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 ultimate goal of the cognitive sciences is to understand how the brain works - how it turns "matter into imagination." In this volume, psychoanalyst Arnold Modell claims that subjective human expe
In this work, Paul Glimcher argues that economic theory may provide an alternative to the classical Cartesian model of the brain and behavior. Ren Descartes (1596-1650) believed that all behaviors cou
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
When animals, including humans, communicate, they convey information and expresstheir perceptions of the world. Because different organisms are able to produce and perceivedifferent signals, the anima
Physicalism is the idea that if everything that goes on in the universe is physical, our consciousness and feelings must also be physical. Ever since Descartes formulated the mind-body problem, a long
In this two-volume set Leonard Talmy defines the field of cognitive semantics. He approaches the question of how language organizes conceptual material both at a general level and by analyzing a cruci
In The Algebraic Mind, Gary Marcus attempts to integrate two theories about how the mind works, one that says that the mind is a computer-like manipulator of symbols, and another that says that the mi
The question of what constitutes the good life has been pondered for millennia. Yet only in the last decades has the study of well-being become a scientific endeavor. This book is based on the idea t
Humans and other animals depend on their ability to perceive and represent spatialaspects of the world. We learn spatial schemas by observing the locations and movements of objects(including people) a
William Uttal is concerned that in an effort to prove itself a hard science, psychology may have thrown away one of its most important methodological tools—a critical analysis of the fundamenta
Spatial competence is a central aspect of human adaptation. To understand human cognitive functioning, we must understand how people code the locations of things, how they navigate in the world, and h
Social interaction requires social cognition--the ability to perceive, interpret, andexplain the actions of others. This ability fundamentally relies on the concepts of intention andintentionality. Fo
This book reflects Stephen Waxman's three decades of research on the form andfunctions of the brain and spinal cord. Building on his experience as a neuroscientist studyingmodel systems as primitive a
According to the widespread conceptualist view, all mental contents are governed byconcepts an individual possesses. In recent years, however, an increasing number of philosophershave argued for the i
Are women and men biologically destined to be in perpetual conflict? Does evolutionary genetics adequately explain sexual aggression? Such questions have been much debated in both the media and academ
According to the widespread conceptualist view, all mental contents are governed by concepts and individual processes. In recent years, however, an increasing number of philosophers have argued for th
Wilfrid Rall was a pioneer in establishing the integrative functions of neuronal dendrites that have provided a foundation for neurobiology in general and computational neuroscience in particular. Thi
A sequel to Pollock's How to Build a Person, this volume builds upon that theoreticalgroundwork for the implementation of rationality through artificial intelligence. Pollock arguesthat progress in AI
Gary Hatfield examines theories of spatial perception from the seventeenth to thenineteenth century and provides a detailed analysis of the works of Kant and Helmholtz, who adoptedopposing stances on
Philosophical Psychopathology is a benchmark volume for an emerging field where mental disorders serve as the springboard for philosophical insights. It brings together innovative, current research by
Synaptic Plasticity presents an up-to-date overview of the current status of research on the full scope of synaptic plasticity, including synaptic remodeling in response to damage, long-term depressio
Clark charts a fundamental shift from a static, inner-code-oriented conception of the subject matter of cognitive science to a more dynamic, developmentally rich, process-oriented view. Connectionist
The authors present a theory of inductive logic that is built fromthe tools of logic and model theory. One influential view of science focuses on the credibility that scientists attach to alternative
Development and Evolution surveys and illuminates the key themes of rapidly changing fields and areas of controversy that are redefining the theory and philosophy of biology. It continues Stanley Salt
Constraint-based theories of grammar and grammar formalisms are becoming an increasingly widespread area of research in computational linguistics. Constraint-Based Grammar Formalisms provides the firs
Although there are many scientific and philosophical reasons to study the brain, for William J. Freed, "the most compelling reason to study the brain is to be able to repair the brains of individuals
From the first unicellular life on Earth, living things have had the capacity to sense heat and cold and to avoid extreme temperatures. With the development of a bigger brain and a constant body tempe
Large-Scale Neuronal Theories of the Brain brings together thirteen original contributions by some of the top scientists working in neuroscience today. It presents models and theories that will most l
This exciting study explores the novel insight, based on well-established ethological principles, that animals, humans, and autonomous robots can all be analyzed as multi-task autonomous control syste
Analogy-Making as Perception is based on the premise that analogy-making is fundamentally a high-level perceptual process in which the interaction of perception and concepts gives rise to "conceptual
Classical computationalism -- -the view that mental states are computational states -- -has come under attack in recent years. Critics claim that in defining computation solely in abstract, syntactic
Historically, reproductive science has focused on reproductive behaviors divorced from the contexts in which they occur. Taking a more integrated view, this book explores the neuroendocrine bases of r
Intentions in Communication brings together major theorists from artificial intelligence and computer science, linguistics, philosophy, and psychology whose work develops the foundations for an accoun
Describes the problems and issues involved in generating interactive user-sensitive explanations. Explanation and Interaction describes the problems and issues involved in generating interactive use
Thinking about space is thinking about spatial things. The table is on the carpet; hence the carpet is under the table. The vase is in the box; hence the box is not in the vase. But what does it mean
Much research focuses on the question of how information is processed in nervous systems, from the level of individual ionic channels to large-scale neuronal networks, and from "simple" animals such a
This fourth volume in the Retina Research Foundation Symposia Proceedings highlights several of the strategies and experimental paradigms that are currently used to exploit and amplify the regenerativ
