"The fourth edition of The Cognitive Neurosciences continues to chart new directions in the study of the biologic underpinnings of complex cognition - the relationship between the structural and physiological mechanisms of the nervous system and the psychological reality of the mind. The material in this edition is entirely new, with all chapters written specifically for it." --Book Jacket.
An essential reference for the new discipline of evolutionary cognitive neuroscience that defines the field's approach of applying evolutionary theory to guide brain-behavior investigations. Since Darwin we have known that evolution has shaped all organisms and that biological organs—including the brain and the highly crafted animal nervous system—are subject to the pressures of natural and sexual selection. It is only relatively recently, however, that the cognitive neurosciences have begun to apply evolutionary theory and methods to the study of brain and behavior. This landmark reference documents and defines the emerging field of evolutionary cognitive neuroscience. Chapters by leading researchers demonstrate the power of the evolutionary perspective to yield new data, theory, and insights on the evolution and functional modularity of the brain. Evolutionary cognitive neuroscience covers all areas of cognitive neuroscience, from nonhuman brain-behavior relationships to human cognition and consciousness, and each section of Evolutionary Cognitive Neuroscience addresses a different adaptive problem. After an introductory section that outlines the basic tenets of both theory and methodology of an evolutionarily informed cognitive neuroscience, the book treats neuroanatomy from ontogenetic and phylogenetic perspectives and explores reproduction and kin recognition, spatial cognition and language, and self-awareness and social cognition. Notable findings include a theory to explain the extended ontogenetic and brain development periods of big-brained organisms, fMRI research on the neural correlates of romantic attraction, an evolutionary view of sex differences in spatial cognition, a theory of language evolution that draws on recent research on mirror neurons, and evidence for a rudimentary theory of mind in nonhuman primates. A final section discusses the ethical implications of evolutionary cognitive neuroscience and the future of the field. Contributors: C. Davison Ankney, Simon Baron-Cohen, S. Marc Breedlove, William Christiana, Michael Corballis, Robin I. M. Dunbar, Russell Fernald, Helen Fisher, Jonathan Flombaum, Farah Focquaert, Steven J.C. Gaulin, Aaron Goetz, Kevin Guise, Ruben C. Gur, William D. Hopkins, Farzin Irani, Julian Paul Keenan, Michael Kimberly, Stephen Kosslyn, Sarah L. Levin, Lori Marino, David Newlin, Ivan S. Panyavin, Shilpa Patel, Webb Phillips, Steven M. Platek, David Andrew Puts, Katie Rodak, J. Philippe Rushton, Laurie Santos, Todd K. Shackelford, Kyra Singh, Sean T. Stevens, Valerie Stone, Jaime W. Thomson, Gina Volshteyn, Paul Root Wolpe
Providing up-to-date and authoritative coverage of key topics in the new discipline of cognitive neuroscience, this book will be essential reading in cognitive psychology, neuropsychology and neurophysiology. Striking a balance between theoretical and empirical approaches to the question of how cognition is supported by the brain, it presents the major experimental methods employed by cognitive neuroscientists and covers a representative range of the subjects currently exciting interest in the field. The nine chapters of the book have been written by leading authorities in their fields. The individual chapters provide "state-of-the-art" reviews of their respective attempts to build bridges between domains of enquiry that, until quite recently, were largely independent of one another. The chapters include two describing the different methods that are now available for non-invasive measurement of human brain activity; another two that discuss various current theoretical approaches to the problem of how information is coded in the nervous system; and single contributions dealing with the neural mechanisms of long-term memory and of movement, the functional and neural architecture of working memory, the organization of language in the brain, and the relationship between perception and consciousness. Cognitive Neuroscience will appeal to advanced undergraduate and graduate students interested in the relationship between the brain and higher mental functions, as well as to established researchers in cognitive neuroscience and related fields.
This fresh, new textbook provides a thorough and student-friendly guide to the different techniques used in cognitive neuroscience. Given the breadth of neuroimaging techniques available today, this text is invaluable, serving as an approachable text for students, researchers, and writers. This text provides the right level of detail for those who wish to understand the basics of neuroimaging and also provides more advanced material in order to learn further about particular techniques. With a conversational, student-friendly writing style, Aaron Newman introduces the key principles of neuroimaging techniques, the relevant theory and the recent changes in the field.
Fundamentals of Cognitive Neuroscience: A Beginner's Guide, Second Edition, is a comprehensive, yet accessible, beginner’s guide on cognitive neuroscience. This text takes a distinctive, commonsense approach to help newcomers easily learn the basics of how the brain functions when we learn, act, feel, speak and socialize. This updated edition includes contents and features that are both academically rigorous and engaging, including a step-by-step introduction to the visible brain, colorful brain illustrations, and new chapters on emerging topics in cognition research, including emotion, sleep and disorders of consciousness, and discussions of novel findings that highlight cognitive neuroscience’s practical applications. Written by two leading experts in the field and thoroughly updated, this book remains an indispensable introduction to the study of cognition. Winner of a 2019 Textbook Excellence Award (College) (Texty) from the Textbook and Academic Authors Association Presents an easy-to-read introduction to mind-brain science based on a simple functional diagram linked to specific brain functions Provides new, up-to-date, colorful brain images directly from research labs Contains "In the News" boxes that describe the newest research and augment foundational content Includes both a student and instructor website with basic terms and definitions, chapter guides, study questions, drawing exercises, downloadable lecture slides, test bank, flashcards, sample syllabi and links to multimedia resources
This text provides students and researchers with a foundation for examining how brain function gives rise to mental activities such as perception, memory and language. It is grouped into sections that cover attention, vision, auditory and somatosensory systems, memory and higher cortical.
