Book Description
Bruce Goldstein's COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY connects the study of cognition to your everyday life. This accessible book introduces you to landmark studies as well as the cutting-edge research that defines this fascinating field. To help you further experiment with and understand the concepts in the text, you can use COGLAB 2.0: THE ONLINE COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY LABORATORY. Available at www.academic.cengage.com, COGLAB contains dozens of classic experiments designed to help you learn about cognitive concepts and how the mind works. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good Book
To be completely honest the only reason I bought this book was because it was required for one of my classes.Overall though the book is a fairly easy read with lots of demonstrations throughout.In the center of the book there are also several color "plates" as they call them, that are refered to during the reading.This book also comes with a Coglab manual.If you are not taking a class that requires the manual, then I would look for just the text book.To use the online part you need a special code from a school to access it.The Coglabs are fun though and a vaild learning experience that teach you a lot about yourself.This book is a far easier read than a lot of textbooks I have had to read.If you are interested in the subject of Congnitive Psychology then I would recommend this book as an introduction.

not a bad book...
for such a boring subject. Why, oh why are textbooks so ridonkulously expensive, though? This one had a black and blue color scheme- not exactly "no expense spared" for a hundred dollar textbook. ... Read more

Book Description
With an accessible, easy-to-understand writing style, the fifth edition of COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY will give you the tools you need to be successful in the course! This text covers cognitive neuroscience, attention and consciousness, perception, memory, knowledge representation, language, problem-solving and creativity, decision-making and reasoning, cognitive development, and intelligence. Common themes at the end of every chapter will help you spend more time studying important information and less time trying to figure out what you need to know. The author provides a "from lab to life" approach covering theory and lab and field research, as well as applications to everyday life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Extremely poor organization
This book has the worst organization of any textbook that I have ever tried to read.The paragraphs lack flow and cohesive themes, thus making the text very difficult to follow.

Only buy this book if it is required for a class.

Better alternatives....
This textbook is a real drag to read even when you are interested in the subject matter. A highlighter is a must because it reads like a novel with very few headings. It isnt in color and has many errors and typos. If it is required, buy it used because it probably wont be a book you want to keep.If you are looking to learn about cognition look towards the neuroscience books LWW and Lange offer.

Poorly written for a college level textbook
I don't know if earlier editions are better, but this one (4th) is definitely poor quality. The writing is absolutely terrible in some places--short, choppy sentences that often don't connect to the rest of the paragraph--and gives the feeling of having been cut-and-pasted. The style feels almost amateurish and is very distracting, making it hard to actually learn the subject being presented. Not at all a good choice as the main textbook for a class.

Too many errors for a fourth edition.
Basically there are an unacceptable amount of erratum and misspellings in this fourth edition, so much so that I feel compelled to write my first review on Amazon.These mistakes could be overlooked I suppose, but the bigger problem is that the writing does not flow and much of the material is not explained well, specifically the different theories of attention.Granted, I've only just finished reading the third chapter, but if the rest of the text is like the first three chapters, I am in for some suffering.

Great purchase
The book was in good condition and was shipped really fast to my home. It was a great transaction, thanks a lot. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Interesting and informative
This book is for a class but it's still fun and interesting to read because it has tons of diagrams, tables, and pictures to help you along the way.

As described
I recieved the book according to delivery time. The book was in great condition. Will purchase from again.

One of the best texts in the field?!?!
I'm a graduate psychology student (not from the author's hometown of Reno, NV) and was looking forward to my cognitive psychology class. However, this text has made this class a negative experience.

Solso would be better served by not belaboring the basics of cognitive psychology (short-term memory, visual perception, etc.) while then jumping into inadequately explained models. For example, on pages 331-333, Solso exposes us to the Whorfian hypothesis. However, he never says exactly what it postulates. Instead, he talks about "what Whorf concluded" or "what the hypothesis suggests". Unfortunately, this is common. These models are frequently illustrated with "boxes" that are not adequately explained in the text and are therefore confusing (flip to the figure on p. 501 for an example). In contrast, explanations of simple concepts are repeatedly explained. This gives the text a "cut and paste" feel. Also contributing to this feel is the structure. What is the point of two different sections on neurology in chapter 11? I'm at a loss as to why he interrupts any flow there may have been to do this. Also, Solso would also benefit from summarizing sections- he seems wrapped up in the details but frequently misses the bigger picture. He would also serve his readers by occasionally letting them in on how this information is applicable (and this would help make those annoying models that he loves seem relevant). This text is woefully inadequate in this area. Another complaint is the material covered. Solso suggests that the text covers a lot of ground (he's correct) and that it may be best to cover this material over two terms. I recommend that the text could be made more concise by simply sticking to cognitive psychology and avoid devoting entire chapters to development and AI.

