This Handbook examines disparities in public health by highlighting recent theoretical and methodological advances in cultural neuroscience. It traces the interactions of cultural, biological, and environmental factors that create adverse physical and mental health conditions among populations, and investigates how the policies of cultural and governmental institutions influence such outcomes. In addition to providing an overview of the current research, chapters demonstrate how a cultural neuroscience approach to the study of the mind, brain, and behavior can help stabilize the quality of health of societies at large. The volume will appeal especially to graduate students and professional scholars working in psychology and population genetics. The Oxford Handbook of Cultural Neuroscience represents the first collection of scholarly contributions from the International Cultural Neuroscience Consortium (ICNC), an interdisciplinary group of scholars from epidemiology, anthropology, psychology, neuroscience, genetics, and psychiatry dedicated to advancing an understanding of culture and health using theory and methods from cultural neuroscience. The Handbook is intended to introduce future generations of scholars to foundations in cultural neuroscience, and to equip them to address the grand challenges in global mental health in the twenty-first century.

This book provides a chapter-by-chapter update to and reflection on of the landmark volume by J.J. Gibson on the Ecological Approach to Visual Perception (1979). Gibson's book was presented a pioneering approach in experimental psychology; it was his most complete and mature description of the ecological approach to visual perception. Perception as Information Detection commemorates, develops, and updates each of the sixteen chapters from Gibson's volume. The book brings together some of the foremost perceptual scientists in the field, from the United States, Europe, and Asia, to reflect on Gibson's original chapters, expand on the key concepts discussed and relate this to their own cutting-edge research. This connects Gibson's classic with the current state of the field, as well as providing a new generation of students with a contemporary overview of the ecological approach to visual perception. Perception as Information Detection is an important resource for perceptual scientists as well as both undergraduates and graduates studying sensation and perception, vision, cognitive science, ecological psychology, and philosophy of mind.

The scientific story of first impressions--and why the snap character judgments we make from faces are irresistible but usually incorrect We make up our minds about others after seeing their faces for a fraction of a second--and these snap judgments predict all kinds of important decisions. For example, politicians who simply look more competent are more likely to win elections. Yet the character judgments we make from faces are as inaccurate as they are irresistible; in most situations, we would guess more accurately if we ignored faces. So why do we put so much stock in these widely shared impressions? What is their purpose if they are completely unreliable? In this book, Alexander Todorov, one of the world's leading researchers on the subject, answers these questions as he tells the story of the modern science of first impressions. Drawing on psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, computer science, and other fields, this accessible and richly illustrated book describes cutting-edge research and puts it in the context of the history of efforts to read personality from faces. Todorov describes how we have evolved the ability to read basic social signals and momentary emotional states from faces, using a network of brain regions dedicated to the processing of faces. Yet contrary to the nineteenth-century pseudoscience of physiognomy and even some of today's psychologists, faces don't provide us a map to the personalities of others. Rather, the impressions we draw from faces reveal a map of our own biases and stereotypes. A fascinating scientific account of first impressions, Face Value explains why we pay so much attention to faces, why they lead us astray, and what our judgments actually tell us.

The Stein Fellow and Drexel University Pediatric Neuropsychology Symposium was held in collaboration with the Philadelphia Neuropsychology Society in November 2010. Pediatric Neuropsychology is a rapidly growing and dynamic subspecialty dealing with the normal and abnormal development of the human brain where new assessments and interventions and new professional issues are emerging. The Drexel Symposium brought together leading scientists and clinicians whose research, scholarship, and clinical practice are informing and shaping the evolution of the field. The goal of the Special Issue is to illustrate some of those research, clinical, and professional directions including advocacy and training that are specific to the developing subspecialty of Pediatric Neuropsychology.

Approx.572 pages

An enthralling exploration that upends the prevailing view of consciousness and demonstrates how intelligence is literally embedded in the palms of our hands If you think that intelligence emanates from the mind and that reasoning necessitates the suppression of emotion, you'd better think again-or rather not "think" at all. In his provocative new book, Guy Claxton draws on the latest findings in neuroscience and psychology to reveal how our bodies-long dismissed as mere conveyances-actually constitute the core of our intelligent life. From the endocrinal means by which our organs communicate to the instantaneous decision-making prompted by external phenomena, our bodies are able to perform intelligent computations that we either overlook or wrongly attribute to our brains. Embodied intelligence is one of the most exciting areas in contemporary philosophy and neuropsychology, and Claxton shows how the privilege given to cerebral thinking has taken a toll on modern society, resulting in too much screen time, the diminishment of skilled craftsmanship, and an overvaluing of white-collar over blue-collar labor. Discussing techniques that will help us reconnect with our bodies, Claxton shows how an appreciation of the body's intelligence will enrich all our lives.

