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Customer Reviews (9)

Making Cognitive-Behavioral Theraphy Work: Clinical Process for New Practitioners
This book is a good tool for new clinicians that are learning this theraphy and are implementing it in their sessions.

Making Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Work: Clinical Process for New Practitions
Not only is this book a concise easy read for practitioners, it can also benefit patients interested in the treatment they will be receiving.They will gain insight about CBT from a therapist's point of view.

Good basic overview
This is a good book for beginning clinicians who are tackling CBT. Some of the information is fairly basic and tedious (how to start interactions with clients, how to document notes) but the majority of the information is very useful in describing the basics of CBT and how to overcome obstacles in the CBT process.

Great Book!Easy read!
I have really enjoyed this book so far.It has been an easy and interesting read.

Clear Theoretical Writing
As a clinical doctoral student in psychology, this book was very helpful in presenting me with clear theoretical background in working with a variety of clients. I found the bibiography especially useful since it helped me to further focus on certain populations that I could try CBT with as my theory of choice. ... Read more

Product Description
An updated edition of the bestselling guide on reprogramming one's negative thoughts and behaviour

Once the province of mental health professionals, CBT (or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) has gained wide acceptance as the treatment of choice for anyone looking to overcome anxiety, lose weight, manage anger, beat an addiction, or simply gain a new outlook on life. Written by two CBT therapists, this bestselling guide helps you apply the principles of CBT in your everyday life-allowing you to spot errors in your thinking; tackle toxic thoughts; refocus and retrain your awareness; and finally, stand up to and become free of the fear, depression, anger, and obsessions that have been plaguing you.

• Includes tips on establishing ten healthy attitudes for living as well as ten ways to lighten up
• Helps you chart a path by defining problems and setting goals
• Offers advice on taking a fresh look at your past, overcoming any obstacles to progress as well as ways to maintain your CBT gains
• Includes new and refreshed content, including chapters on how to beat an addiction and overcome body image issues

With indispensable advice on finding your way out of the debilitating maze of negative thoughts and actions, the book is brimming with invaluable suggestions that will have even a confirmed pessimist well armed for the journey forward. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Great Book!
I would recommend this book to anyone as it is very well written and informative.I know this book is a great asset for me due to stress and the state of the economy.Highly recommended and if it will help a Veteran like me it will be of great value to anyone in these times we are living in,one of the best self help books I have ever read and very easy to understand.Buy this book,you won't be sorry! A+++

Very helpful publishing
I am a qualified counsellor and using this book to be able to assist street kids to understand the techniques we use is wonderful.Perfect natural down to earth illustration of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.Worth the buy.Thanks

An exceptional resource for people, patients and professionals!
This is an exceptional book with tons of practical and accessible information to help people struggling with emotional issues such as depression, anger, and anxiety. It is comprehensive in its scope covering everything from CBT concepts, sleep hygiene and mindfulness.This is a book that can help everyone from a person wanting to improve the quality of their life to a mental health professional working with clients.

There were two minor things that I noticed.First, the book appears to be written by an individual from the U.K.There are several instances where the British spelling of words are used (e.g.offence versus offense). (I initially thought the words were misspelled!)Second, some of the worksheets are little difficult to read and were not optimally transposed for the Kindle version.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone interesting in learning more about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and how to apply it in their daily life. It's easily to understand and fun to read!A great buy for your Kindle and an exceptional resource for self-help/mental health!

Dummies Rule!
When I need to know about a subject I find out if there is a For Dummies book about it.They don't mess around, they just tell it like it is.This book covered everything I needed to know in a no nonsense style.
Amazon comes through again, when I needed a book that my local bookstore did not have in stock.

Useful for the layman
While this book is well written and covers its material well, it limits itself to only a couple of the applications of CBT theory. Its utility is limited but would be a useful beginning point for the layman, but overly simplistic for the MH professional. ... Read more

Product Description
It has long been known that aspects of behavior run in families; studies show that characteristics related to cognition, temperament, and all major psychiatric disorders are heritable. This volume offers a primer on understanding the genetic mechanisms of such inherited traits. It proposes a set of tools—a conceptual basis—for critically evaluating recent studies and offers a survey of results from the latest research in the emerging fields of cognitive genetics and imaging genetics. The chapters emphasize fundamental issues regarding the design of experiments, the use of bioinformatic tools, the integration of data from different levels of analysis, and the validity of findings, arguing that associations between genes and cognitive processes must be replicable and placed in a neurobiological context for validation.

The Genetics of Cognitive Neuroscience aims to give the reader a working understanding of the influence of specific genetic variants on cognition, affective regulation, personality, and central nervous system disorders. With its emphasis on general methodological points, it will remain a valuable resource in a fast-evolving field.