Having said that, Solso does show potential and his dry sense of humor creeps out now and then and is welcomed. It is the content that makes this text a frustrating experience (I loved cognitive psychology as an undergrad). I'm amazed that this is a text that has gone through six editions. The seventh needs a major overhaul. Not in terms of keeping up with current research (which, Solso seems to do), but in terms of readability. I will recommend that our department use another text (I refuse to believe that there are no better cognitive texts out there). To any instructors out there who are rating this book favorably, I would ask your students what they think. And to any scholars out there who are asked by Solso to provide suggestions for the next addition, I beg you to take this seriously rather than being content as a mere "acknowledgement."

Well, i liked it...
i'm a grad student in AI who has decided to study psychology, a field i know relatively little about. i'd read a lot of specialized psych (mostly cog sci) books that went in-depth on a single topic and decided i wanted to get a book to familiarize myself with the basic concepts. So i ordered this one. i am vocally critical of a lot of text books, but i actually really liked this one. It covered most of what i wanted to know, taught me about all sorts of things i didn't know i wanted to know and was pretty darn well written. It is an intro/survey book, so don't think the ~300 pages here will make you an expert in any single field, but it puts those fields in context well and then points you to where you can get more information. Don't know about other people, especially those who know far more about psychology than i did, but i personally really enjoyed reading this book. A lot

Buy with Caution!
As a senior psychology major at a selective liberal arts college, I have read many psychology textbooks including those covering cognition.This book is by far the worst one I have read.The text is poorly written, confusing, and very boring.The author repeats himself throughout the chapters, and takes too long to make a point.Many students from our Cognitive Psychology class have find it difficult to study from this book for our exams.The book just doesen't flow.Before you purchase this book, try to read a sample from it to see how you like it.You may save a lot of money! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Comprehensive - that's both good and bad
This book covers a lot of topics and includes details of the relevant and recent research, which makes it a great text for a class on Cognitive Psychology.
However it is not an easy read, and that may make it unsuitable for some classes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very dry, like the desert
The main objective of the text is to advance an information processing approach to mind in conjunction with functional neuroscience.With that in mind, one shouldn't expect a historical treatment of the field in this text.Anderson is an excellent author, and he makes his points clear (if somewhat over-simplified).CP provides anyone interested in human learning and cognition, either from a strictly theoretical standpoint or a practical standpoint, an excellent resource for thinking about the nature and complexity of what we do when we think (in the broadest sense of the word).The chapter on problem solving is particularly interesting and will propel one to reconsider the significance of our descriptions of things that exist.See also "functional fixedness" ... Read more

Book Description

"Ronald T. Kellogg's Fundamentals of Cognitive Psychology is a very informative and user-friendly introductory textbook for students and general readers alike. This is a book that I would recommend to general readers and undergraduate students alike."

PSYCHCRITIQUES


Kellogg lucidly presents the basics of what historical and contemporary psychological science has taught us about the workings of the human mind. Students will enjoy learning from this book.
Elizabeth Loftus, University of California, Irvine

"Fundamentals of Cognitive Psychology combines a thorough review of classic data with highly relevant contemporary every-day examples. The text draws a wide arc that encompasses most aspects of cognitive psychologyranging from visual consciousness to knowledge representation, language, and problem solving. Kellogg illustrates the material with many relevant and insightful examples of cognitive disorders, which are certain to pique students interest."
Stephan Lewandowsky, University of Western Australia

This clear and concise text offers undergraduate students a brief but solid introduction to the fundamental concepts of cognitive psychology. Integrating the latest developments in cognitive neuroscience, neuroimaging, emotion, and cognitive development throughout the text, author Ronald T. Kellogg provides a view of what is happening at the leading edge of the field today.

Key Features

• Focuses on the essentials of cognitive psychology: Does not bog students down in tangential or esoteric asides or in topics more suitable for discussion in advanced follow-up courses.
• Integrates coverage of neuroscience: A four-color insert of cognitive tasks that students can replicate and related brain images (PET and fMRI) helps students develop a deeper understanding of the neuroscience behind cognitive processes.
• Emphasizes practical applications: Concrete implications of cognitive research are woven into the narrative of the text rather than boxed in inserts that students would be tempted to ignore as unnecessary detail.
• Highlights important concepts: Margin notes summarize important concepts, providing further clarification when needed and giving students previewing and reviewing guideposts.

