to act. According to some causalist theorists, the action of representations would be conceivable if representations were material. In order to establish a scientific psychology, "psychical matter" (Lacan) would have to be identified. 93 5.5. However, when material signs act, they do so in virtue of their physical properties rather than in virtue of their meaning. 97 5.6. The hypothesis of a symbolic effectiveness of myths (Levi-Strauss) prefigures the cognitivist conception, by postulating an intermediary level of material mind, between the intentional and the organic; at this level, symbols are held to act like physical forms. 102 CHAPTER 6. The Psychology of Computers 108 6.1. The Turing test, which is meant to establish the intellectual capacities of machines, proves nothing unless one posits that, in principle, agents exhibiting the same abilities really belong to the same class of equivalents, after we have abstracted from their origins and material makeup. 110 6.2. The comparison between human and artificial intelligence requires a human operator who follows explicit rules. 115 6.3. A subject cannot be given rules to follow unless he has certain primitive practical skills: explanation stops where action must begin (Wittgenstein); the end point of practical reasoning is the starting point for action (Aristotle). 121 6.4. Certain objections raised about the functional classification of intelligent agents are grounded in a deficient conception of the nature of systems. A simple assemblage devoid of organization, like Searle's "Chinese Room," has no behavior of its own, so that the question of its intelligence does not arise. 127 CHAPTER 7. The Inside and the Outside 135 7.1. In psychology, functional explanation accounts for the structure of an animate system's behavior in a complex environment. The psychological theory called "causal functionalism" has nothing to do with structural analysis and therefore puts forwar no real functional explanations. 135 7.2. The "sciences of the artificial" (Herbert Simon) are in fact the sciences of (natural or manufactured) systems considered from the perspective of their adaptive abilities. 141 7.3. Functional explanation is holistic: when it studies the functions of the parts of a whole from the perspective of the rational conduct of this whole in its outer environment, it abstracts from the internal structure of those parts. 148 7.4. Psychology is a science of the artificial because its object--the behavior of animate systems--is not studied as an effect of the structures of its inner environment, but as a response of the behaving systems to the complexity of their outer environments. 152 The condition of mind is neither interiority, nor subjectivity, nor calculating power, but rather, autonomy in determining the goals it undertakes. 158 CHAPTER 8. Mechanical Mind 164 8.1. The analogy with the computer is meant to mediate between physical processes (whose explanation is causal) and mental processes (whose explanation is intentional). This mediation is to be found in the idea that the computer carries out a calculation, in the sense of a rational transformation of physical formulas. 165 8.2. The idea of a calculation is held to resolve the two major difficulties for any mechanical theory of mind: what might be called the "Brentano problem" (how can physical events be explained by their intentional content?) and the "Sherlock Holmes problem" (how can a mechanical sequence of mental states also be a chain of reasoning?). 167 8.3. Every mechanical theory of internal mental representations must demonstrate that it does not require an intelligent mechanism (a homunculus) to manipulate those representations according to their representational content. 171 8.4. First defense of mechanical psychology: through the breakdown of intellectual work into ever more simple operations. Yet, the need for a homunculus was the result not of the difficulty of cognitive operations but of their intentionality. 174 8.5. Second defense: through the redescription of intellectual work as mechanical calculation, thus as physical work. But the physical work described is brain work, so that the brain then becomes the subject of mental operations (dualism of the brain and the body). 178 8.6. A person's activities cannot be described outside of a narrative context. This principle of intelligibility, which is found in Wittgenstein's work, was recognized by the Aristotelian tradition ("actions are attributed to concrete subjects"). This is the principle that allows us to understand why dualisms of the soul (whether spiritual or material) and the body are doomed to incoherence. 182 CHAPTER 9. Cerebroscopic Exercises 189 If beliefs and desires were states of a person's brain, we would in principle have to be able to determine what someone believes or desires by examining the state of his brain. This proposition appears to be incoherent. CHAPTER 10. The Metaphysics of Mental States 200 Mental philosophy borrows its concept of a state from the metaphysics of the natural sciences. A state is an internal condition of something at a given time. This condition is independent of both the state of the world outside the thing and the thing's past. In order to conform to this metaphy. CHAPTER 11. The Detachment of the Mind 212 According to its defenders, mentalist psychology is legitimately solipsistic. For them, psychological explanation must detach mind from the world, for what matters is the content of the subject's mind, not the real state of the world. This is what the psychology of the computer-mind does: it detaches thought by defining it as formal calculation. This defense of methodological solipsism fails to account for the moment of appearances: the Cartesian subject who has suspended judgment continues to encounter appearances. CHAPTER 12. The Historical Conditions of Meaning 224 12.1. The notion of a mental state detached from every context is incomprehensible. Thoughts have their content in the context of a historical tradition of institutions and customs. 224 12.2. Anthropological holism of the mental does not contradict the "principle of supervenience" according to which there can be no mental difference without a physical difference. Indeed, the very notion of supervenience implies a recognition of a difference in order between the states posited by a physical description, and the meaning provided by an intentional description. 229 12.3. In what case are two people thinking the same thing and in what case are they thinking something different? Mental atomism proposes to identify thoughts through individuation: it assumes that thoughts can be counted one-by-one, as physical images might be counted. For its part, mental holism will have to explain how it plans to identify thoughts without individuating them: it will have to provide an identity criterion for thoughts. 236 Notes 249 Works Cited 273 Index 279

