Brain Mechanisms in Problem Solving and Intelligence
Brain Mechanisms in Problem Solving and Intelligence

Author: Robert Thompson

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-11-21

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 1475795483

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This book is the outcome of a decade of research on the neu roanatomical mechanisms of learning in the young laboratory rat. It is essentially a discourse on the functional organization of the brain in relation to problem-solving ability and intelli gence. During the period between 1980 and 1989, well over 1000 weanling albino rats were subjected to localized brain damage (or sham operations in the case of the controls) under deep anesthesia and aseptic surgical conditions, were allowed tore cover, and subsequently were tested on a wide variety of prob lems designed to measure general learning ability. Since vir tually every part of the brain rostral to the medulla has been explored with lesions, it has become possible not only to map a number of "putative" brain systems underlying the acquisition of distinctive problem-solving tasks, but to isolate several neu roanatomical mechanisms that appear to be selectively in volved in the acquisition of particular kinds of goal-directed learned activities. Of particular interest was the discovery of a "nonspecific mechanism" (previously referred to in our re search reports as the "general learning system") inhabiting the interior parts of the brain. One objective of this volume was to make these maps available in a single source. Another was to provide a descrip tion of learning syndromes arising from local lesions to differ ent parts of the brain.

Problem Solving
Problem Solving

Author: Zygmunt Pizlo

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2022-07-07

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 1009205587

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Intelligent mental representations of physical, cognitive and social environments allow humans to navigate enormous search spaces, whose sizes vastly exceed the number of neurons in the human brain. This allows us to solve a wide range of problems, such as the Traveling Salesperson Problem, insight problems, as well as mathematics and physics problems. As an area of research, problem solving has steadily grown over time. Researchers in Artificial Intelligence have been formulating theories of problem solving for the last 70 years. Psychologists, on the other hand, have focused their efforts on documenting the observed behavior of subjects solving problems. This book represents the first effort to merge the behavioral results of human subjects with formal models of the causative cognitive mechanisms. The first coursebook to deal exclusively with the topic, it provides a main text for elective courses and a supplementary text for courses such as cognitive psychology and neuroscience.

Discovering the Brain
Discovering the Brain

Author: National Academy of Sciences

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 1992-01-01

Total Pages: 195

ISBN-13: 0309045290

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The brain ... There is no other part of the human anatomy that is so intriguing. How does it develop and function and why does it sometimes, tragically, degenerate? The answers are complex. In Discovering the Brain, science writer Sandra Ackerman cuts through the complexity to bring this vital topic to the public. The 1990s were declared the "Decade of the Brain" by former President Bush, and the neuroscience community responded with a host of new investigations and conferences. Discovering the Brain is based on the Institute of Medicine conference, Decade of the Brain: Frontiers in Neuroscience and Brain Research. Discovering the Brain is a "field guide" to the brainâ€"an easy-to-read discussion of the brain's physical structure and where functions such as language and music appreciation lie. Ackerman examines: How electrical and chemical signals are conveyed in the brain. The mechanisms by which we see, hear, think, and pay attentionâ€"and how a "gut feeling" actually originates in the brain. Learning and memory retention, including parallels to computer memory and what they might tell us about our own mental capacity. Development of the brain throughout the life span, with a look at the aging brain. Ackerman provides an enlightening chapter on the connection between the brain's physical condition and various mental disorders and notes what progress can realistically be made toward the prevention and treatment of stroke and other ailments. Finally, she explores the potential for major advances during the "Decade of the Brain," with a look at medical imaging techniquesâ€"what various technologies can and cannot tell usâ€"and how the public and private sectors can contribute to continued advances in neuroscience. This highly readable volume will provide the public and policymakersâ€"and many scientists as wellâ€"with a helpful guide to understanding the many discoveries that are sure to be announced throughout the "Decade of the Brain."

Intelligence and the Brain
Intelligence and the Brain

Author: Dennis Garlick

Publisher: AESOP Press

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 0615319211

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This book turns the corner and finally provides a convincing explanation of IQ and human intelligence. It begins by rejecting some of the most basic assumptions that psychologists make about intelligence, including that intelligence should be defined by behavior. Instead, it argues that intelligence is about the ability to understand. It then uses recent scientific findings about the brain to show how changes in the brain lead to understanding. Readers will find that this book contains many revelations that will profoundly change their perception of how their own brain works. This book will also explore the startling implication of a sensitive period for developing intelligence, arguing that children can learn differently than adults. Anyone who is interested in how the brain works, why people differ in intelligence, and how a child can be a genius will want to read this book.

Brain Mechanisms
Brain Mechanisms

Author: Francis M. Crinella

Publisher:

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13:

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This volume, containing papers given in memory of Robert Thompson, contains a representative sample of the major trends and issues current in the field of neural and cognitive psychology. Four sub-themes emerge: brain mechanisms in intelligence; brain mechanisms in memory and learning; mechanisms of neuronal adaptation; and brain mechanisms and motivation.