Instructors Resources

An Instructors Resource CD provides materials for PowerPoint presentations, suggestions for further reading, Web resources, interactive demonstrations, test questions, and much more!

IRCDs are available for qualified instructors only. To request an IRCD for this book please contact Customer Care at 1.800.818.7243 (6 am5 pm Pacific Time) or by emailing info@sagepub.com with course name and enrollment and your university mailing address to expedite the process.

Student Study Web Site

A Student Study Web Site provides flashcards, Internet exercises, Web links, self quizzes, and links to SAGE journal articles (http://www.sagepub.com/kelloggfcpstudy).

*This text is an excellent choice for schools on the quarter system!*

Book Description
Rooted in a solid base of current cognitive psychology and motivational research and carefully examines how they apply to teaching and learning.> This edition reflects new developments in the field using a four-part structure which: 1) covers the basic principles of cognitive psychology, 2) examines school-based applications of a cognitive approach, 3) reflects the emphasis on the importance of beliefs in cognition, and 4) describes new approaches to problem solving, critical thinking, and reflective thought. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Cognitive Psychology and Instruction
This book is a "must-read" for teachers!It contains the latest research on cognitive psychology for those teachers who want to step up their teaching abilities and give their students the added zip that they need to be successful in the classroom!The book is easy to read and easy to understand. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is the first to incorporate neuroscience seamlessly into the study of cognitive psychology. The study of cognition has progressed enormously over the past decade, but no currently available book summarizes and makes accessible the key findings and theories. This book takes a fresh look at the field, and presents it as it actually is today. By integrating findings about the brain into the usual fare for this topic, it provides the foundation for readers to study current research in the field. How the Brain Gives Rise to the Mind; Perception; Attention; Representation and Knowledge in Long-Term Memory; Encoding and Retrieval from Long-Term Memory; Working Memory; Executive Processes; Emotion and Cognition; Decision Making; Problem Solving and Reasoning; Planning and Motor Cognition; and Language. For those practicing in the field of cognitive psychology.

Customer Reviews (1)

A step forward
Eighteen leading scientists, led by Smith and Kosslyn, have reconstructed the foundations of cognitive psychology in an innovative, current, readable, important, factually accurate textbook.First and foremost, they weave recent neuroscientific discoveries into the discussion, without abandoning a primary focus on cognitive psychology.Their sophisticated framework integrates mental and neural levels of analysis, without confusing mind and brain, or structure and function.

Until now, most cognitive psychology texts have tended to follow the organizational format of Broadbent's (1958) classic, Perception and Communication.Broadbent (1984) wrote, "Since those innocent days, the world has become more complex, so that it is difficult to point to a single summary of the same entire area...One widespread view, which I support, is that the framework of the 1958 book now requires shifting to a different kind of simplistic conceptual framework."

In the current text, the authors' framework for discussing memory is unorthodox.They include two chapters on long-term memory followed (not preceded!) by a chapter on working memory.Several unusual chapters include Executive Processes (Chapter 7), Emotions and Cognition (Chapter 8), and Motor Cognition and Mental Simulation (Chapter 11).

One great strength of this text is that it is well written.Kosslyn and others have a tendency to be very interesting in their other publications, so this may not be surprising.Moreover, this book seems to have benefited from aggressive editing for style and clarity. I'm betting that motivated undergraduate students will enjoy this book.

Another great strength of this text is in the selection of the authors who wrote it. They are experts in their respective fields, able to present the material simply and clearly without the loss of accuracy that can attend scientific writing for a general audience. Many of these authors are what you might call Rennaissance scholars, with a wide range of professional interests.

Here are the chapter contents, along with primary authors:(1) How the Brain Gives Rise to the Mind (Kosslyn), (2) Perception (Seiffert, Wolfe & Tong), (3) Attention (Behrmann & Geng), (4) Representation and Knowledge in Long-Term Memory (Barsalou), (5) Encoding and Retrieval from Long-Term Memory (Wagner), (6) Working Memory (Braver), (7) Executive Processes (Smith), (8) Emotion and Cognition (Phelps), (9) Decision Making (Hastie & Sanfey), (10) Problem Solving and Reasoning (Dunbar & Fugelsang), (11) Motor Cognition and Mental Simulation (Decety & Sommerville), and (12) Language (MacDonald).