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"Chris Chambers's portrait should sit high on the wall of heroes in the movement to reform science. A cognitive neuroscientist and psychologist, Chambers has had an important role as an editor and advocate in identifying, challenging and changing practices responsible for the reproducibility crisis... This book is written for anyone curious about how science might repair itself. It should be required reading in university courses on research methods."--Barbara A. Spellman, Nature "Psychology: it's not dead yet. But Chris Chambers makes a stark case for its having engaged in sins that call its validity into question."--Luna C. M. Centifanti, Times Higher EducationTable of ContentsPreface ix 1 The Sin of Bias 1 A Brief History of the "Yes Man" 4 Neophilia: When the Positive and New Trumps the Negative but True 8 Replicating Concepts Instead of Experiments 13 Reinventing History 16 The Battle against Bias 20 2 The Sin of Hidden Flexibility 22 p-Hacking 24 Peculiar Patterns of p 29 Ghost Hunting 34 Unconscious Analytic "Tuning" 35 Biased Debugging 39 Are Research Psychologists Just Poorly Paid Lawyers? 40 Solutions to Hidden Flexibility 41 3 The Sin of Unreliability 46 Sources of Unreliability in Psychology 48 Reason 1: Disregard for Direct Replication 48 Reason 2: Lack of Power 55 Reason 3: Failure to Disclose Methods 61 Reason 4: Statistical Fallacies 63 Reason 5: Failure to Retract 65 Solutions to Unreliability 67 4 The Sin of Data Hoarding 75 The Untold Benefits of Data Sharing 77 Failure to Share 78 Secret Sharing 80 How Failing to Share Hides Misconduct 81 Making Data Sharing the Norm 84 Grassroots, Carrots, and Sticks 88 Unlocking the Black Box 91 Preventing Bad Habits 94 5 The Sin of Corruptibility 96 The Anatomy of Fraud 99 The Thin Gray Line 105 When Junior Scientists Go Astray 112 Kate's Story 117 The Dirty Dozen: How to Get Away with Fraud 122 6 The Sin of Internment 126 The Basics of Open Access Publishing 128 Why Do Psychologists Support Barrier-Based Publishing? 129 Hybrid OA as Both a Solution and a Problem 132 Calling in the Guerrillas 136 Counterarguments 138 An Open Road 147 7 The Sin of Bean Counting 149 Roads to Nowhere 151 Impact Factors and Modern-Day Astrology 151 Wagging the Dog 160 The Murky Mess of Academic Authorship 163 Roads to Somewhere 168 8 Redemption 171 Solving the Sins of Bias and Hidden Flexibility 174 Registered Reports: A Vaccine against Bias 174 Preregistration without Peer Review 196 Solving the Sin of Unreliability 198 Solving the Sin of Data Hoarding 202 Solving the Sin of Corruptibility 205 Solving the Sin of Internment 208 Solving the Sin of Bean Counting 210 Concrete Steps for Reform 213 Coda 215 Notes 219 Index 263