Contributors: Kristin L. Bigos, Katherine E. Burdick, Jingshan Chen, Aiden Corvin, Jeffrey L. Cummings, Ian J. Deary, Gary Donahoe, Eco J. C. de Geus, Jin Fan, Erika E. Forbes, John Fossella, Terry E. Goldberg, Ahmad R. Hariri, Lucas Kempf, Anil K. Malhotra, Venkata S. Mattay, Lauren M. McGrath. Kristin K. Nicodemus, Francesco Papaleo, Bruce F. Pennington, Michael I. Posner, Danielle Posthuma, John M. Ringman, Shelley D. Smith, Daniel R. Weinberger, Fengyu Zhang

Issues in Clinical and Cognitive Neuropsychology series ... Read more

Product Description
(The Royal Society) Text seeks to understand the neuronal events and processes responsible for the remarkable range of cognitive tasks carried out by primate brains. For students and researchers involved in brain research. Illustrated; includes full-color inserts. Softcover, hardcover available. ... Read more

Product Description
Exciting new research has yielded potential breakthroughs in our understanding of how the mind ages. We have learned, for example, that as we age, cognitive decline may depend less on loss of brain cells age than on changes in the health of neurons and neural networks. Not only has research shown promise of new ways to promote cognitive functioning in older people, it has also revealed the link between biology and culture as determinants of cognitive functioning. Past life experiences, present living situations, changing motives, cultural expectations, physical health status, and sensory-motor capabilities are all factors in how we adapt to changes in our nervous system as we age-and may affect the brain itself.

On the basis of these exciting findings, this book makes specific recommendations for federal support of major research initiatives in three areas:

* Neural health
* Cognition in context
* Structure of the aging mind ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The aging mind review
The Aging Mind offers a global view on what is and should be the research on cognition in aging. It's a framework that integrates the most relvant areas of research and proposes specific actions to improve understanding of the aging mind and develop actions for promoting health in the aging elder. This book helps anyone that wants to do reaserch on cognitive aging. ... Read more

Product Description

This is the fully revised and updated second edition of the very sucessful introductory textbook on cognitive neuroscience. Written by two leading experts in the field, this textbook book takes a unique thematic approach to introduce concepts of cognitive neurosciences, guiding students along a clear path to understand the latest findings whether or not they have a background in neuroscience. New to this edition are Frontiers in Cognitive Neuroscience text boxes; each one focuses on a leading researcher and their topic of expertise. There is a new chapter on Genes and Molecules of Cognition, and all other chapters have been thoroughly revised, based on the most recent discoveries.

Customer Reviews (8)

Excellent, accessible introduction
This book serves as a highly readable introduction to cognitive neuroscience, an excellent place to start before jumping into more in-depth books. I've only read the 2nd edition and I don't notice any of the problems with the 1st edition that other reviewers mentioned so I assume they were fixed in the 2nd edition. All in all, highly recommended

Poorly written
This book looks like a clear, relatively easy introduction to its subject, because the illustrations are ample and text is not dense. However, the writing and organization are poor, perhaps because it's a first edition. But at present, it's not worth buying.

Nice presentation of a complex subject
I picked this book because I was looking for a book that did not require a background in neuroscience, but would still provide a somewhat detailed account of the structures of the brain, what function(s) they're involved in and how they work together. This book fit the bill quite well. It's a serious science book that covered this (and more), but is still readable.

At a very high level the topics covered include the history of neuroscience, microstructures in the brain (such as neurons), the different parts of the brain and their functions, how these parts interact with each other, the interpretation of visual and audio input (both at a fine grained level and at the level of understanding language) and speech production. There are also several chapters covering long/short term memory, cognition, consciousness and more.

One of the things I liked is that the topics are often covered from a very low level perspective of how the brain functions as an organ and from a higher level phenomenological perspective. Evidence for the former coming from things like fMRI scans and PET scans of people engaged in certain cognitive tasks. Evidence for the later coming from things like case studies of people that had certain parts of their brain damaged and how that affects their behavior or their ability to perform certain tasks. There were also some diagrams that allowed the reader to directly experience some of the phenomena being discussed, for example lateral inhibition and the brain's perception of ambiguous data.

A short list of some of the things I found especially interesting include: therole of RNA and protein synthesis in the formation of long term memory, some parts of the adult brain have undifferentiated cells and the cerebellum has a role in cognitive functions (one of the few things I previously thought I knew about the brain was the cerebellum was only used for motor control), that olfactory information goes directly to the context (previously I only had a vague idea about the sense of smell being primitive in some sense), why the pleasure from anticipating an event often actually exceeds the pleasure of the event itself, how easily people get false memories, and the importance of sleep in forming long term memories.

