Book Description
An Introduction to Applied Cognitive Psychology offers a student friendly review of recent research in the application of cognitive methods, theories and models to real-world scenarios. The authors approach cognitive psychology by looking at how people use basic cognitive skills in everyday environments. In this way, they explore how people use their knowledge to influence their behaviour in life, and throw light on the inter-relationships between each part of the cognitive system. The central areas of visual perception, attention, memory, language, thinking, decision making and human performance are covered, as in conventional cognitive textbooks, but they are addressed in terms of practical applications to skill training, expertise and skilled behaviour. Whereas experimental psychology often remains in the laboratory, this books will show undergraduates how the implications and methodological insights of theoretical work can be brought into the real world and vice versa. ... Read more

Book Description
This is a thorough revision and updating of the extremely successful third edition. As in previous editions, the following three perspectives are considered in depth: experimental cognitive psychology; cognitive science, with its focus on cognitive modelling; and cognitive neuropsychology with its focus on cognition following brain damage. In addition, and new to this edition, is detailed discussion of the cognitive neuroscience perspective, which uses advanced brain-scanning techniques to clarify the functioning of the human brain. There is detailed coverage of the dynamic impact of these four perspectives on the main areas of cognitive psychology, including perception, attention, memory, knowledge representation, categorisation, language, problem-solving, reasoning, and judgement.
The aim is to provide comprehensive coverage that is up-to-date, authoritative, and accessible. All existing chapters have been extensively revised and re-organised. Some of the topics receiving much greater coverage in this edition are: brain structures in perception, visual attention, implicit learning, brain structures in memory, prospective memory, exemplar theories of categorisation, language comprehension, connectionist models in perception, neuroscience studies of thinking, judgement, and decision making.
Cognitive Psychology: A Students Handbook will be essential reading for undergraduate students of psychology. It will also be of interest to students taking related courses in computer science, education, linguistics, physiology, and medicine. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Comprehensive but tedious
My main interests are Social Psychology so I am somewhat biased. This book is extremely well regarded in the U.K. and indeed it is a very good reference for Cognitive Psychology. Where it falls down is in the writing style. There is unfortunately a view on this side of the pond that if you write in an engaging and reader friendly way that you are guilty of dumbing down. Consequently, U.K. textbook writers frequently have a humourless and inacessible writing style. When this applied to a subject which is difficult for many people to grasp then the results can be stupifying. This is coupled here with a very dense typeface and a lack of illustrations. I think when complex experiments involving colour stimuli would benefit from good quality colour images. Here we have a book which is extrmeley uninviting. A little investment in improved visuals would be benficial. ... Read more

Book Description
The capacity to "concentrate" effectively, or to exert mental effort on the specific task at hand while ignoring distractions, is widely regarded by athletes, coaches and psychologists as the key to successful performance in competitive sport. But what exactly is "concentration"? Why do athletes often "lose" it, paradoxically, at the very time they need it most? Can it be measured? Furthermore, how successful are the various psychological techniques (e.g. mental practice) which are alleged to enhance concentration? Unfortunately, until now, these questions have remained largely unanswered due to such problems as the atheoretical nature of research in sport psychology and the reluctance of cognitive psychologists to explore how the mind works under the real-life pressures and distractions that are commonly encountered in sport. Therefore, this monograph fills a gap in the field by exploring the attentional processes of athletes using a theoretical framework derived from contemporary cognitive psychology. Usinga wealth of sporting examples, the author, who is Official Psychologist to the Irish Olympic Squad, argues convincingly that research on the "mental side" of athletic performance offers exciting possibilities for increased collaboration between sport psychology and cognitive science (e.g. with regard to such topics as the study of emotional influences on skilled performance). Written in a lively and accessible style, this book represents an entertaining and welcome attempt to explore the mental substrates of athletic performance. As such, it should appeal as much to cognitive researchers as to students and professionals in the growing discipline of sport psychology. ... Read more

Book Description
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 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

diverse topics for an exciting science
It is an exciting time in neuroscience. As the realisation dawned in recent years that evolutionary ideas can be fruitfully applied to the brains of various species. Along with the experimental tools that enable the testing of useful models of the brain.