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe human propensity to take an ethical stance toward oneself and others is found in every known society, yet we also know that values taken for granted in one society can contradict those in another. Does ethical life arise from human nature itself? Is it a universal human trait? Or is it a product of one's cultural and historical context? Webb KeTrade Review"A book that masterfully interweaves insights from philosophy and the natural and social sciences."--Max Hayward, Times Literary Supplement "This far-reaching discussion of ethical life and moral systems by anthropologist Keane aspires to combine the traditions of what he calls 'natural history' with those of 'social history'... This rich and original study will certainly fascinate anyone with an intellectual interest in morality and ethics."--Choice "Ethical Life is an extraordinary book. It is broad in its scope, careful and reflective in its elaboration of a theoretical vocabulary, it deals with basic issues for the humanities and the social sciences and manages to produce genuine and thought-provoking new insights."--Ethical Theory and Moral Practice "An extraordinary achievement that deserves a wide readership way beyond anthropology. In short, Keane has given social scientists a theoretically informed way in which to approach ethics as an empirical phenomenon and he has provided scholars usually working within moral philosophy new challenges with his invitation to think of ethics as socially engrained--all the way down."--Klaus Hoeyer, Ethical Theory and Moral PracticeTable of ContentsAcknowledgments xi Part One Natures Introduction Ethical Affordances, Awareness, and Actions 3 Some Questions about Ethical Life 6 Defining Ethics and Morality 16 Awareness and Reflexivity 21 Ethical Affordances 27 Overview of the Book 32 Chapter 1 Psychologies of Ethics 39 Seeking Ethical Foundations 39 How Psychologists Define Ethics and Morality 40 Empathy and Altruism 46 Self and Other 48 Mind Reading 51 Psychology's Challenge to Ethical Awareness 54 Moral Emotions and Normative Judgments 58 Third-Person Perspective 63 Making Things Explicit 67 Ethical Affordances in Psychology 70 Part Two Interactions Chapter 2 Selves and Others 77 Giving Accounts 77 Intersubjectivity 79 Intention-Seeking 83 Conversational Inferences 86 Shared Reality 88 Regard for One Another 93 A Semiotics of Character 96 Ethical Vulnerability 99 Chapter 3 Problematizing Interaction 110 Dignity and Respect 110 Variations on Intersubjectivity 117 Underdetermined Emotions, Specific Concepts 122 The Opacity of Other Minds 124 Interiority 126 One's Own Thoughts 128 Local Themes, Affordances Everywhere 130 Chapter 4 Ethical Types 133 Moral Breakdown? 133 Self-Awareness and Other People 136 Standing before the Law 140 The Inner Clash of Ethical Voices 143 Dysfluency and Ethical Conflict 146 Disciplining the Clash of Voices 148 Typifying Character Explicitly 151 Ethical Figures and Types 153 Defining the Situation 156 Interaction as Affordance 160 Part Three Histories Chapter 5 Awareness and Change 167 Shifting Stances 167 Ethical Progress? 172 The Social Production of Ethical Problems 180 Abolitionism 184 Consciousness-Raising 187 From Personal Experiences to Analytical Categories 190 Reconstructing Ethical Feelings 194 Chapter 6 Making Morality in Religion 199 Ethical Life and Morality Systems 199 Historical Objects 201 Taking Ethics in Hand 203 Ethics as Piety 206 Habitual Ethics 207 The God's-Eye Point of View 208 Entextualization and Sacred Truth 211 Abstraction and Struggle 214 Chapter 7 Making Morality in Political Revolution 216 The Ethical Attack on Religion 216 Ethical Sources of Vietnamese Revolutionary Thought 218 Everyday Ethics, Everyday Oppression 221 Revolutionary Ethics 223 Reforming Social Interaction 228 The Various Fates of Ethical Revolution 233 History's Affordances 237 Conclusion 241 Affordances, Awareness, Agency 241 Human Rights 248 Humanitarianism 256 First-, Second-, and Third-Person Positions 259 Bibliography 263 Index 281