All-in-all I liked this book a lot, but in my opinion it did have a few short comings. While most of the diagrams were helpful, some were confusing. There was a silly mistake referring to Galileo using his telescope to look at the moons of "Venus". I also think a couple of the statements were questionable. One is a claim that out conceptual system is a consequence of the language we speak. This is a fairly vague statement. Depending on the meaning of "conceptual system" its truth could be anywhere from obviously true to obviously false. Another is that it's stated that the main character of studies of executive functions of the brain tends to be reductionistic in nature, and it's stated that this is unfortunate. No reasons for that judgment were given, it's just hard to tell if it's a knee jerk reaction against reductionism (which exists) or if there are some needed phenomenological studies that aren't being done.

For me the main drawback is that it had only a small amount of material on neurotransmitters. There was a reference to an "Appendix C" that apparently supposed to cover them. However, my copy of the book does not have an appendix C (since the binding is intact it was printed that way). Obviously I don't know if this is a systematic problem or not.

For me it was a very good choice and I'm very happy I bought it.

High hopes, poor outcome
I have been teaching "Mind, Brain and Behavior", and introductory course in Cognitive Neuroscience, for the past 10 years to college students at Columbia University and the City University of New York. After using Gazzaniga, Ivry and Mangun's "Cognitive Neuroscience: Biology of the Mind" for 8 of those years, I decided to try the Baars text because it appeared to have a strong overarching theme that would provide for greater pedagogy than my previous text. Indeed, skimming the text and the chapters suggests that it would be a beautiful, up-to-date and well-integrated treatment of cognitive neuroscience, with an emphasis on consciousness that is aligned with my own interests. So I assigned it to my class of 100.

I should have read it more carefully before doing that. In fact, I spent the semester trying to help them figure out what the figures really meant (since they didn't actually match what was discussed in the text much of the time), clarify concepts that came out of the blue, and generally apologizing to the students for all the clerical errors. It was frustrating for them and for me. Many of them wanted their money back from the publisher.

For students who are trying to learn new material, poor editing is particularly damaging because it creates unnecessary confusion (on top of the necessary confusion that comes with approaching challenging material). Even experts or interested laypeople shouldn't have to struggle through such poor editing in order to get information.

Needless to say, I'm not using the Baars text anymore. Hopefully, the 2nd edition will be better edited. I don't think it could be worse - in fact I've never read anything that was so poorly executed.

One positive note: I would say that the powerpoint slides that came with the instructor's version of the text were actually more useful than most instructor materials.Also, it has a cool bookmark.

Great design, flawed execution
The design of this book is superb, and the approach to explaining a complex subject in a manner approachable to beginners and laymen is clever. Unfortunately, the execution is so flawed that the book is nearly worthless as a learning tool. The text often reads like a partially edited first draft, full of distracting inconsistencies, digressions, repetitions, and discussions that elaborate on concepts introduced later on, if ever. The index is grossly inadequate and references are often hazy. For example, on page 24, a quote is attributed to "Baddeley, personal communication." There is no entry in the index for Baddeley, but there are 5 entries in the bibliography for what would appear to be 3 different authors named Baddeley (A., A.D., and T.C.), although given the quality of the editing, they could actually refer to the same person. The book also desperately needs a glossary.

But the worst problem for a book that relies heavily on visual representation to get across its message is the frequent disconnect between text and illustrations. Some examples: In Figure 1.7, which introduces the major landmarks of the brain, the upper and lower portions are reversed from the way they are identified in the text. The framework upon which the entire teaching experience is based is introduced in an unnumbered figure at the front of Chapter 2, but what is labeled "Response output" in the figure is then called "motor output" in the text. The note under a truth table on page 459("Notice that the third Input column correlates with the Output") makes no sense because the input columns have been collapsed and appear to be a single 3-digit number. This kind of disconnect happens time and again throughout the book.

As an attractive coffee table book, this volume is not overpriced. As a textbook, the idea is great but I'd suggest waiting for a corrected second edition.
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Product Description
Modern psychology began with the adoption of experimental methods at the end of the nineteenth century: Wilhelm Wundt established the first formal laboratory in 1879; universities created independent chairs in psychology shortly thereafter; and William James published the landmark work Principles of Psychology in 1890. In A History of Modern Experimental Psychology, George Mandler traces the evolution of modern experimental and theoretical psychology from these beginnings to the "cognitive revolution" of the late twentieth century. Throughout, he emphasizes the social and cultural context, showing how different theoretical developments reflect the characteristics and values of the society in which they occurred. Thus, Gestalt psychology can be seen to mirror the changes in visual and intellectual culture at the turn of the century, behaviorism to embody the parochial and puritanical concerns of early twentieth-century America, and contemporary cognitive psychology as a product of the postwar revolution in information and communication.