The book's diversity of papers reflects accurately the intellectual ferment. One example might be the rise of evolutionary game theory. Standard game theory arose with von Neumman and others, and was originally only applied to human subjects. But a chapter on SPFit delves into how players evolve in geological time, optimising their reproductive odds. Thus the promise is to see how behaviour can be explained in the context of playing a long game.

Another very topical issue in the book is mirror neurons. Covered all too briefly here, given the amount of research that is ongoing. If there will ever be another edition of this book, perhaps more space could be allocated to it? ... Read more

Book Description
Sage Course Companions are an exciting new series from Sage offering students an insider's guide into how to make the most of their undergraduate courses and extend their understanding of key concepts covered in their course.

Cognitive Psychology provides student readers with essential help with all aspects of their first course in cognitive psychology, including advice on revising for exams, preparing and writing course assessment materials, and enhancing and progressing their knowledge and skills in line with course requirements in cognitive psychology.

This Course Companion is designed to augment, rather than replace, existing textbooks for the course.

Key Features:

• Helpful summaries of the course curriculum to aid lecture notes, seminars and written assignments Key summaries of the approach taken by the main cognitive psychology textbooks
• Guidance on the essential study skills required
• Help with developing critical thinking
• Route-maps to aid the development of wider learning above and beyond textbooks
• Pointers to success in course exams
• A tutor's-eye view of what course examiners are looking for
• An insider's view of what key course concepts are really all about

Book Description
This new textbook provides a clear, fundamental grounding in cognitive psychology for beginning undergraduates. Essential Cognitive Psychology fills the void between low level introductory texts and more advanced books on the topic. This book provides the reader with highly accessible overviews of all core topics in the field. These are designed to be a strong basis for developing further interest in cognitive psychology but, at the same time, provide a self-contained account suitable for all students in psychology whose training requires degree-level competence in the subject. Beginning with a chapter on the origins of cognitive psychology, which facilitates an understanding of the topic as a whole, the book goes on to cover visual perception, attention, memory, knowledge, imagery, language, and reasoning and problem solving.
Each chapter in Essential Cognitive Psychology also contains alist of key terms highlighted in the text and a series of revision questions which address key issues in the chapter. There are also suggestions for further reading.
Written by an internationally recognised scientist and established book author, Essential Cognitive Psychology will bewelcomed by teachers and students who require a thorough grounding in the topic without the specialization of more advanced textbooks. ... Read more

Book Description
For much of the twentieth century, philosophy and science went their separate ways. In moral philosophy, fear of the so-called naturalistic fallacy kept moral philosophers from incorporating developments in biology and psychology. Since the 1990s, however, many philosophers have drawn on recent advances in cognitive psychology, brain science, and evolutionary psychology to inform their work. This collaborative trend is especially strong in moral philosophy, and these three volumes bring together some of the most innovative work by both philosophers and psychologists in this emerging interdisciplinary field.

Contributors to Volume 2:
Fredrik Bjorklund (University of Lund), James Blair (National Institute of Mental Health), Paul Bloomfield (University of Connecticut), Fiery Cushman (Harvard University), Justin D'Arms (Ohio State University), John Deigh (University of Texas at Austin), John Doris (Washington University), Julia Driver (Dartmouth College), Ben Fraser (Australian National University Research School of Social Science), Gerd Gigerenzer (Max Plank Institute), Michael Gill (University of Arizona), Jonathan Haidt (University of Virginia) Marc Hauser (Harvard University), Daniel Jacobson (Bowling Green State University), Joshua Knobe (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Brian Leiter (University of Texas at Austin), Don Loeb (University of Vermont), Ron Mallon (University of Utah), Darcia Narvaez (University of Notre Dame), Shaun Nichols (University of Arizona), Alexandra Plakias (University of Michigan), Jesse Prinz (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Geoffrey Sayre-McCord (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill), Russ Shafer-Landau (University of Wisconsin), Walter Sinnott-Armstrong (Dartmouth College), Cass Sunstein (University of Chicago), William Tolhurst (University of Northern Illinois), Liane Young (Harvard University). ... Read more

