Description
Book SynopsisImagination is one of the most distinctive characteristics of human thought. The supreme powers of flexibility, supposition and inventiveness that are its hallmarks, whether in science, technology, business or the visual, literary and performing arts, are highly prized in contemporary societies. Yet in the fields of psychology and cognitive science, where we might expect to find the topic ''centre-stage'', there has been comparatively little work. This volumes addresses this omission by bringing together the theories and methods of these disciplines with other perspectives offering important insights into the imagination. The 15 chapters address key questions about the imaginative workings of the mind, including how the capacity for imagination evolved, how it is expressed and what roles it plays in children''s thinking, what psychological processes and brain mechanisms are involved, and how imagination operates in universal cultural phenomena such as music, fiction and religion, which
Trade Reviewthe reviews cover a wide range of standpoints with modesty and caution...In summary this fascinating book provides a comprehensive survey of a neglected and scientifically challenging field. It should help further research. * Alan Kerr Journal of Consciousness Studies *
Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION ; EVOLUTION OF THE IMAGINATION ; DEVELOPMENT OF IMAGINATION IN CHILDREN ; MIND INTO CULTURE: PERSPECTIVES ON MUSICAL IMAGINATION ; IMAGINATION, COGNITION AND CREATIVE THINKING ; COGNITIVE ARCHITECTURE OF THE IMAGINATION ; ATYPICAL IMAGINATION AND BRAIN MECHANISMS