After discussing the meaning and history of the concept of mind, Mandler treats the history of the psychology of thought and memory from the late nineteenth century to the end of the twentieth, exploring, among other topics, the discovery of the unconscious, the destruction of psychology in Germany in the 1930s, and the relocation of the field’s "center of gravity" to the United States. He then examines a more neglected part of the history of psychology—the emergence of a new and robust cognitive psychology under the umbrella of cognitive science. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Insightful, personal and illuminating history
This is a relatively brief but insightful history of the development of experimental psychology. It sticks somewhat narrowly to the experimental psychologies of perception, cognition and memory, so it does not immediately have the kind of attraction to psychologists in fields which are more exposed to the demands of society, such as the study of social behavior or of psychopathology. But this history, unlike others in the field of academic psychology, does provide many insights into the social factors which affected the development of the theories and the methods of scientific study. The author, for example, provides an account of the disruption of psychology in Germany after the elevation to power of Hitler and the National Socialists in 1933. This not only changed the entire face of the ertswhile powerful force of German psychology, but because of the flight of psychologists from Germany, America became the site of the dominant forces in the intellectual and social influences on the discipline, an effect which has continued to this day. The amalgamation of the traditions of German psychology with the pragmatism of American science and philosophy led to the creation of forms of psychology which have had profound effects upon both the discipline but also the wider society. It is not difficult to see how different the practice of psychology would be today had such events not occurred. (Unmaking the West: "What-If?" Scenarios That Rewrite World HistoryMandler is relatively unusual in giving this kind of broader picture in an understanding of the forces which affect the emergence of a discipline. At the more narrow disciplinary level,he is also able to analyse the developments in scientific psychology since the Second World War, especially those in the rise of cognitive science, as he himself was a leading experimenter and theorist at the time. He iscircumspect and modest in alluding to his contributions, but nevertheless he was there and he was a leading member of the strong contributors, so his insights into the development of the field are based upon intellectual analysis enhanced by personal views that clarify and illuminate the accounts.
This is a very useful volume, attractive to psychologists who have lived through the developments and also likely to bo so to students of the field who will be given a qualitative understanding of the issues that they may well not achieve from other, more traditional, treatments.





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Product Description
One of the founders of cognitive therapy writes a clear, comprehensive guide to the basis of emotional disturbance and highlights such important concepts as learning the meaning of hidden messages, listening to automatic thoughts, the role of sadness, anger and anxiety, understanding and overcoming phobias and depression, and applying the cognitive system of therapy to specific problems. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Excellent For The Therapist Inside...
Excellent Customer Service Skills.Very satisfied with the product and the price!Shipping was a breeze!Purchased for some enlightment into different theraputic measures and expectations far exceeded our belief's!Great for the therapist inside you!

God Bless :))

Very easy and educational
From the originator of the practice, this is an easy book to understand, and had some very helpful tools in it, especially if you are already proactive with therapy.

Cognitive Therapy and The Emotional Disorders
We found this book to be very helpful when working with our adopted Son with emotional and mental health issues. It helped us to see things in a better light and to understand why he does some of the things he does.

Good Stuff!
Having heard about "cognitive therapy" and how successful it can be, I recently decided to order this book from Amazon in hope of learning more about this widely recognized and demonstrated psychotherapeutic model and approach.I am really glad that I did, as I can honestly say, sans all exaggeration, that thoughtfully perusing this book from the late 1970s has probably helped me more than reading/studying any book on psychology or "self help" has helped me in many years.While contemplating some of the logical insights this book contains, I found myself, almost unintentionally, rather quickly identifying and correcting a few of my own erroneous "automatic thoughts" and thereby adroitly overcoming a major acute irrational neurotic/phobic fear that, quite frankly, had personally haunted me for decades, apparently as a result of some repeated direct exposure to major trauma when I was younger and subsequent hysteric "somatic imaging".

Otherwise, I am pleased to report that this book is quite understandable, even though it is in no way"dummied down".While the narrative contains a few technical terms and occasional "big words", I think that, overall, this book is quite accessible, informative, and even "common sensical" for an intelligent/educated layperson.The reader does not have to be a trained mental health professional to benefit significantly from reading this book or to comprehend the information that it contains.

Simple Student
Reading Cognitive Therapy for a book report, I found myself boggled down with heavy...almost convoluted terminology.The book could have been written lighter, andyet not miss the meaning nor the purpose of writing it. I would suggest the book for someone who not only had a sold foundation in psychology ,but also has the ability to cipher through the heavy language. ... Read more

Product Description

Treating Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating explains how cognitive therapy can be used to treat those suffering from bulimia nervosa. The manual provides a step-by-step treatment guide, incorporating a number of case examples offering detailed explanations of the treatment process, questionnaires, worksheets and practical exercises for the client, which will provide a framework and focus for therapy. The authors use existing techniques, as well as new integrated cognitive and metacognitive methods developed from their recent research, to take the therapist from initial assessment to the end of treatment and beyond, with chapters covering:

• engagement and motivation
• case formulation and socialisation
• detached mindfulness strategies
• positive and negative beliefs.

