Cognition, Brain, and Consciousness: Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience

by Bernard J. Baars (Editor), Nicole M. Gage (Editor)

A textbook for psychology, neuroscience, pre-medical students, and everybody interested in the neuroscience of cognition.

A wave of new research is transforming our understanding of the human mind and brain. Many educational fields now require a basic understanding of the new topic of cognitive neuroscience. However, available textbooks are written more for biology audiences than for psychology and related majors. This text aims to bridge that gap. It does not require a background in biology or neuroscience. Rather, it adopts an easy-to-understand thematic approach, building on widely understood concepts in psychology, such as working memory, selective attention, and social cognition. Edited by two leading experts in the field, the book guides the reader along a clear and simple path to understand the latest findings.
The brain is introduced in a step-by-step, readable style. Hundreds of color graphics have been carefully selected to illustrate all points and the research explained. Beautifully clear artist's drawings are used to 'build a brain' from top to bottom, simplifying the layout of the brain. Drawing exercises at the end of each chapter are provided to strengthen the students' understanding. Well-known chapter authors include Morris Moscovitch (McGill University) on memory, Frank Tong (Vanderbilt University) on vision, Nicole Gage (UC Irvine) on audition and speech perception, Mark Johnson (University College London) on child development, Elkhonon Goldberg (New York University School of Medicine and Director of The Institute of Neuropsychology and Cognitive Performance) on executive functions, and Bernard Baars (The Neurosciences Institute San Diego) onattention and consciousness. Two Appendices provide a Tutorial on Neural Networks by Igor Aleksander (Imperial College london), and a more detailed description of brain imaging methods from Thomas Ramsoy and colleagues from the Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance.
A support website at http://textbooks.elsevier.com provides all figures in electronic format with export to Powerpoint, as well as supplementary material including movies and support material for teachers and students.

FEATURES
* Specifically tailored for psychology, pre-medical, education and neuroscience undergraduate and graduate students
* Utilizes easy-to-understand thematic approach, based on accepted concepts, not presuming a background in neuroscience or biology
* The accompanying website and Learning Guide serve to deepen students' understanding
* Includes two Appendices from leading experts in brain imaging and neural networks
* Introduces the brain in a step-by-step, readable style, with gradually increasing sophistication with beautiful clear artist's drawings 'building a brain' from bottom to top, simplifying the layout of the brain
* Exercises and study questions at the end of each chapter, including drawing exercises to strengthen the students' understanding

Genres: Neuroscience, Science, Psychology, Nonfiction, Biology

564 pages, Hardcover

First published May 25, 2007

Reviews

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finish the fitst 11 chapter, the contents are already a little outdated.

[Dana King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and well-written!