Cognition, Brain, and Consciousness
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"This is a wonderful introductory cognitive neuroscience textbook that would be an excellent required book for an undergraduate course. I highly recommend it." -Michael J. Schrift, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, in Doody's "This is a wonderful, unique textbook, in the form of an edited volume, that makes the field of cognitive neuroscience come alive. It strikes an excellent balance between three interlocking frontiers: behavioral evidence on cognitive processes; neural evidence from brain research, neurology, and neuroimaging; and philosophical responses to this research, pointing out its implications for human consciousness and subjective experience. With its numerous helpful, vivid color illustrations and an engaging writing style throughout, the text makes inherently technical material accessible without losing sight of the exciting new findings and ideas coming from the research. An instructor could find it useful for courses on more than one topic and for courses at more than one level of sophistication. The coverage is sweeping, ranging from the level of the neuron to the whole brain and to the conceptual levels of cognitive psychology and social cognition and emotion. There are many reasons why researchers and instructors in cognitive neuroscience and allied fields need this book. --Nelson Cowan, Curators' Professor, Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, USA "Though intended as a text for students of psychology, biology, education and medicine, Cognition, Brain and Consciousness has much to offer the intelligent layperson and even experts in cognitive neuroscience. It's clearly and entertainingly written, abundantly illustrated and content rich, making this complex, but fascinating, field accessible to all." --Stan Franklin, Ph.D., W. Harry Feinstone Interdisciplinary Research Professor Director, Institute for Intelligent Systems The University of Memphis, Tennessee, USA "Masterfully organized and comprehensive in its coverage, this textbook will surely be THE introduction to cognitive neuroscience. The contributing authors are highly accomplished experts, and details are deftly selected to illustrate principles as well as to launch the curious reader into the exciting but vast realm of the nervous system. Anatomy, sometimes the bane of introductions to the brain, is gracefully interwoven on a need-to-know basis. In a clever use of IT, the accompanying website provides videos of human patients as well as powerpoint slides for anatomy and physiology. The companion website will be updated regularly with the latest results, and in the open-source tradition, website ideas are solicited from imaginative readers. A powerful pedagogical achievement, and a boon for both the novice and the advanced student." --Patricia Smith Churchland, Chair UC President's Professor of Philosophy University of California San Diego, USA "Comprehensive, authoritative and beautifully illustrated, this is a superb introduction to cognitive neuroscience. It is ideally suited as a text to accompany an undergraduate or graduate course. The depth and sophistication of its treatment of key topics make it more than a mere introductory text, though, and it can be read with profit by all with an interest in how the brain supports cognition, whether student or established researcher." --Michael D. Rugg, Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory at the University of California, Irvine, USA
Product Description
This is a textbook for psychology, neuroscience, pre-medical students, and everybody interested in the neuroscience of cognition. A wave of new research is transforming our understanding of the human mind and brain. Many educational fields now require a basic understanding of the new topic of cognitive neuroscience. However, available textbooks are written more for biology audiences than for psychology and related majors. This text aims to bridge that gap. A background in biology of neuroscience is not required. The thematic approach builds on widely understood concepts in psychology, such as working memory, selective attention, and social cognition.Edited by two leading experts in the field, the book guides the reader along a clear path to understand the latest findings. A support website provides all figures in electronic format with export to Powerpoint, as well as supplementary material including movies and support material for teachers and students. (note: support website will be available after June 10, 2007). It is written specifically for psychology, pre-medical, education and neuroscience undergraduate and graduate students. The thematic approach builds on accepted concepts, not presuming a background in neuroscience or biology. Ancillary material includes a companion website and Learning Guide for students. It includes two Appendices on brain imaging and neural networks written by Thomas Ramsoy and Igor Aleksander.It introduces the brain in a step-by-step, readable style, with gradually increasing sophistication. It is richly illustrated in full color with clear and detailed drawings that build the brain from top to bottom, simplifying the layout of the brain for students. The pedagogy includes exercises and study questions at the end of each chapter, including drawing exercises.g
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
0 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If you want a book about the current state of neuroscience and the study of cognition then this is a great book. If you want to know about consciousness, or the mind-brain relationship and related problems, then I suggest you buy some books about philosophy of mind, epistemology and metaphysics. Any scientist who has followed the debate about philosophy of mind over the past twenty years ought to know by now that you cannot get away with writing a book about "consciousness" without a keen awareness of the epistemic limitations of physical science. If you're a fan of Daniel Dennett and the Churchlands then you might approve. If instead you think that Dennett and the Churchlands have lost the plot then you will probably not. No mention of "the hard problem" in the index. No mention of David Chalmers.