The first chapter (Kosslyn) provides a little history (remarkably little), and then sets the tone for the rest of the book with sections on "Understanding the Mind: The Form Theories of Cognition", "The Cognitive Brain", and "Studying Cognition."Moreover, it presents a classic debate on (surprise, surprise) the nature of mental imagery.I suppose that it is not too surprising that the book begins by covering these sorts of topics.Even so, I think that this chapter, by THIS author, is very important.Kosslyn has, over the years, been exceptionally careful about how he makes inferences about the brain and mind (e.g., "carving a system at its joints").Others at the cutting edge have not been so careful or insightful.The combination of meticulous thinking and cutting-edge enthusiasm make for some good stuff. I think the first chapter is a big plus.{Video resources featuring Kosslyn/mental imagery include the Discovering Psychology DVD and a free online Quicktime video from the Edge - Third Culture website."What Shape are a German Shepherd's Ears?")

The second chapter (Seiffert, Wolfe & Tong) is a fine introduction to basic issues in perception.My sense is that the authors strove to be concise and clear, rather than to break new ground in the presentation of topics.The chapter provides a good survey of perception, which is not always the case with cognitive psychology textbooks.Wolfe just wrote/edited a remarkably good textbook on Sensation and Perception (Sinauer). I recommend that you take a look at the text and the textbook's (free, excellent) website.

My reaction to the third chapter on attention (Behrmann & Geng) was similar to my reaction to the second.Again, I recommend taking a look at Wolfe's Sensation and Perception textbook, as its chapter on visual attention covers many of the same topics and includes beautiful illustrations.

The eighth chapter (Phelps) was remarkable for its concise treatment of basic issues, as well as its up-to-date treatment of the cognitive neuroscience of emotions.(See Phelps on the Discovering Psychology DVD, by the way). I teach a graduate course on the Cognitive and Affective bases of Behavior at AIU, and I've been looking for something like this chapter. I suppose there may be other chapters in other books that accomplish similar things, but I haven't found them. I was surprised by some omissions, e.g., I looked for references to Izard (e.g., challenges to Ekman), Plutchik (circumplex model), and Damasio (emotions, brain, consciousness).But the chapter provides the intro to emotions and cognition that many cognitive psychologists need.

The ninth chapter (Hastie & Sanfey) provides an intro to basic JDM issues, including a comprehensible intro to prospect theory.(A good video - see Kahneman's Nobel Prize lecture, available online at the Nobel Prize website).The chapter seems to break new ground (for a cog psy text) when it focuses on the neural bases of judgement and decision making.(Hastie has done some remarkable work with juries, legal issues, and medical decision making; a little of this has found its way into the chapter).Compared to other chapters on the same topic, this one seems to de-emphasize the work of Tversky and Kahneman somewhat, in favor of contributions by other authors.

(I hope to write reviews of other chapters as time permits.)

The book seems to target upper division students and graduate students.It is too advanced for a lower division class.A good, basic text for lower division students is Reed's Cognitive Psyhology.I would describe Reed's text as a purist's introduction.It doesn't deviate from the classic study of cognition per se, so you won't find much cognitive neuroscience embedded in chapters. Rather, it tends to emphasize the applications of cognitive psychology.

I believe the Smith/Kosslyn book could be improved in a number of ways.First, there does not seem to be a student and instructor website for this text. These sorts of sites can be extremely helpful because they provide additional visual material, Powerpoint presentations, sample questions, and more. An unorthodox book like this one needs a website with supporting materials.Instructors will appreciate anything that makes transition to the new text easier.(If you are an instructor and would like to pool resources, please contact me.I might recommend purchasing Zimbardo's Discovering Psychology DVDs, as they feature some authors and topics that are covered in this book).

The book itself has some excellent illustrations.Even so, I tend to prefer books that have even more illustrations.A recent textbook on another topic by Wolfe et al. (Sensation and Perception, Sinauer) is my current gold standard, in part because there are excellent, colorful illustrations on nearly every page.In my own teaching, I find that texts that provide a constant stream of powerful images are the most popular with students.Could additional images be included at a course website, and then added to the text later, when new editions are released?Kosslyn, with all his knowledge of imagery and graph-making, could turbo-charge this text with artwork if so inclined.

There are some topics that were neglected in this book.One big area includes learning. As it stands, a few cognitive textbooks (e.g., Medin et al.) address learning.Others seem satisfied to relegate learning to the behaviorists, and their tired and true approaches ("tired" not "tried"). I think a chapter on learning, from a cognitivist's perspective, would be an excellent addition to this book. There is some discussion of classical, operant, and vicarious learning in the chapter on emotion, but nothing about learning per se.Additionally, there are only a few sentences on sensory memory.Sperling's classic study is mentioned in passing, but this and other important experiments were not described).I suppose that it is impossible to do everything.