Neuroscience, with its astounding new technologies, is uncovering the workings of the brain and with this perhaps the mind. The 'neuro' prefix spills out into every area of life, from neuroaesthetics to neuroeconomics, neurogastronomy and neuroeducation. With its promise to cure physical and social ills, government sees neuroscience as a tool to increase the 'mental capital' of the children of the deprived and workless. It sets aside intensifying poverty and inequality, instead claiming that basing children's rearing and education on brain science will transform both the child's and the nation's health and wealth. Leading critic of such neuropretensions, neuroscientist Steven Rose and sociologist of science Hilary Rose take a sceptical look at these claims and the science underlying them, sifting out the sensible from the snake oil. Examining the ways in which science is shaped by and shapes the political economy of neoliberalism, they argue that neuroscience on its own is not able to bear the weight of these hopes.

This updated resource refines and expands on both the core concepts and the real-world practice of consultation-liaison psychiatry in medical settings. New and revised chapters provide background and basics and describe CL psychiatry approaches to managing a wide array of common conditions, including heart disease, dementia, anxiety and depressive disorders, alcohol and substance use problems, and chronic pain. Besides the fine points of practice in varied chronic and acute care settings, specific patient populations such as children, elders, ob/gyn patients, and the immunocompromised are discussed. The latest information and insights on pharmacology, interviewing, and ethical and cultural issues round out the book's highly accessible coverage. A sampling of topics in the Handbook: Basic foundations of diagnosis, psychiatric diagnosis, and final common pathway syndromes. An integrative care model of psychiatry in the primary care setting. Patient personality, personality types and traits, and disorders. The chronic patient and the palliative care setting. Trauma- and stressor-related disorders. Somatic symptoms and related disorders. The Second Edition of the Handbook of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry ably follows its predecessor by presenting the diverse state of the specialty to enhance the work of psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, and primary care physicians.

Self-criticism is a personality trait that has been implicated in a wide range of psychopathologies and developmental arrests. Defined as the tendency to set unrealistically high standards for one's self and to adopt a punitive stance towards the self once these standards are not met, self-criticism is both active and cyclical. Self-critics actively create the social-interpersonal conditions that generate their distress, and their distress itself exacerbates self-criticism. Erosion offers a comprehensive treatment of self-criticism based in philosophy, developmental science, personality and clinical psychology, social theories, and cognitive-affective neuroscience. Professor Golan Shahar expertly summarizes the most recent research on the topic and synthesizes theory, empirical research, and clinical practice guidelines for assessment, prevention, and treatment. The book rests upon three elements that, as Shahar argues, are central to the maintenance of self-critical vulnerability: the importance of a concept of an authentic self or the need to "feel real"; the importance of intentionality and goal-directedness; and the power of interpersonal relationships and cultural context. Shahar argues that exploring these elements requires an integrated clinical approach that incorporates multidimensional assessment and interventions which reconcile science, practice, and policy. The result is a broad and scholarly volume that is useful to practitioners, researchers, and theorists interested in self-criticism.

An Introduction to Cognitive Psychology: Processes and Disorders provides a comprehensive, yet accessible, overview of the field for undergraduate students. The fourth edition has been thoroughly revised throughout to provide a comprehensive introduction to the core topics of cognition, including memory, perception, thinking, and language. Uniquely, alongside coverage of normal cognitive function, the book also includes chapters on clinical disorders such as agnosia, amnesia, and aphasia, providing a more balanced insight into the nature of cognition and its related disorders. Key features: Completely revised and updated throughout to provide a comprehensive overview of current thinking in the field Accessibly written by experienced textbook authors and academic experts, including Michael Eysenck and Sophie Scott A new chapter on Problem Solving, written by Fernand Gobet, a leading authority in the field Greater coverage of neuropsychological disorders, with additional coverage of brain imaging research Features a wealth of real-world examples throughout to bring research to life Specially designed textbook features, chapter summaries, further reading, and a glossary of key terms An Introduction to Cognitive Psychology will appeal to all students on an undergraduate psychology degree course, as well as to those studying in related clinical professions.

This is the first of two volumes which together present the main contributions from the 29th International Congress of Psychology, held in Berlin in 2008, written by international leaders in psychology from around the world. The authors present a variety of approaches and perspectives that reflect cutting-edge advances in psychological science.

Cognition and Neuropsychology is dedicated to summarizing and characterizing the current scientific research in three substantive content areas, (i) Perception, Attention, and Action, (ii) Social Cognition, and (iii) Learning, Memory and Development. While some of the contributions focus on relatively narrow areas of research, others adopt a much broader stance, trying to understand and explain many different facets of behaviour across widely differing situations. Some contributions even try to bridge the fundamental gap between behaviour and genetics. The final part contains two chapters that discuss fundamental general issues in psychology, such as the fate of mentalism and the significance of phenomenal analyses. All chapters offer fascinating insights into current theorizing on the mind, and are written by some of the best-known scholars of our time.