This practical guide will allow those treating patients with bulimia nervosa to take advantage of recent developments in the field and will be an essential tool for all therapists working with this eating disorder.

Product Description
Cognitive Development considers how thinking intelligence and moral understanding develops in chidlhood. Key theories are discussed, along with their real-world applications. ... Read more

Product Description
These essays on a range of topics in the cognitive neurosciences report on the progress in the field over the twenty years of its existence and reflect the many groundbreaking scientific contributions and enduring influence of Michael Gazzaniga, "the godfather of cognitive neuroscience"—founder of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, founding editor of the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, and editor of the major reference work, The Cognitive Neurosciences, now in its fourth edition (MIT Press, 2009). The essays, grouped into four sections named after four of Gazzaniga's books, combine science and memoir in varying proportions, and offer an authoritative survey of research in cognitive neuroscience.

"The Bisected Brain" examines hemispheric topics pioneered by Gazzaniga at the start of his career; "The Integrated Mind" explores the theme of integration by domination; the wide-ranging essays in "The Social Brain" address subjects from genes to neurons to social conversations and networks; the topics explored in "Mind Matters" include evolutionary biology, methodology, and ethics.

Contributors: Kathleen Baynes, Giovanni Berlucchi, Leo M. Chalupa, Mark D’Esposito, Margaret G. Funnell, Mitchell Glickstein, Scott A. Guerin, Todd F. Heatherton, Steven A. Hillyard, William Hirst, Alan Kingstone, Stephen M. Kosslyn, Marta Kutas, Elisabetta Làdavas, Joseph Ledoux, George R. Mangun, Michael B. Miller, Elizabeth A. Phelps, Steven Pinker, Michael I. Posner, Patricia A. Reuter-Lorenz, Mary K. Rothbart, Andrea Serino, Brad E. Sheese ... Read more

Product Description
Chronic pain has a multitude of causes, many of which are not well understood or effectively treated by medical therapies.Individuals with chronic pain often report that pain interferes with their ability to engage in occupational, social, or recreational activities. Their inability to engage in these everyday activities may contribute to increased isolation, negative mood, and physical deconditioning, which in turn can contribute to their experience of pain.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been proven effective at managing various chronic pain conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, chronic back pain, and tension/migraine headache. CBT engages patients in an active coping process aimed at changing maladaptive thoughts and behaviors that can serve to maintain and exacerbate the experience of chronic pain. Managing Chronic Pain, Therapist Guidedistills many of these empirically validated techniques into one convenient volume that no clinician can do without. Each session presents the basic methods of a technique, such as stress management, sleep hygiene, relaxation therapy, and cognitive restructuring.

Designed to be used in conjunction with the corresponding workbook, this therapist guide offers a complete treatment program. It provides session outlines, sample dialogues, and homework assignments for each technique, as well as addresses assessment and relapse. This CBT program can be used for the successful management of chronic pain, helping patients regain control of their lives.

TreatmentsThatWorkTM represents the gold standard of behavioral healthcare interventions!



·All programs have been rigorously tested in clinical trials and are backed by years of research


·A prestigious scientific advisory board, led by series Editor-In-Chief David H. Barlow, reviews and evaluates each intervention to ensure that it meets the highest standard of evidence so you can be confident that you are using the most effective treatment available to date


·Our books are reliable and effective and make it easy for you to provide your clients with the best care available


·Our corresponding workbooks contain psychoeducational information, forms and worksheets, and homework assignments to keep clients engaged and motivated


·A companion website (www.oup.com/us/ttw) offers downloadable clinical tools and helpful resources


·Continuing Education (CE) Credits are now available on select titles in collaboration with PsychoEducational Resources, Inc. (PER) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Outstanding resource for clinicians and health care providers
This is an outstanding guide that provides health care providers with a step by step, cognitive behavioral approach for teaching patients how to manage chronic pain.The guide is clearly written, and is an essential resource for anyone working with patients who may be dealing with painful conditions.The guide includes helpful, concrete advice regarding how to teach patients the most important skills for managing the psychological aspects of chronic pain conditions so that they can go on to lead healthier lives. ... Read more

Product Description
The essays in this volume are concerned with our everyday and developed scientific systems of explanation of human behavior in terms of beliefs, attitudes, memories, and the like. The volume provides an introduction to the lively contemporary debate about the status and theoretical viability of such forms of "folk-psychological" explanation, in the light of recent developments in neurobiology and cognitive science.It can be used as a textbook for advanced courses in the philosophy of mind, psychology, and cognitive science. ... Read more