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"This stimulating book should intrigue readers."---Nora Newcombe, Current Biology

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade ReviewWinner of the 2015 PROSE Award in Biomedicine & Neuroscience, Association of American Publishers "If you've ever wondered which pathologies are responsible for the stiff and murderous personalities of zombies, this actual scientific explainer is the book for you."--Mental Floss "Verstynen and Voytek's entertaining book uses zombies to help illustrate human neuroscience... Zombie fans will want this book, and anyone concerned with neuroscience will find the topic made accessible by this lighthearted exploration."--Library Journal "Neuroscientists and zombie enthusiasts Timothy Verstynen and Bradley Voytek have recently come out with a new book called Do Zombies Dream of Undead Sheep?, in which they apply their neuroscience backgrounds to an investigation of the undead. It's filled with pages of increasingly nerdy explorations of zombie behavior, and I highly recommend it, but what really caught my eye was the authors' conclusion: All the walking dead have Consciousness Deficit Hypoactivity Disorder, or CDHD."--Kyle Hill, Nerdist "Voytek and Verstynen serve up an introduction to neuroscience but through the guise of zombies. Each chapter tackles a different zombie behavior and breaks it down through the current neuroscientific understanding of it. It's a kind of Neuroscience 101 that tackles complex ideas in a fun, enjoyable manner."--KPBS.org "[Do Zombies Dream of Undead Sheep? is] a quick, cheeky read told by the sort of people who toss out punchlines while watching films such as 28 Days Later and World War Z."--Gary Robbins, U-T San Diego "[Do Zombies Dream of Undead Sheep?] is smart, informative, historically riveting, well referenced, and like all good zombie stories, wonderfully fun... If you want a sophisticated primer of neuroscience, coupled with a Halloween spin, then there can be no other book."--Steven C. Schlozman, Science "[T]his book explores the basic neurobiology of one of the most popular nonexistent creatures known to humans. Although the authors begin with a goofy premise--zombie dreams--the topic resonates with their readers, especially those who don't enjoy science."--TheGuardian.com's Grrlscientist "Capitalizing on the popularity of zombies, two neuroscientists draw on the odd behavior of the walking dead to serve up some real science about how the brain works."--Science News "[I]f you did not like neuroscience before of even gave any thought about it, it is a pretty safe bet that you will after reading this book."--Bald Scientist blog "[The authors] are easy going and conversational, their enthusiasm and expertise evident in equal measure. Their tone is light and the writing accessible, even when dealing with complex or abstract material... [Do Zombies Dream of Undead Sheep] is engaging, informative, and fast moving, a worthy investment for anyone interested in a basic understanding of how our brains work."--Ben Murphy, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Verstynen and Voytek succeed in introducing the brain in a cheeky, entertaining, and accessible format. This book would serve as an excellent introduction to neuroscience for the nonscience major, as a reference for anyone serious about zombie studies, or anyone looking for some scientific entertainment."--Choice "[Do Zombies Dream of Undead Sheep?] wades through a lot of information, and with an enthusiastic stride, Verstynen's and Voytek's excitement and passion for their topic is infectious. The illustrations resemble a cult-comic book style... [and] they are fun. And fun is exactly how I would describe the reality of this book."--LancetTable of ContentsLIST OF FIGURES vii PRELUDE SACRIFICES NOT MADE IN VAIN ix INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1 GRAY'S (UNDEAD) ANATOMY 7 CHAPTER 2 DO ZOMBIES DREAM OF UNDEAD SHEEP? 27 CHAPTER 3 THE NEURAL CORRELATES OF LUMBERING 49 CHAPTER 4 HUNGRY, ANGRY, AND STUPID IS NO WAY TO GO THROUGH UNLIFE 66 CHAPTER 5 THERE'S NO CRYING IN THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE! 90 CHAPTER 6 TONGUE-TIED AND TWISTED 104 CHAPTER 7 DISENGAGEMENT DEFICIT OF THE DEAD 131 CHAPTER 8 WHOSE UNDEAD FACE IS THIS, ANYWAY? 149 CHAPTER 9 HOW AM I NOT MYSELF? 166 CHAPTER 10 ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE UNDEAD MIND 179 CHAPTER 11 FIGHTING THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE ... WITH SCIENCE! 202 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 231 GLOSSARY 233 INDEX 251