The authors and publisher make a strong claim:"This book is the first to incorporate neuroscience seamlessly into the study of cognitive psychology."Perhaps.I would say that this book is "seamless" to the extent that it includes information about the brain in each chapter.There are other excellent Cognitive Psychology textbooks, and most of these include reasonable information about cognitive neuroscience.See, e.g., the texts of Sternberg, Reisberg, Anderson, Medin et al., or Goldstein.The selling point of the current text, IMHO, is that the current crop of authors are first-rate contributors to our understanding of cognition and the brain.And these authors have chosen to report sexy, new findings that are at the forefront of our field.

In summary, I am enthusiastic about using this book in my future Cognitive Psychology classes.This is the modern cognitive psychology textbook that needed to be written.The authors have focused on what they thought was most important for students rather than on what most other textbooks have done. They present fresh material in a new way without abandoning many essential, classic topics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

so bnoring
so boring, so so boring to read and follow.. they knew about cog psyc, but forget how to communicate the information appropriately. ... Read more

Book Description
Succeed in the course with COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY IN AND OUT OF THE LABORATORY! This understandable cognitive psychology textbook provides you with the tools you need to master the concepts and improve your performance on exams. With everyday examples, the author presents brain function – an abstract and difficult topic – in a clear and manageable way. Key terms, review questions,CogLab exercises, and Web resources give you many new ways to approach the topics covered in the text. Through hands-on practice and reinforcement, you'll learn both the importance and personal relevance of understanding brain function. ... Read more

Book Description
With this fourth edition of A Cognitive Psychology of Mass Communication, author Richard Jackson Harris continues his examination of how our experiences with media affect the way we acquire knowledge about the world, and how this knowledge creates consequences for attitudes and behavior. Presenting theories from psychology and communication along with reviews of the corresponding research, this text covers a wide variety of media and media issues, ranging from the commonly discussed topics--sex, violence, advertising--to less-studied topics, such as values, sports, and entertainment education. New chapters for the fourth edition cover:

*children and media, examining children's prosocial television, advertising to children, and media literacy;

*values and prosocial media, including family values, religion, social marketing, and entertainment-education programming; and

*emotional media, including the effects of sports and music.


New and updated material includes:

*today's popular television shows;

*the widespread use of the Internet;

*changes brought about by telecommunications technology;

*advertising on the Internet, in classrooms, and other unconventional places;

*press coverage of the 2000 U.S. Presidential election and its aftermath;

*stereotyping of mental illness and therapists;

*male body-image media issues;

*music, reflecting its increasing popularity and influence; and

*effects of playing violent video games.


An engaging, readable, and highly successful text, this classroom resource serves as an invaluable guide to the influences of media for courses on media and psychology, and media effects and processes.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A useful introduction to media psychology
This is the 4th edition of this volume.Harris provides a nice overview to media psychology.I think the book is mistitled because it does not really deal with cognitive psychology (as a cognitive psychologist would define it).For example, there is limited discussion of factors influencing attention to TV or the cognitive representation of media stories or even how media stories are comprehended.Rather, the book really looks at social psychological approaches to the media (e.g., models of advertising effectiveness, motivations for watching TV, effects of TV violence etc).The volume is an excellent introduction to what is often referred to as media psychology, but I do think it is mistitled.Also, there are topics that are missing from the volume.For example, there is a growing research literature on factors influencing the entertainment value of a TV show or movie and that literature is not discussed in this book.I do use it as a textbook in a undergraduate seminar I teach and the students generally enjoy the book, but it is a textbook, but it does an excellent job at introducing readers to the psychological study of the media.

A must for any mass communication scholar
This is one of the best texts on the effects, either real or imagined, of mass communication on its consumers.Texts on research can be hard to get through.However, Richard Jackson Harris takes years of scholarly writings from the classic "Bobo Doll Study" to the latest in mass communication research and provides the reader with one of the most objective, comprehensive, witty and easy-to-read texts this subject.

For any mass communication scholar or practitioner, this is an absolute must read.I have written several research papers throughout college and graduate school, and this book was an indespensible tool.If communication is your thing, get it now! ... Read more

Book Description
This coherent overview of cognitive psychology is organized in terms of themes that cut across topic areas. Written by well-known researchers, the book is completely current in describing ongoing controversies in research; it provides summaries of key experiments that distinguish between them; and it encourages the reader to think critically about current research and theories. The focus on the importance of physical and computational constraints on cognition is preserved throughout the book. ... Read more

Book Description
Scientists from many disciplines, including physics, chemistry, biology, and neuroscience, contribute to the study of cognition. Cognitive psychology, the science of the human mind and of how people process information, is at the core of empirical investigations into the nature of mind and thought.

