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Of the myriad tasks that the brain has to perform, perhaps none is as crucial to the performance of other tasks as attention. A central thesis of this book on the cognitive neuroscience of attention is that attention is not a single entity, but a finite set of brain processes that interact mutually and with other brain processes in the performance of perceptual, cognitive, and motor skills.After an introductory part I, the book consists of three parts. Part II, Methods, describes the major neuroscience methods, including techniques used only with animals (anatomical tract tracing, single-unit electrophysiology, neurochemical manipulations), noninvasive human brain-imaging techniques (ERPs, positron emission tomography, and functional magnetic resonance imaging), and studies with brain-damaged individuals. This part also includes a chapter on the computational modeling of attention. Part III, Varieties of Attention, looks at three major components of attention from the cognitive neuroscience perspective: selection, vigilance, and control. It also discusses links to memory and language. Finally, part IV, Development and Pathologies, discusses the application of findings from the previous sections to the analysis of normal and abnormal development and to pathologies of attention such as schizophrenia and attention deficit disorders. Contributors Edward Awh, Gordon C. Baylis, Jochen Braun, Dennis Cantwell, Vincent P. Clark, Maurizio Corbetta, Susan M. Courtney, Francis Crinella, Matthew C. Davidson, Gregory J. DiGirolamo, Jon Driver, Jane Emerson, Pauline Filipek, Ira Fischler, Massimo Girelli, Pamela M. Greenwood, James V. Haxby, Mark H. Johnson, John Jonides, Julian S. Joseph, Robert T. Knight, Christof Koch, Steven J. Luck, Richard T. Marrocco, Brad C. Motter, Ken Nakayama, Orhan Nalcioglu, Paul G. Nestor, Ernst Niebur, Brian F. O'Donnell, Raja Parasuraman, Michael I. Posner, Robert D. Rafal, Trevor W. Robbins, Lynn C. Robertson, Judi E. See, James Swanson, Diane Swick, Don Tucker, Leslie G. Ungerleider, Joel S. Warm, Maree J. Webster, Sharon Wigal
What is consciousness and how can a brain, a mere collection of neurons, create it? In Consciousness and the Social Brain, Princeton neuroscientist Michael Graziano lays out an audacious new theory to account for the deepest mystery of them all. The human brain has evolved a complex circuitry that allows it to be socially intelligent. This social machinery has only just begun to be studied in detail. One function of this circuitry is to attribute awareness to others: to compute that person Y is aware of thing X. In Graziano's theory, the machinery that attributes awareness to others also attributes it to oneself. Damage that machinery and you disrupt your own awareness. Graziano discusses the science, the evidence, the philosophy, and the surprising implications of this new theory.
The Handbook of the Psychology of Aging has become the definitive reference source for information on the psychology of adult development and aging. The Fifth Edition provides comprehensive reviews of research on biological and social influences on behavior and age-related changes in psychological function. In addition to covering environmental influences on behavior and aging and gender differences in aging, new chapters in the Fifth Edition discuss wisdom, creativity, and technological change and the older worker. This handbook is an essential reference for researchers in adult development and gerontology and suitable as an advanced textbook for courses on the psychology of aging.
A neuroscientist and Zen practitioner interweaves the latest research on the brain with his personal narrative of Zen. Aldous Huxley called humankind's basic trend toward spiritual growth the "perennial philosophy." In the view of James Austin, the trend implies a "perennial psychophysiology"—because awakening, or enlightenment, occurs only when the human brain undergoes substantial changes. What are the peak experiences of enlightenment? How could these states profoundly enhance, and yet simplify, the workings of the brain? Zen and the Brain presents the latest evidence. In this book Zen Buddhism becomes the opening wedge for an extraordinarily wide-ranging exploration of consciousness. In order to understand which brain mechanisms produce Zen states, one needs some understanding of the anatomy, physiology, and chemistry of the brain. Austin, both a neurologist and a Zen practitioner, interweaves the most recent brain research with the personal narrative of his Zen experiences. The science is both inclusive and rigorous; the Zen sections are clear and evocative. Along the way, Austin examines such topics as similar states in other disciplines and religions, sleep and dreams, mental illness, consciousness-altering drugs, and the social consequences of the advanced stage of ongoing enlightenment.
This revised text provides coverage of research and clinical practice in neuropsychology. The 4th edition contains new material on tests, assessment techniques, neurobehavioral disorders, and treatment effects.
This book presents a theory of attention. According to this theory the relationship between attention and the processes executed in the brain is analogous to the relationship between unison and the processes executed by individual members of an orchestra: Just as no subset of the players in an orchestra can be identified as the ones responsible for unison, so there are no particular processes in the brain that are the implementers of attention. If this is right then attention belongs in the metaphysical category of ‘adverbial phenomena’, and so is not the sort of thing that can be explained by identifying the processes that constitute it. The book therefore provides a case study of the ways in which metaphysical questions and questions about psychological explanation can interact. It also explores the prospects of using the theory of attention to cast explanatory light on consciousness and on the contentfulness of thought.
This collection of essays forms a comprehensive overview of this crucial component of human cognitive function.
Since the 1970s the cognitive sciences have offered multidisciplinary ways of understanding the mind and cognition. The MIT Encyclopedia of the Cognitive Sciences (MITECS) is a landmark, comprehensive reference work that represents the methodological and theoretical diversity of this changing field. At the core of the encyclopedia are 471 concise entries, from Acquisition and Adaptationism to Wundt and X-bar Theory. Each article, written by a leading researcher in the field, provides an accessible introduction to an important concept in the cognitive sciences, as well as references or further readings. Six extended essays, which collectively serve as a roadmap to the articles, provide overviews of each of six major areas of cognitive science: Philosophy; Psychology; Neurosciences; Computational Intelligence; Linguistics and Language; and Culture, Cognition, and Evolution. For both students and researchers, MITECS will be an indispensable guide to the current state of the cognitive sciences.
This authoritative reference provides a comprehensive examination of the nature and functions of attention and its relationship to broader cognitive processes. The editor and contributors are leading experts who review the breadth of current knowledge, including behavioral, neuroimaging, cellular, and genetic studies, as well as developmental and clinical research. Chapters are brief yet substantive, offering clear presentations of cutting-edge concepts, methods, and findings. The book addresses the role of attention deficits in psychological disorders and normal aging and considers the implications for intervention and prevention. It includes 85 illustrations. New to This Edition *Significant updates and many new chapters reflecting major advances in the field. *Important breakthroughs in neuroimaging and cognitive modeling. *Chapters on the development of emotion regulation and temperament. *Expanded section on disorders, including up-to-date coverage of ADHD as well as chapters on psychopathy and autism. *Chapters on cognitive training and rehabilitation.