Modern psychology began with the adoption of experimental methods at the end of thenineteenth century: Wilhelm Wundt established the first formal laboratory in 1879; universitiescreated independent ch
How do novel scientific concepts arise? In Creating Scientific Concepts, Nancy Nersessian seeks to answer this central but virtually unasked question in the problem of conceptual change. She argues t
Many students find it difficult to learn the kinds of knowledge and thinking required by college or high school courses in mathematics, science, or other complex domains. Thus they often emerge with
In this timely and wide-ranging study, Karsten Stueber argues that empathy is epistemically central for our folk-psychological understanding of other agents—that it is something we cannot do wi
The field of neuroimaging has reached a watershed. Brain imaging research has been the source of many advances in cognitive neuroscience and cognitive science over the last decade, but recent critiqu
Science tries to understand human action from two perspectives, the cognitive and the volitional. The volitional approach, in contrast to the more dominant "outside-in" studies of cognition
An investigation into the beliefs speakers have about language-their de lingua beliefs-that examines the genesis of these beliefs and the central explanatory role they play in the use and understandin
Every sentence we hear is instantly analyzed by an inner grammar; just as a prismrefracts a beam of light, grammar divides a stream of sound, linking diverse strings of informationto different domains
Mental processes are the essence of creative endeavor. The CreativeCognition Approach extends this particular view of creativity, first proposed anddeveloped by the editors in their earlier book Creat
Philosophical and scientific defenses of Indirect Realism and counterarguments to the attacks of qualiaphobes.Many philosophers and cognitive scientists dismiss the notion of qualia, sensory experienc
In From Molecule to Metaphor, Jerome Feldman proposes a theory of language and thought that treats language not as an abstract symbol system but as a human biological ability that can be studied as a
Philosophers and psychologists discuss new collaborative work in moral philosophy that draws on evolutionary psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience.
Drawing on the fields of neuroscience, philosophy, evolutionary biology, and psychology, a philosopher calls for a naturalistic approach to making sense of the mystery and magic of life and to living
Recent scientific findings about human decision making would seem to threaten the traditional concept of the individual conscious will. The will is threatened from "below" by the discovery t
This text provides a comprehensive introduction to current thinking on language acquisition. Following an introductory chapter that discusses the foundations of linguistic inquiry, the book covers th
Within cognitive science, two approaches currently dominate the problem of modeling representations. The symbolic approach views cognition as computation involving symbolic manipulation. Connectionis
Concepts embody our knowledge of the kinds of things there are in the world. Tying our past experiences to our present interactions with the environment, they enable us to recognize and understand ne
In Natural Minds Thomas Polger advocates, and defends, the philosophical theory that mind equals brain -- that sensations are brain processes -- and in doing so brings the mind-brain identity theory b
In Natural Ethical Facts William Casebeer argues that we can articulate a fully naturalized ethical theory using concepts from evolutionary biology and cognitive science, and that we can study moral c
Richard Cytowic's dinner host apologized, "There aren't enough points on the chicken!" He felt flavor also as a physical shape in his hands, and the chicken had come out "too round.&qu
Unlike most current researchers in philosophy and psychology, who view interpretation as a way to understand the minds and behavior of others, Radu J. Bogdan sets out to establish a new evolutionary a
This is the first detailed study to explore the little-understood notions of "knowing who someone is," "knowing a person's identity," and related locutions. It locates these notions within the context
The idea that the language we speak influences the way we think has evoked perennialfascination and intense controversy. According to the strong version of this hypothesis, called theSapir-Whorf hypot
The first sensory input in life comes from the sense of touch while a baby is still in the womb, and touch continues to be the primary means of learning about the world throughout infancy, well into
The components of living systems strike us as functional-as for the sake of certain ends -- and as endowed with specific norms of performance. The mammalian eye, for example, has the function of perce
The philosophy of perception is a microcosm of the metaphysics of mind. Its central problems—What is perception? What is the nature of perceptual consciousness? How can one fit an account of pe
Computational modeling plays a central role in cognitive science. This book provides a comprehensive introduction to computational models of human cognition. It covers major approaches and architectur
Einstein said that "the whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking." David Klahr suggests that we now know enough about cognition -- and hence about ever
What is the difference between a wink and a blink? The answer is important not onlyto philosophers of mind, for significant moral and legal consequences rest on the distinctionbetween voluntary and in
In the early 1960s, the bold project of the emerging field of cognition was to putthe human mind under the scrutiny of rational inquiry, through the conjoined efforts of philosophy,linguistics, comput
This book presents an overview of the phenomenon and handling of academic misconduct. After introducing a brief historical background, it discusses contemporary circumstances that affect the nature an
A blueprint for the investigation of neurodevelopmental disorders, this book presents the work of a team of scientists using a multidisciplinary, integrated approach to link genes with human behavior.
A machine for language? Certainly, say the neurophysiologists, busy studying the language specializations of the human brain and trying to identify their evolutionary antecedents. Linguists such as No
This is the only contemporary text to cover both epistemology and philosophy of mindat an introductory level. It also serves as a general introduction to philosophy: it discusses thenature and methods
In this book Mark Steedman argues that the surface syntax of natural languages mapsspoken and written forms directly to a compositional semantic representation that includespredicate-argument structur
Analogy has been the focus of extensive research in cognitive science over the past two decades. Through analogy, novel situations and problems can be understood in terms of familiar ones. Indeed, a c
In this sure-to-be-controversial book, Randy Thornhill and Craig Palmer use evolutionary biology to explain the causes of rape and to recommend new approaches to its prevention. According to Thornhill
The controversial subject of this book is the permissible use of animals by humans. Lewis Petrinovich argues that humans have a set of cognitive abilities, developing from a suite of emotional attachm
