Description

For courses in Cognitive Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Learning and Memory, Philosophy of Mind, and Philosophy of Psychology.

The first book that fully integrates information about the brain and neural processing into the standard curriculum in cognitive psychology.

Based on a need for a text that could accurately, productively, and seamlessly integrate information on both the brain and neural processing, Edward E. Smith (Columbia University) and Stephen M. Kosslyn (Harvard University) created Cognitive Psychology: Mind and Brain 1.e. Without question, the study of cognition has progressed enormously over the past decade. Most importantly, much of the recent progress in cognitive studies has come from the advent of cognitive neuroscience, which uses neuroscientific methods and data to address psychological issues. However, throughout years of academic teaching, the authors came to realize that no currently available book was able to summarize and make accessible the major findings, theories, and research the field had produced. Now, in this text's first edition, these issues have been addressed. Using findings in neuroscience to illuminate and motivate key distinctions in cognitive psychology, the authors have written a cognitive psychology book that is informed by neuroscience - the first of its kind and one poised to set a new standard in undergraduate cognitive studies.

Features

How do you address neuroscience in your cognitive psychology classes?

Integration of Neuroscientific Data. Uses the most current neuroscientific data and research and incorporates it into the usual behavioral research topics to address psychological issues. This book uses findings in neuroscience to illuminate key distinctions in cognitive psychology.

• Surveys findings from neuroimaging, studies of patients with brain damage, single-cell recordings, studies of electrical and magnetic signals, and pharmacological effects on cognition.
• Provides students with what is not only most current in the field, but also what is most exciting.

How do you keep students interested?

Cognition in the Real World. Constructed out a need to apply cognitive psychology to the lives of students, this feature takes a snippet of daily life and shows the processes and influences the field has on the perception, interpretation, and reaction to everyday events. To help students learn, the book is replete with everyday examples, contemporary illustrations, and vivid analogies. (examples, pgs. 49, 193, 325)

How do you address contemporary research and changes in the field?

Debate. Shows students that the field is a living entity, continually evolving and challenging both new and old ideas. This feature takes issues, both contemporary and established, and shows how they continue to be disputed by today’s leading experts. (examples, pgs. 164, 220, 389)

Up-to-date. Written after the brain-scanning techniques became widely available to incorporate the latest findings and theories.

• Includes full color inserts (pgs. 210 and 370) depicting information gathered from various brain-scanning techniques.

Modern organizational scheme. Based on the modern view of information processing rather than the discrete stage, lock-step framework created by Donald Broadbent in the late 1950’s.

• Students learn the field as it actually is today, rather than confusing them with the outdated traditional organization.

A Closer Look. A detailed examination of influential studies in the field of cognitive psychology. This feature provides Introductions, Methods, Results, and Discussions of each study and provides students with a thorough and comprehensive look at all aspects of a study, not just the outcome. (examples, pgs. 270 346, 444)

How do you address assessment and student learning in your classes?

Learning Objectives. At the beginning of each chapter the student is presented with these objectives to help constructively guide them through each chapter’s core content. (examples, pgs. 103, 192, 411)

Comprehension Check. Several times during each chapter students are prompted to stop and check their understanding of the material just read. By taking the time to examine their command of the material they will be more likely to be successful during testing. (examples, pgs. 83, 403, 424)

Revisit and Reflect. The end of each chapter contains a section that provides both comprehensive summaries of key content as well as “Think Critically” questions, which ask students to apply the concepts learned in the chapter to essay or short answer questions. (examples, pgs. 144, 322, 528)

Table of Contents

  1. How the Brain Gives Rise to the Mind.

  2. Perception.

  3. Attention.

  4. Representation and Knowledge in Long-Term Memory.

  5. Encoding and Retrieval from Long-Term Memory.

  6. Working Memory.

  7. Executive Processes.

  8. Emotion and Cognition.

  9. Decision Making.

10. Problem Solving and Reasoning.

11. Language.

12. Motor Cognition and Mental Simulation.