The one star in the review was because this book fails to take account of the fact that much of the modern "science of consciousness" was debunked by philosophers over 200 years ago. Had the book been called "Neuroscience and Cognitive Science" then I'd have given it four stars. Scientists should stick to science. Leave the philosophy to the philosophers.
The one star in the review was because this book fails to take account of the fact that much of the modern "science of consciousness" was debunked by philosophers over 200 years ago. Had the book been called "Neuroscience and Cognitive Science" then I'd have given it four stars. Scientists should stick to science. Leave the philosophy to the philosophers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
10 reviews
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful
High hopes, poor outcome
16 April 2009
Format:Hardcover
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.
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.
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Great design, flawed execution
16 Jan 2009
Format:Hardcover
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.
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.
22 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Overall, the best book I've read on the subject.
16 Jun 2007
Format:Hardcover
I couldn't agree more with the editorial reviews of this book. It is excellent!
I'm reading the book just out of interest in the subject matter and I'm not involved professionally with neurology. I have recently read several books on the topic though and that list would include:
. Mapping the Mind - Rita Carter's excellent survey of brain functions (similar in some ways to this book and really excellent!).
. Exploring Consciousness - Another very good Rita Carter text.
. The Neuron - Cell and Molecular Biology - Irwin Levitan and Leonard K Kaczmarek's 500+ page non-light reading but fascinating book on neurons.
. Quest for Consciousness - Christopher Koch's (and Francis Crick's) insightful search for the neural correlates of consciousness.
. Wider Than The Sky - Gene Edelman's equally fascinating perspective on the same type of research.
. In Search of Memory - Eric Kandel's part autobiography, part neurology book.
. Etc.
Each of those books were wonderful and I plan on going back and reading them again just to see how my perspective has changed from what I've learned since the last time. But, if I had to pick one book to provide a survey of how the brain is organized and functions I believe this is the book I would chose. It is actually the first textbook I can remember reading in the past 40 years but it didn't remind me of the textbooks of that era.
Cognition, Brain, and Consciousness has the following assets:
. It is well organized and well indexed.
. The writing style seems to take advantage of the authors' understanding of the learning process.
. It provides more than a casual introduction to each of the topics it covers.
. I thought it provided a balanced view of conflicting theories and approaches, giving the pros and cons of each.
. The book is extremely well illustrated throughout. Each illustration seems very thoughtfully composed and selected.
. It should, as the editorial reviews suggest, appeal to a range of readers from "student through established researcher."
There are some typographical problems but they are minor (e.g. References to Appendix C - which doesn't exist). I ordered the book before its release date and actually received it before June 11th so I can imagine typos happening. There appears to be extensive support for the material on the publisher's website but I haven't checked that out as yet.
So I'm really writing this to thank the Bernard Baars and Nicole Gage for providing such amazing material. It is really outstanding and even though it is expensive I would say without hesitation that it is more than worth its price!
I'm reading the book just out of interest in the subject matter and I'm not involved professionally with neurology. I have recently read several books on the topic though and that list would include:
. Mapping the Mind - Rita Carter's excellent survey of brain functions (similar in some ways to this book and really excellent!).
. Exploring Consciousness - Another very good Rita Carter text.
. The Neuron - Cell and Molecular Biology - Irwin Levitan and Leonard K Kaczmarek's 500+ page non-light reading but fascinating book on neurons.
. Quest for Consciousness - Christopher Koch's (and Francis Crick's) insightful search for the neural correlates of consciousness.
. Wider Than The Sky - Gene Edelman's equally fascinating perspective on the same type of research.
. In Search of Memory - Eric Kandel's part autobiography, part neurology book.
. Etc.
Each of those books were wonderful and I plan on going back and reading them again just to see how my perspective has changed from what I've learned since the last time. But, if I had to pick one book to provide a survey of how the brain is organized and functions I believe this is the book I would chose. It is actually the first textbook I can remember reading in the past 40 years but it didn't remind me of the textbooks of that era.
Cognition, Brain, and Consciousness has the following assets:
. It is well organized and well indexed.
. The writing style seems to take advantage of the authors' understanding of the learning process.
. It provides more than a casual introduction to each of the topics it covers.
. I thought it provided a balanced view of conflicting theories and approaches, giving the pros and cons of each.
. The book is extremely well illustrated throughout. Each illustration seems very thoughtfully composed and selected.
. It should, as the editorial reviews suggest, appeal to a range of readers from "student through established researcher."
There are some typographical problems but they are minor (e.g. References to Appendix C - which doesn't exist). I ordered the book before its release date and actually received it before June 11th so I can imagine typos happening. There appears to be extensive support for the material on the publisher's website but I haven't checked that out as yet.
So I'm really writing this to thank the Bernard Baars and Nicole Gage for providing such amazing material. It is really outstanding and even though it is expensive I would say without hesitation that it is more than worth its price!
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