Product Description
Never HIGHLIGHT a Book Again!Virtually all testable terms, concepts, persons, places, and events are included. Cram101 Textbook Outlines gives all of the outlines, highlights, notes for your textbook with optional online practice tests. Only Cram101 Outlines are Textbook Specific. Cram101 is NOT the Textbook. ... Read more

Product Description
"Cognitive psychology," "cognitive neuroscience," and "philosophy of mind" are names for three very different scientific fields, but they label aspects of the same scientific goal: to understand the nature of mental phenomena. Today, the three disciplines strongly overlap under the roof of the cognitive sciences. The book's purpose is to present views from the different disciplines on one of the central theories in cognitive science: the theory of mental models. Cognitive psychologists report their research on the representation and processing of mental models in human memory. Cognitive neuroscientists demonstrate how the brain processes visual and spatial mental models and which neural processes underlie visual and spatial thinking. Philosophers report their ideas about the role of mental models in relation to perception, emotion, representation, and intentionality. The single articles have different and mutually complementing goals: to introduce new empirical methods and approaches, to report new experimental results, and to locate competing approaches for their interpretation in the cross-disciplinary debate. The book is strongly interdisciplinary in character. It is especially addressed to researchers in any field related to mental models theory as both a reference book and an overview of present research on the topic in other disciplines. However, it is also an ideal reader for a specialized graduate course.

*Examines the theory of mental models from the perspectives of cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience and philosophy of the mind
*Introduces new empirical methods, experimental results, and interdisciplinary yet complementary approaches
*Serves as a reference book and an overview of current research ... Read more

Product 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

Product Description
"Anyone who has contemplated suicide and anyone with a suicidal loved one will profit from the straightforward and helpful suggestions in this book".--Danny Wedding, Ph.D., M.P.H., Director, Missouri Institute of Mental Health. ". . . this easy-to-read book can help suicidal people understand their suffering while they take charge of their own healing".--Paul G. Quinnett, Ph.D., author of SUICIDE: THE FOREVER DECISION. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Worth five stars just for its insights
It's obvious that the authors of this book are extremely compassionate professionals.Although one may not subscribe to the theory of cognitive therapy being an effective solution for depressive or suicidal invididuals, the first few chapters alone are worth the price of the book: they are insightful, non-judgmental and empathetic.I am reading this book from the angle of someone with an extremely depressed family member, and I can't wait to give it to him, because I think he will find hope in its message.Highly recommended for those contemplating harming themselves; just as highly recommended for their friends and family members.

only a single approach offered
For those struggling with suicidal thoughts, please know that - although this book is a mostly solid presentation on cognitive interventions - it ONLY addresses the issue from the cognitive perspective. Though the bookis not forthright on this issue, it provides a very narrow perspective and collection of techniques. If this book is not for you, please know that there are several other credible resources. Sadly, this book omits much of what the suicidal person's inner experience is while presenting itself as comprehensive and authoritative. On page 2, the book suggests that, if you don't get results from it, "give yourself... understanding". No. It is not your fault that it didn't work, it is the fault of the cognitive perspective and the authors. Though this book will undoubtedly save lives, if you are someone who suffers from suicidal ideation and this book has failed you, know that you deserve better. You're not alone.

Full of Good Ideas
I am a psychologist who has worked with suicidal individuals every day for 30 years and I found many new ideas in this book.I borrowed it from the library and read it and I was so impressed by it that I ordered 2 copies today: one for my reference and one to loan my patients.I used ideas from it with my patients the first day I read them.Very practical and written to speak to the suicidal individual right where they are, addressing directly the thinking that people fall into when depressed and phrased in the words that I have heard from my patients thousands of times.I don't know where the one-star reviewer is coming from: I did not in any way feel that this book was talking down to the reader or not taking their concerns or situation seriously.It is honest and forthright, no rah-rah Pollyanna preaching.

Some Good Ideas, But Overall Condescending
This book seems to pretend to be open-minded, while herding the reader in the direction the authors wish to go.The book also glosses over the idea that there are serious, unsolvable dilemmas, and instead gives examples of easily solved issues.

A person facing severe, unremitting problems may feel trivialized by this book.

Choosing to live is one of a kind
Choosing to live is one of a kind. It offers cognitive behavioral therapy as the basis for effective suicide intervention. The first few chapters discuss suicide's stigma and risk factors. The first chapter appropriately opens with the statement, "Getting Rid of the Stigma"-an accurate description of our priorities.

The remaining chapters deal with various cognitive distortions and strategies. These thought distortions such as all-or-nothing thinking, overgeneralization, and shoulds and musts, can be the precursors of aggravation. They are also the fuel that maintain and worsen the suicidal fire.