This anthology is based on the assumption that cognitive psychology is at heart empirical philosophy. Many of the core questions about thought, language, perception, memory, and knowledge of other people's minds were for centuries the domain of philosophy. The book begins with the philosophical foundations of inquiry into the nature of mind and thought, in particular the writings of Descartes, and then covers the principal topics of cognitive psychology including memory, attention, and decision making.

The book organizes a daunting amount of information, underlining the essentials, while also introducing readers to the ambiguities and controversies of research. It is arranged thematically and includes many topics not typically taught in cognition courses, including human factors and ergonomics, evolutionary psychology, music cognition, and experimental design.

The contributors include Daniel Dennett, Daniel Kahneman, Jay McClelland, Donald Norman, Michael Posner, Stephen Palmer, Eleanor Rosch, John Searle, Roger Shepard, and Anne Treisman. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Interesting collection of articles
As defined by the editor of this book, cognitive psychology is a field that studies the information processing capabilities of the human mind. Having its origin in an actual college classroom, the book does give a good overview of some of the developments in cognitive psychology and can be read profitably by anyone interested in the field. Since it is targeted towards undergraduate students in cognitive psychology, articles are included that introduce the field both from an historical and a philosophical viewpoint. Those readers interested in artificial intelligence will also find many of the articles of interest, especially those that address the actual cognitive processes in the brain that are involved in problem solving or goal-setting. Philosophical argumentation on the `mind-body problem' occupies a portion of the book, but the space devoted to such speculative matters is refreshingly kept at a minimum. It is clear throughout the book that the editor wants to keep the mind-brain distinction intact.

One of the more interesting articles in this collection is the one by K.A. Ericsson and J. Smith on the empirical study of expertise. The identification and study of expertise is important not only from the standpoint of cognitive psychology but also in artificial intelligence, where it is becoming more important to identify when a machine has expertise in more than one domain. The authors have given the reader an overview of what they call the `original expertise approach'. Their goal is to first characterize expertise in a domain-independent way and then discuss chess as an example. Crucial to any study of expertise is being able to distinguish between outstanding individuals in a domain from those that are not. The authors also want to distinguish "stable" achievement from that which might be accidental or happen only once. But most importantly, they point to the need for a `control group' who, given the same opportunities to achieve, could be compared with the achievements of an individual deemed to be unusually talented. The author's `original expertise approach' tries to define conditions under which one can study critical performance and find out which of its components are responsible for making it superior performance. It is necessary in their approach to design a set of tasks in a given domain that illustrate superior performance and to be able to bring out this performance in actual laboratory conditions. This approach is therefore difficult to carry out, since the conditions in real life needed for superior performance are hard to replicate in the laboratory. Their discussion of chess performance is helpful in this light but it still leaves doubt as to why superior chess players can perform as well as they do and the exact nature of the cognitive processes that they use to attain superior performance in chess. Of course, one cannot observe directly these cognitive processes, and the authors recognize this. However, they argue that using the observations of certain tasks, one can study these processes by using an information-theoretic model of cognition.

In some research circles in artificial intelligence there is currently a great interest in creating machines that can deal with information in more than one domain without changing appreciably the "programming" or "software" that processes the information in these domains. Called `artificial general intelligence' by some, the goal of researchers in this field is to arrive at a notion of machine intelligence that models what is found in human intelligence: the ability of humans to solve problems in many different domains (sometimes concurrently). Those readers interested in these developments may find the article by J. Tooby and L. Cosmides on the functional organization of the mind and brain of some interest. The emphasis in this article is that the brain is a biological entity that has evolved to process information. The authors call the brain an `organ of computation', which means that as a physical structure it contains a collection of programs that process information, and that this physical structure exists because it contains these programs. The programs are considered to be the functional components of the brain, and they are there because they solved a particular type of problem in the past. The problems that had to be dealt with evidently had to be confronted over long time scales, in order for evolutionary adaptation to occur. In addition, in order to sophisticated structures to evolve, the brain had to confront nontrivial problems that require heavy computation. The authors emphasize, and this is very important for readers interested in artificial general intelligence, that there is no single algorithm that is able to solve every adaptive problem. The human mind is therefore composed of many different programs for solving different problems. The reverse engineering of the human brain will therefore involve the identification of those functional units and collections of computations that it uses in order to be biological successful.If these functional units are independent, then the algorithms themselves are independent, and thus there is no notion of `general intelligence' used by the human brain. Brains are built from adaptive problem-solving devices, though they may have incidental capabilities that may make them appear to be `generally intelligent'. This modular approach to the brain taken by the authors seems to be a reasonable one, and they recognize that more evidence must be accrued. And certainly an organism, human or not, will have a better chance of surviving if their neuronal systems or problem-solving abilities are independent of each other. If one module is damaged for example, the organism can still have the capability to deal with problems and issues that are confronted by the other undamaged modules.