Book Description
At once accessible and cutting edge, An Introduction to Cognitive Psychology is a uniquely comprehensive textbook for undergraduate students. In a single volume, it provides clearly signposted chapters on both normal cognitive function and related clinical disorders. Especially written to cover all levels of ability, it offers in-depth and up-to-date research to appeal to the most able students, with a clear and engaging text written by experienced teachers to help students who find the material difficult. Specially designed textbook features include chapter summaries, annotated further reading and a glossary of key terms. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
This book has useful information, but it can be a bit "dry" at times (which may be unavoidable with some topics in cognitive psychology). This is a more advanced book and I would recommend starting out with something else if you are a beginner. ... Read more

Book Description
Tell any smoker that his habit is unhealthy, and he most likely willagree. What mental process does a person go through when he or shecontinues to do something unhealthy? When an honest person tells a "whitelie," what happens to his or her sense of integrity? If someone mustchoose between two equally attractive options, why does one's valuejudgement of the options change after the choice has been made? In 1954Dr. Leon Festinger drafted a version of a theory describing thepsychological phenomenon that occurs in these situations. He called itcognitive dissonance: the feeling of psychological discomfort produced bythe combined presence of two thoughts that do not follow from one another. Festinger proposed that the greater the discomfort, the greater the desire to reduce the dissonance of the two cognitive elements. The elegance ofthis theory has inspired psychologists over the past four decades.Cognitive Dissonance: Perspectives on a Pivotal Theory in SocialPsychology documents the on-going research and debate provoked by thisinfluential theory. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Review of Cognitive Dissonance: Progress on a Pivotal Theory
The book provides the most up-to-date consideration of Leon Festinger's Theory of Cognitive Dissonance (1957). It contains chapters written by an international group of well-established scientists who study cognitive dissonance processes. It is a must read for anyone interested in the relationship between cognition, emotion, attitudes, and behavior. ... Read more

Book Description
This textbook discusses fundamental issues in the definition and measurement of emotion, including: conscious and unconscious processes; the ways in which emotions arise in, and are constrained by, social situations and social processes; the regulation and sharing of emotion and their effects of mental health; and the manner in which culture (including subculture) shapes or moderates some of these processes.

The book also focuses on the component processes of emotion, their functions, and the ways in which these interact with the social environment.Rather than deny either that emotions are biologically determined or that they are culturally created or shaped, both biology and social situation are treated as important forces in the elicitation and the experience of emotion.

Each section of the book is structured around specific approaches or models, and the precise questions that they were constructed to address.The theories and models are also placed in their in historical context.Discussion of the different approaches is elaborated by summaries of the extant scientific evidence, as well as examples of specific experiments or studies that were designed to evaluate the question.Timely, engaging real-world examples are used from a variety of international contexts.

The pedagogic features, including concise introductions and summaries, discussion questions, and suggested readings, have been incorporated into the volume, making this an ideal text for a course of Emotion, which can be found as an option within many social psychology and cognitive psychology courses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Appealing to those interested in social cognition
This is an excellent book, written in an engaging and accessible style, which makes it informative and agreeable to read. It constitutes a valuable resource for college students as well as graduate students who are interested in emotion processing from the perspectives of cognitive and social psychology. Both perspectives are well integrated. It is for me one of the best introductory textbook in a rapidly growing field of research.
This book is also a fine example of how the study of emotion has changed and how fascinating this domain is to those interested in social cognition. ... Read more

Product Description
4th edition, specifically made for Grand canyon university although exact to other 4th editions. ... Read more

Book Description
Cognitive psychology is an enormous field with a rich history. One problem confronting instructors in cognitive psychology courses is covering such diverse topics as pattern recognition, attention, memory, language, decision-making, and problem solving. It is virtually impossible to both cover these topics and provide details regarding the beauty of the experimental studies that have tackled important topics in a single textbook. Cognitive Psychology: Key Readings helps fill this void and provides students with the opportunity to learn about the details of the actual articles and chapters that have had major influences in the development of this discipline. The classic papers were selected because they have been central in defining distinct areas of research or changing the way researchers think about a given topic. The reader can learn about the available literature that motivated a study, the theoretical rationale, and the details of the methods and results that were used to develop a better understanding of the topic. In this way, the reader can learn about the actual science of uncovering the theoretical issues, instead of simple overviews of the results. In addition, because cognitive psychology is constantly evolving, introductory sections to each topic are provided to help the reader better understand why a particular study is so important to the field. Along with an overview chapter that provides introductions to theoretical and methodological approaches that cognitive researchers have employed, Cognitive Psychology: Key Readings will begin to appreciate how scientists are unravelling how the mind works. ... Read more