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the 2017 British Psychological Society Book Awards, Best Academic Monograph""Winner of the 2018 PROSE Award in Biological Science, Association of American Publishers""One of Forbes.com’s 10 Best Biology Books of 2017, chosen by GrrlScientist""Selected for Askblog’s Books of the year 2017""Not only philosophers and other human scientists interested . . . in cognitive and epistemological issues, but also educators and researchers in educational sciences can greatly benefit from reading this excellent book."---Lorenzo Magnani, Science and Education

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"As he explores why humans evolved to be so habit-driven, Poldrack considers dopamine, which is crucial in forming habits for its impacts on brain plasticity; questions the efficacy of mindfulness (now a 'billion-dollar industry'); and covers the formation of addictions, which he calls 'habits gone bad.' Poldrack's study is strongest when he describes experiments on interrupting habit formation on a cellular level, which can potentially help one shed such undesirable behaviors as smoking and overeating. . . . This is a worthy intellectual adventure, one that’s well articulated for readers looking for rigorous study." * Publishers Weekly *

Read more less

Book SynopsisHow our ability to learn from each other has been the essential ingredient to our remarkable success as a speciesHuman beings have evolved to become the most dominant species on Earth. This astonishing transformation is usually explained in terms of cognitive ability-people are just smarter than all the rest. But Robert Boyd argues that cultureTrade Review"In this lucid, well-argued treatise, anthropologist Robert Boyd avers that we are 'culture-saturated creatures', and that it is culturally transmitted knowledge that sets us apart and explains our dramatic range of behaviours, from rampant violence to great feats of cooperation."—Barbara Kiser, Nature"A Different Kind of Animal is a fascinating introduction to a fertile field of cultural research that should be better-known. Approachable and clearly argued, it is a brave revival of the autonomy of culture and a breath of fresh air for those tired of the narrow claims of evolutionary psychology."—Cosmos"Thought-provoking."—Publishers Weekly

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"Rich. . . . Full of insights." * Foreign Affairs *"Remarkable in its scope and fascinating to read. I hope it’s widely read by politicians, military experts, and diplomats because it offers a variety of consequential actionable insights."---Daniel T. Blumstein, Journal of Bioeconomics"Johnson’s work furthers our understanding of how adaptive traits of human psychology that evolved over the millenniums yield competitive advantages in modern times."---Ziyuan Wang, China International Strategy Review

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"Finalist for the PROSE Award in Biomedicine, Association of American Publishers""[A] vivid tale." * New Scientist *"Humphries has woven together strands of experimental results and theoretical insights to compose a book that is engrossing, excites the imagination, beautifully encapsulates contemporary neuroscience in a light and breezy package, and points the way to future discovery."---Sean Noah, Knowing Neurons"A thorough and interesting description of what we know and don't know about neural spikes, as well as why they matter."---R. Forbes-Lorman, Choice