Levitin a Genius
Levitin, professor of psychology at McGill university has managed to gather the work of some of the best minds in cognitive psychology together in one book. A plethora of interesting and informative essays, this book is a must read for anyone who every wondered: who am I, and why do I think the way I do?

very informative book!
This book is great. It is clear and easy to understand. It is making this topic so much more enjoyable!

Interesting and challenging read
This book delves into the human psyche and engages the reader into discovering the nature of human thought and its processes. An intriguing and informative read!

Student Review
Far from being like the old, dry, boring Psychology books of yore, "Foundations of Cognitive Psychology", though a required text for the Cognitive Psychology students at McGill, is able to hold its own and rise above the competition.A collection of articles, ranging from the philosophical "Where Am I?" by D. Dennett to the downright scientific (for example "Features and Objects in Visual Processing" by A. Treisman), the book gives the reader and the student a sample of the many possible views and stances regarding Cognition.According to Webster's dictionary, Cognitive Psychology is defined as "relating to, or being conscious of mental activity (as thinking, remembering, learning or using language)."Levitin's "Foundations" proves that Cognition is much more complicated than just a simple definition in the dictionary.Students and interested readers will benefit from this text. ... Read more

Book Description
This is a brief, affordable core text for courses in cognitive psychology. Thoroughly updated, the seventh edition offers coverage of perception, attention, memory, knowledge, problem solving, and emotion, in a friendly and accessible style. By discussing selected experiments rather than exhaustively surveying the empirical literature, the authors encourage students to appreciate the intricacies of problem-solving activity in cognition. The text incorporates real world examples, case studies, and key experiments on significant topics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Don't buy this book!
this book is the most boring text i've ever seen. readers would be discouraged by the ways these authors organize the subjects.
explanations of theories and ideas are overflowed..kept me and my colleagues confusing.
there are always some better books better than this one.

Fundamentals of Cognitive Psychology
This book was helpful when I was completing my research paper on cognitive psychology.My class has not started, however, the book was very informative.The book is not easy to read however, it a text book for psychology majors.

Informative and helpful
As an undergraduate TA, I became familiar with this book when my supervising professor chose it for her undergraduate learning and cognition course. The text presents detailed coverage of the topics in an accessiblestyle. I disagree with the previous reviewer about the value of thediscussion of previous experiments. By providing a discussion of selectedexperiments rather than an exhaustive survey of the empirical literature,the intricacies of problem solving activity in cognitive psychology arehighlighted. The text uses a thematic approach throughout, and incorporatesreal world examples, case studies, and useful examples of experiments onspecific topics. I found myself wishing that this text had been used in thecognition course that I had previously taken.

Why Not To Read Fundamentals of Cognitive Psychology
At this point in time I am reading "Fundamentals of Cognitive Psychology" for a class that I am currently attending.My class is wonderful, but this book is very dry.I understand that the subject ofcognitive psychology involves a lot of research and data and all thisinformation is important to the study of this subject, but this book isvery dry and personally boring.The whole book is a review of pastresearch and analyzations of the subject and the author gives no thought ofhis own to the subject.If I wanted to know every little detail of everycognitive experiment I would look that exact experiment up.There is nobasis of the book and it does not help me in the least little bit in mystudies.The content is very dry and not attention holding.I woulddefinately look into something else as far as books go if I wantedsomething interesting!!! ... Read more

Book Description
Biological Psychology is a comprehensive survey of the biological bases of behavior that is authoritative and up-to-date. Designed for undergraduates enrolled in Biological Psychology, Physiological Psychology, or Behavioral Neuroscience, the book continues to offer an outstanding illustration program that engages students, making even complicated topics and chains of events clear. The book offers a broad perspective, encompassing lucid descriptions of behavior, evolutionary history, development, proximate mechanisms, and applications. New coauthor Neil V. Watson brings his expert knowledge of the field and the course to the Fourth Edition. This edition is designed to make the book even more readable. Each chapter has been made more concise and now begins with a brief narrative relating the topic to the human condition. The new edition boasts hundreds of new references, including research students may have encountered in the popular media. Yet critical thinking skills are also honed as the reader is alerted to the many widely-held myths about the neuroscience of behavior (different parts of the tongue detect only certain flavors, dogs are color-blind, sleep deprivation makes you crazy), and educated about facts that sound so unlikely to the uninformed (some people cannot feel pain, in some animals only half the brain sleeps at a time, ears make sounds, some people cannot form new memories, experience alters the structure of the brain). Thorough and reader-friendly, Biological Psychology reveals the fascinating interactions of brain and behavior.