The book's cognitive behavioral interventions to manage and control suicidal thoughts are remarkable.I like the "Socratic Method"-asking the right questions to create clarity in ones thinking. "Logical/Empirical Approach" is also an effective way of dispelling inappropriate thoughts about oneself. For instance, if you believe that you're performing poorly at work, then you have to start "testing" the validity of such belief.

Choosing to live has offered a lot of strategies-ventilation, mobilizing support networks, and distraction-that sound reasonable and easy to do. I therefore recommend this book to anyone who desperately needs to cope. ... Read more

Product Description
In the rich fabric of daily experience peculiar chinks may occur. They give us pause to reflect on the world and how we relate to it. This revised edition of a timeless classic will help you to see the reality of anomalous experience as part of your own psychological tapestry. Dr Reed shows how the mind's organisational capability and its information processing set the stage for strange happenings. Understanding the choices you make - albeit unconsciously - when perceiving the world serves to explain both the usual and the unusual, without recourse to the supernatural. ... Read more

Product Description
A groundbreaking scientific examination of the way our brains understand politics from a New York Times bestselling author

One of the world 's best-known linguists and cognitive scientists, George Lakoff has a knack for making science make sense for general readers. In his new book, Lakoff spells out what cognitive science has discovered about reason, and reveals that human reason is far more interesting than we thought it was. Reason is physical, mostly unconscious, metaphorical, emotion-laden, and tied to empathy-and there are biological explanations behind our moral and political thought processes. His call for a New Enlightenment is a bold and striking challenge to the cherished beliefs not only of philosophers, but of pundits, pollsters, and political leaders. The Political Mind is a passionate, erudite, and groundbreaking book that will appeal to anyone interested in how the mind works and how we function socially and politically. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Promoting Empathy, Showing None
Two quick thoughts on George Lakoff's The Political Mind that offer another interpretation of a book that otherwise appears to have received a good reception from Amazon users.

First, Lakoff repeatedly reiterates how the repeated usage of a certain discourse has the affect of empowering that discourse in the community, culture, or society in which it is used.However, one of the central arguments he is trying to make is that "bioconceptualism" exists, and that pigeonholing people into one camp or another is not accurate because nearly everyone has elements of both cognitive frames.This is interesting because his book uses, without question, the two categories that he is urging people to move beyond: "conservative" (or its cousin, "neoliberal") and "progressive" (or its cousin, "liberal").Seen in this way, Lakoff is urging people to understand the power of repetition of words, frames, and metaphors while also calling for a biconceptual understanding of our cognitive capabilities--yet he literally assaults the reader with the terms "conservative" and "progressive" throughout the course of the book.This brings up the related issue of whether or not "biconceptual" is in fact that best term for what he is arguing for.The prefix "bi," of course, means two (2).So Lakoff argues that our mind has two, and only two, different ways of conceptualizing a given input.Might a term such as "multiconceptual" be a more accurate way of expressing the notion that we are not limited in our ability to make supposedly conflicting decisions in different contexts?The root of this issue is again his use of "conservative" and "progressive."It seems patently absurd that one would argue that we need to break down our traditional understanding of contemporary politics (and expounds upon the power of discourse), only to use those exact same terms in which to "frame" his entire argument.

Second, his presentation (indeed, its own discourse), also forces the reader from the very first page to identify which of the two categorizations they fall into.If you identify as a "conservative," the likelihood of you making it past page seven is extremely low because Lakoff's makes no secret of his affinity for progressives (Does anyone else get the feeling that Lakoff really wants to share an intimate moment with Barak Obama?) and the apparent backwardness of conservatives.It might be argued that Lakoff intends this book as a strategy guide for progressives, and thus it was his intention to turn away conservatives, so as not to share any of his "secrets" with them.Yet this argument is undermined by his call to expand the national dialogue and to move beyond fixed political identities.It doesn't take graduate school training in conflict mediation to realize that it is impossible to bring people together by castigating one group while putting the other on a pedestal.On the other hand, if you identify as a "progressive," Lakoff's argument is incredibly affirming and could be argued to border on self-indulgent flattery.If we temporally situate this publication of this book at the end of a decade of (overt) neoliberal control of the United States, then this book appears to be strategically positioned as a political celebration.Even if this assessment is wide of the mark, can it realistically be argued that this book encourages progressives to have empathy (the key tenet of the book) for conservatives and to reach out to them to help to mend a divided country?In one instance, Lakoff shares his "research findings" that "conservatives showed less ability to respond to complex and potentially conflicting situations." Using this example (of which it is literally the minnow of callous critique in the ocean that is his book), are self identified "progressives" more likely to read this and be moved toward compassion, or to develop a holier-than-thou attitude?