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"As he explores why humans evolved to be so habit-driven, Poldrack considers dopamine, which is crucial in forming habits for its impacts on brain plasticity; questions the efficacy of mindfulness (now a 'billion-dollar industry'); and covers the formation of addictions, which he calls 'habits gone bad.' Poldrack's study is strongest when he describes experiments on interrupting habit formation on a cellular level, which can potentially help one shed such undesirable behaviors as smoking and overeating. . . . This is a worthy intellectual adventure, one that’s well articulated for readers looking for rigorous study." * Publishers Weekly *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTable of Contents*Frontmatter, pg. i*PREFACE, pg. vii*CONTENTS, pg. xi*FIGURES, pg. xiii*TABLES, pg. xv*CHAPTER ONE. The Cognitive Mapping Approach to Decision Making, pg. 3*CHAPTER TWO. Foreign Policy Formation Viewed Cognitively, pg. 18*CHAPTER THREE. The Analysis of Cognitive Maps, pg. 55*CHAPTER FOUR. Decision for Neoimperialism: The Deliberations of the British Eastern Committee in 1918, pg. 77*CHAPTER FIVE. Complexity and the Presidency: Gouverneur Morris in the Constitutional Convention, pg. 96*CHAPTER SIX. Explanation of the Unexpected: The Syrian Intervention in Jordan in 1970, pg. 113*CHAPTER SEVEN. Strategy for the Energy Crisis: The Case of Commuter Transportation Policy, pg. 142*CHAPTER EIGHT. Comparative Cognition: Politics of International Control of the Oceans, pg. 180*CHAPTER NINE. Results, pg. 221*CHAPTER TEN. Limitations, pg. 251*CHAPTER ELEVEN. Projects, pg. 266*APPENDIX ONE. The Documentary Coding Method, pg. 291*APPENDIX TWO. The Questionnaire Method, pg. 333*APPENDIX THREE. The Mathematics of Cognitive Maps, pg. 343*APPENDIX FOUR. Simulation Techniques, pg. 349*APPENDIX FIVE. Guide to Source Materials, pg. 360*BIBLIOGRAPHY, pg. 373*INDEX, pg. 395

Read more less

Book SynopsisHow does culture shape our thinking? In what ways do our social and cultural worlds enter into our mental worlds? How do the communities we belong to influence what we notice and what we ignore? What cultural variation do we see in cognition? What general patterns do we see across this diversity and variation?In this lively and engaging book, Wayne H. Brekhus shows us the many ways that culture influences our cognitive thought processes. Drawing on a wide range of fascinating examples, such as how members of different subcultures perceive danger and safety, how cultures variably classify and perceptually weight race, how social actors use and present identity as a strategic resource, and how people across different organizational settings experience time, Brekhus takes us on a creative, diverse, and insightful tour of the sociocultural character of cognition.Culture and Cognition: Patterns in the Social Construction of Reality offers an invaluable survTrade Review"Brekhus provides an accessible and wide-ranging review of the culture and cognition field. His book introduces readers to a variety of intellectual approaches that culture and cognition scholars employ to better understand the sociocultural dimensions of thought."Karen Cerulo, Rutgers University "Brekhus has produced the most comprehensive, erudite, and conceptually sophisticated book in culture and cognition to date. Bound to set the terms of the theoretical debate in the field for a long time to come, this book is also a must read for anybody interested in familiarizing themselves with both the foundational contributions and the most recent cutting-edge work in the field." Omar Lizardo, University of Notre DameTable of ContentsContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Culture and Cognition in Sociology1 Perception, Attention, and Framing: The Sociology of Relevance and Irrelevance2 Classification, Categorization, and Boundary Work3 Meaning-Making, Metaphor, and Frames of Meaning4 Identity Construction: Identity Authenticity, Multidimensionality, and Mobility5 Memory and TimeConclusionReferencesIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisColin Beard is a consultant and senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University. He works with clients internationally in corporate organizations, higher and further education and adult education.Trade Review"Beard...presents 30 learning "experiences" (i.e. activities) that educational and training practitioners can put to use to promote learning on a wide range of topics, including service learning, corporate social responsibility, customer service skills, company product knowledge retention, strategic thinking and negotiating, financial skills, time management, and the development of innovation and creativity." * Book News Inc. *Table of Contents Chapter - 4.5: String lines: exploring journeys in life; Section - FIVE: The fifth dimension: knowing; Chapter - 5.1: The marketplace: developing creativity and innovation; Chapter - 5.2: How to get to…: developing higher thinking; Chapter - 5.3: The Singapore obelisk: multiple intelligence (logical/mathematical); Chapter - 5.4: Skills for researching and consulting: practitioner-researcher training; Chapter - 5.5: Walk the talk: learning to understand complexity; Section - SIX: The sixth dimension: being; Chapter - 6.1: Cards on the table: learning to change by playing cards; Chapter - 6.2: Comic strips and newspapers: reflection and change using storylines; Chapter - 6.3: Behavioural awareness: changing individual and group behavioural interactions; Chapter - 6.4: Service learning: social and environmental responsibility; Chapter - 6.5: Unmasking: the hidden and unknown self Chapter - 4.4: Unfinished statements: sentences that access the feeling dimension; Chapter - 4.3: Reframing, rewriting, rethinking: the emotions of fear and risk; Chapter - 4.2: Accessing emotions: popular metaphors; Chapter - 4.1: Ace of spades: space for reflection; Section - FOUR: The fourth dimension: feeling; Chapter - 3.5: Nuts and bolts: systematic thinking – classifying and organizing; Chapter - 3.4: The rucksack and the fleece: effective presentations; Chapter - 3.3: Shape and colour: using the senses to generate conversations about learning and personality; Chapter - 3.2: Blindfold: communication and the senses; Chapter - 3.1: Brand sense: the role of senses in brand development; Section - THREE: The third dimension: sensing; Chapter - 2.5: Hearing voices: voice work for reception and call-centre training; Chapter - 2.4: Antiques Roadshow: developing product expertise in employees; Chapter - 2.3: Read all about them: an experience to develop writing skills; Chapter - 2.2: Altering reality: negotiating skills development; Chapter - 2.1: Bike it!: teams, leadership and communication; Section - TWO: The second dimension: doing; Chapter - 1.5: Listening to silence: experiencing silence through sensory focus; Chapter - 1.4: Different ways to know: spatial mapping of knowledge; Chapter - 1.3: Edventure: learning encounters with people and place; Chapter - 1.2: Coffee and papers: positive mood and reading retreats for learning; Chapter - 1.1: Just four steps: customer service and customer complaints; Section - ONE: The first dimension: belonging; Chapter - 0: Introduction;