Key Features

* The book has an outstanding full-color art program, including hundreds of original drawings that make it easy to understand structures, mechanisms, and processes in the brain.
* Each chapter opens with a brief narrative illustrating an important aspect of behavioral biology that will be made clear to the student by reading the rest of the chapter.
* Chapters end with a summary of the main points and offer recommended reading for students who want to learn more.
* Icons alert students to important methods, clinical issues, competing hypotheses, and instances in which genes, evolution, or neural plasticity are at work.
* Every copy comes with Learning Biological Psychology, an electronic study referenced from CD icons throughout the text. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A good tool
Book came quickly.It's good if you like to learn... otherwise it would work better to beat yourself in the face with.

Great Introductory Text
I have used both the first and second editions of this text in courses for first-year graduate students in a Psy.D. program.The text is clear, the illustrations excellent, as are the color overheads.This is at exactlythe right level for students who will be clinicians using this informationin understanding and dealing with clients directly (as opposed toresearchers).

good end of the second millenium
I had the chance to give a overlook to prof. M.Rosenzweig text "Biological Psychology...", talking with my assistant teacher, I said, at last a nice, and good text for undergraduate student that are notgoing to be medicine student, but other profesional.This is the text fora change in the teaching of neuroscience; the result of it use will beclear at december 2000. the reasons for this: - clear use of history. -great use of design in each theme treated. - all the aids (cd, etc) areexactly what a beginnig student need. - the use of real neuroanatomy part,are perfectly complement by the pictures, diagram in the text.profs. M.Rosenzweig, A. leiman & S.M. Breedlove thanks from Chile.

Please try again Mr.Rozenweig
This book is a course textbook for my course, but to be honest I find it badly set out, espacially in the index where it's impossible to find anything. I know the guy's an expert in his field but the releventinformation is hard to extract from the very dry tone. I've been tempted onmore than one occasion to simply use it as a computer stand. This may soundlike any other textbook but when you compare this to Kalat's book of thesame name, the difference is unbelievable. As a student I'll take this rareopportunity to say 'good try Mr.Rozenweig, but I think you should take itback and work on it a little more'

The best book on the subject
This is the best introductory book in Biological Psychology/Neuropsychology I have seen so far. Very well written and with beautiful illustrations and pictures that make this interesting subjecteven better. ... Read more

Product Description
Biological Psychology is a comprehensive survey of the biological bases of behavior that is authoritative and up-to-date. Designed for undergraduates enrolled in Biological Psychology, Physiological Psychology, or Behavioral Neuroscience, the book continues to offer an outstanding illustration program that engages students, making even complicated topics and processes clear. The book offers a broad perspective, encompassing lucid descriptions of behavior, evolutionary history, development, proximate mechanisms, and applications. The Fifth Edition has been redesigned to help students study and learn more effectively. Optional advanced topics are available on the Web asA Step Further,streamlining the printed text to emphasize the important points. Each chapter begins with a brief outline and an engaging narrative relating the topic to the human condition. Bold-faced terms are defined in margins and at the end of the book to aid students in remembering key terms. The new edition boasts hundreds of new references, including research students may have encountered in the popular media. Yet critical thinking skills are also honed as the reader is alerted to the many widely held myths about the neuroscience of behavior and educated about facts that sound unlikely to the uninformed. Thorough and reader-friendly, Biological Psychology reveals the fascinating interactions of brain and behavior. ... Read more

Book Description
What are the mental processes involved in listening to, performing, and composing music? What is involved in 'understanding' a piece of music? How are such skills acquired?Questions such as these form the basis of the cognitive psychology of music. The author addresses these questions by surveying the growing experimental literature on the subject. The topics covered will be of interest to psychologists, as windows onto a human cognitive skill of some complexity that is only now beginning to receive the attention devoted to such skills as language. They are also relevant to musicians who are seeking to understand the psychological bases of their skills.The author does not simply review existing research, but takes a critical look at what has been achieved in the subject, introducing such topics as composition and musical skill in non-literate cultures. He draws freely on his own knowledge and experience as a practising musician, as well as a psychologist, to provide an overview that is scholarly and also accessible to the general reader. ... Read more

Book Description