One way or the other, it seems uncontroversial to state that Lakoff, while encouraging a return to empathy, finds himself deeply lacking in said attribute.If Lakoff is accurately portraying neurosciences potential contribution to the issue of bridging political divides (a field that I am not claiming to have any prior knowledge of), then maybe we would all be better served to stick with more traditional methods of conflict resolution such as dueling, roshampo, and bloody knuckles--at least these options have the potential for being accessible to everyone, regardless of political affiliation.

Mind in the matter
George Lakoff really changes the way we view the world by challenging our belief in the existence of "sheer facts". He shows scientifically that this is not how our brain works, but that every new "fact" entering our mind is sorted and gauged by our already existing beliefs about the world, our emotions, or experiences. There is no such thing as a neutral fact as little as there is a perception of an "objective reality".
Another mind-blowing book by him is "Metaphors we live by", where he proves how the way we speak about the world, the images we choose, the metaphors, reflect how we think and feel about the world.

A cognitive scientist's rant about politics

I was disappointed with this book.

I was hoping for a book full of solid cognitive science, offering readers insights in order to make their own judgements and to better understand politics. Instead, the book felt like a rant about politics; a rant which just happens to be written by a cognitive scientist. Many studies are mentioned, but little detail is provided (though, the author does include references), and the discussion feels very much like hand-waving. I don't doubt the author's own credentials, but he leaves little opportunity for the reader to reach their own conclusions.

I therefore found the political discussion unconvincing and cheesy (this may have also have been in part because I am not an American and the book is very US-centric).

However, the book was not a complete waste of my time -- I did enjoy reading it as it offered a way of thinking about discourse in terms of framing and metaphors.

The real Obama nation: neuropolitics
For the better part of forty years less than a quarter of the electorate dominated American politics.

The second Amendment was honored and sanctified.Our American wildnerness was cut down as fast as could be.The military machine was fed along with corporate America while sub poverty line mothers and children were starved.The execution of criminals proceeded apace and abortion rights were frozen all to the chagrin of most electors who if categorically given the choice would have chosen otherwise.

How? Why?

In the academic arena these questions plagued George Lakoff.Since his 1977 masterwork Metaphors We Live By, Lakoff has been at the forefront of neuroscience.Neuroscience is a field which examines the morphology of the brain.

Neuroscience says that just as evolution has effected the way our bodies look, it has also effected the way our minds work too.

In applying neuroscientific principles to political question of why right wing politics was so strong Lakoff discovered that it benefited from the strength a cohesive, emotionally appealing vision.

According to Lakoff for over forty years right wingers dominated by selling the dream of a Leave it to Beaver America with a strong disciplinarian father who could protect us from the mean world "out there."In this way, like the Nazis who were able to alternatively harken their people back to a Germany that never was, the American right proselytized for an America which never should be.

That the left finally got the message and responded with its own cohesive vision is now history but this book is nevertheless sober reading of what can happen and just how easily it can happen.

A must read for anyone in the political world!
Lackoff is perhaps the foremost linguist and cognitive scientist working in the realm of political speech and this iteration of "The Political Mind" follows on the heels of his 2008 book "The Political Mind: You Can't Understand 21st Century American Politics with an 18th Century Brain" as well as "Framing the Debate" (2007), "Thinking Points" (2006) and "Don't Think of an Elephant" (2004), all of which focus on how politicians employ language to frame their arguments.For a layperson the idea of reading a book on linguistics and cognitive science sounds daunting, but Lakoff is a master at making the material easy to understand while not dumbing things down.The main idea Lakoff puts forward is that reason is mostly unconscious and challenges the conventional wisdom of many political scientists, political theorists, policy makers and other scholars regarding how to frame issues for the electorate.The key problem for those parties, to Lakoff's theory, is that they fail to grasp the biological explanations that drive the electorate's thought processes.Lakoff frequently points to the successes Republicans have had in framing issues through narratives when presenting ideas to the electorate rather than presenting raw facts, statistics and data which largely leave voters to frame the issue in their own minds.The net result is voters understand the narratives presented by Republicans to frame the argument.Failure to frame the information presented results in widely varying degrees of comprehension and mixed messages or in some cases the "paralysis of analysis."This is perhaps the argument that is of most value to political scientists, theorists, and policy makers but potentially the hardest for some to embrace as it runs counter to long-held beliefs.

"The Political Mind" is indeed a thought provoking book and it abounds with ideas and concepts relating to political theory.Lakoff's arguments are relatively simple, straightforward, and easy to grasp, but written in a prose that will certainly appeal to the reader and their intellect.The decidedly retro cover may be a bit offputting with its 1970s graphic, but don't let that fool you; "The Political Mind" is a must read for anyone in the political world! ... Read more