Read more less

Book SynopsisPhilip Carter is an IQ test expert who is continually devising new IQ tests and puzzles. He has produced many books covering all aspects of testing, crosswords, puzzles and reasoning. These include Advanced IQ Tests, IQ and Aptitude Tests, IQ and Personality Tests, IQ and Psychometric Test Workbook, IQ and Psychometric Tests, Succeed at IQ Tests, Test Your IQ, Test and Assess Your IQ, Ultimate IQ Tests and Test and Assess Your Brain Quotient.Table of Contents Chapter - 00: Introduction: Use it or lose it; Section - ONE: IQ test; Chapter - 01: IQ test 1; Section - TWO: The workouts; Chapter - 02: Keenness of mind; Chapter - 03: Numerical ability; Chapter - 04: Verbal ability; Chapter - 05: Sharpen up your memory; Chapter - 06: Brain-teaser puzzles; Chapter - 07: 3D thinking; Section - THREE: IQ test; Chapter - 08: IQ test 2

Read more less

Book SynopsisPhilip Carter is an IQ expert who is continually devising new tests and puzzles. He has produced many books covering all aspects of testing, puzzles and reasoning. These include Advanced IQ Tests, IQ and Aptitude Tests, IQ and Personality Tests, IQ and Psychometric Test Workbook, IQ and Psychometric Tests, Test and Assess Your Brain Quotient and The Brain Fitness Workout. With the late Ken Russell he has written Test Your IQ, Test and Assess Your IQ and Ultimate IQ, all published by Kogan Page.Trade Review"Provides the opportunity for identifying your own strengths and weaknesses. Philip Carters style of writing is easy to understand, worth reading and also enjoyable" * Career Secretary *"IQ and Psychometric Tests, stretches your mind and helps you to improve your score on such tests" * Voluntary Sector magazine *Table of Contents Chapter - 00: Introduction; Chapter - 01: Verbal intelligence tests; Chapter - 02: Culture-fair intelligence tests; Chapter - 03: Numerical calculation and logic; Chapter - 04: Logical reasoning; Chapter - 05: Lateral thinking; Chapter - 06: Technical aptitude; Chapter - 07: Mental agility; Chapter - 08: IQ tests; Chapter - 09: Creativity; Chapter - 10: Personality tests; Chapter - 11: Answers, explanations and assessments

Read more less