Book Description
The interdisciplinary field of cognitive science brings together elements of cognitive psychology, mathematics, perception, and linguistics. Focusing on the main areas of exploration in this field today, Cognitive Science presents comprehensive overviews of research findings and discusses new cross-over areas of interest. Contributors represent the most senior and well-established names in the field. This volume serves as a high-level introduction, with sufficient breadth to be a graduate-level text, and enough depth to be a valued reference source to researchers. ... Read more

Book Description
Psychologists have been trying to understand the factors that underpin children's success and failure in different educational domains for many years. One psychological function that has been found to play an important role in educational achievement is 'working memory', the processes involved in the temporary maintenance and manipulation of information. This book provides the reader with an up-to-date review of the research that has identified how working memory relates to academic attainment in: reading, reading comprehension, arithmetic and writing, as well as looking at how children with difficulties relating to hearing impairment and attention deficits differ in terms of their working memory. Other chapters focus on how working memory is called upon in classroom settings, how working memory can be assessed, and approaches to remediation. The opening chapter of the book provides an account of working memory from the architect of the model that has dominated psychological theory for over two decades. This book is a valuable resource for psychologists, educationalists, and anyone seeking to understand more about the cognitive basis of educational achievement in children.

* It brings together in one volume information that would normally be found in different sources
* It brings together two disciplines that are highly relevant to one another (psychology and education) but not often linked directly
* Provides psychologists with a perspective on educational practice
* Provides educationalists with a well-established psychological framework for viewing educational phenomena
* It provides information about up-to-date research techniques
* It provides suggestions on how psychological theory can be translated into practice in educational settings ... Read more

Book Description
Cognitive Illusions investigates a wide range of fascinating psychological effects in the way we think, judge and remember in our every day lives. At the beginningof each chapter, leading researchers in the field introduce the background to phenomena such as; illusions of control, overconfidence and hindsight bias. This is followed by an explanation of the experimental context in which they can be investigated and a theoretical discussion which draws conclusions about the wider implications of these fallacy and bias effects. Written with researchers and instructors in mind this tightly edited reader friendly text provides both an overview of research in the area and many lively pedagogic features such as chapter summaries, further reading lists and experiment suggestions. ... Read more

Book Description
Alfred Adler along with his contemporary, Sigmund Freud, are founding figures in the field of psychology and psychotherapy. Although the two were colleagues, Adlerian theory stands in sharp contrast to Freud's early work, and unlike the latter, it has withstood the test of time more effectively regarding its relevance for today's patients and clinicians. This theory, also known as Individual Psychology, stresses the unity of the individual, the subjective choices he or she makes, and the goals the individual works toward as he or she moves through life. Therapists can apply this theory in a variety of settings with populations of all ages, making it a highly practical and valuable approach.

A Primer of Adlerian Psychology offers an accessible, yet very learned, introduction to this school of thought. Written by two scholars with extensive knowledge and experience in Adlerian Psychology, this book covers the basic tenets of Individual Psychology geared toward those students and clinicians who from which the reader can evaluate Adler's theories and where those theories stand today.

The authors have written the book with students in mind and have taken every opportunity to create a user-friendly primer. To help reinforce the lessons taught throughout the book, each chapter concludes with a summary of main points and review questions. Together with the authors' impressive scholarship, this book is an invaluable introductory text for any student or professional interested in learning about this ever practical and dynamic approach to psychotherapy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Putting the pieces together
After learning about Adlerian Psychology in different classes in grad school it was nice to have this book put all of the pieces together for a more in depth, wholistic, view of his theory. I now recommend this book to my collegues and counseling interns.

excelent for beginners and students
this book is much better as it seems, you must have it ... Read more