This book will be an invaluable resource for researchers, professionals, teachers and students in the field of psychology.

`There is much that is fascinating here. Long-established experiments and conclusions are rubbished and reinterpreted, long-established assumptions and beliefs about emotions are soundly trounced, and generally a good going-over is delivered to the whole field... it is such a blockbuster that one can only reel backwards and tell anyone studying the subject that they would be crazy not to get it' - Self & Society This fascinating book overviews the psychology of the emotions in its broadest sense, tracing historical, social, cultural and biological themes and analyses. The contributors - some of the leading figures in the field - produce a new theoretical synthesis by drawing together these strands. From the standpoint of the function of the emotions in everyday life, the authors focus on: the discursive role played by the emotions in expressing judgements about, attitudes to and contrition for actions done by the self and others, and how certain emotions - such as guilt, shame, embarrassment, chagrin and regret - seem to play a role in social control; the variation and diversity in emotion, which provides scope for exploring how patterns of emotion contrast in different societies, across gender lines, at different historical times, and between children and adults; and the way in which the body is shaped and its functions influenced by culturally maintained patterns of emotion displays.

Biosocial criminology-and biosocial criminologists-focuses on both the environmental and biological factors that contribute to antisocial behavior. Importantly, these two domains are not separate parts of an equation but pieces of the same puzzle that fit together for a complete picture of the causes of crime/antisocial behavior. Fitting the Facts of Crime applies a biopsychosocial lens to the "13 facts of crime" identified by John Braithwaite in his classic book, Crime, Shame and Reintegration. The authors unpack established facts-about gender and sex, age, environment, education, class, social bonds and associations, stress, and other influences-providing both empirical research and evidence from biopsychosocial criminology to address the etiology behind these facts and exactly how they are related to deviant behavior. With their approach, the authors show how biopsychosocial criminology can be a unifying framework to enrich our understanding of the most robust and well-established topics in the field. In so doing, they demonstrate how biological and psychological findings can be responsibly combined with social theories to lend new insight into existing inquiries and solutions. Designed to become a standard text for criminology in general, Fitting the Facts of Crime introduces key concepts and applies them to real-world situations.

At its heart, polyvagal theory describes how the brain's unconscious sense of safety or danger impacts our emotions and behaviours. In this powerful book, pediatrician and neonatologist Marilyn R. Sanders and child psychiatrist George S. Thompson offer readers both a meditation on caregiving and a call to action for physicians, educators and mental health providers. When children don't have safe relationships, or emotional, medical or physical traumas punctuate their lives, their ability to love, trust and thrive is damaged. Children who have multiple relationship disruptions may have physical, behavioural or mental health concerns that follow them into adulthood. By attending to the lessons of polyvagal theory-that adult caregivers must be aware of children's unconscious processing of sensory information-the authors show how professionals can play a critical role in establishing a sense of safety even in the face of dangerous, and sometimes incomprehensibly scary, situations.

The Cognitive Neuroscience of Religious Experience, now updated and expanded in a new edition, updates key topics covered in the first edition including: decentering and self-transformation, supernatural agent cognitions, mystical states, religious language, ritualization, and religious group agency. It expands upon the first edition to include major findings on brain and religious experience over the past decade, focusing on methodology, future thinking, and psychedelics. It provides an up-to-date review of brain-based accounts of religious experiences, and systematically examines the rationale for utilizing neuroscience approaches to religion. While it is primarily intended for religious studies scholars, people interested in comparative religion, philosophy of religion, cultural evolution, and personal self-transformation will find an account of how such transformation is accomplished within religious contexts.

Neuropsychologists are being increasingly called upon to demonstrate the value of their services. This edited book introduces clinical neuropsychologists to the concepts and challenges involved in conducting cost outcome research. It provides examples of how such research can be conducted within clinical neuropsychology and therefore is a "beginning" step in what must become an interdisciplinary effort. The text suggests that more than cost effectiveness studies should be considered when demonstrating the clinical utility of neuropsychological services. The concept of "objective" and "subjective" markers of value is emphasized, particularly as it relates to measuring the impact of a neuropsychological examination. Chapters review the economic burdens associated with different neurological conditions commonly seen by neuropsychologists. They also provide examples of how clinical neuropsychological services to different patient populations may reduce "costs" and increase "benefits" and suggest directions for beginning cost outcome research. Furthermore, the book summarizes the utility of various neuropsychological services that may be helpful to readers concerned with health-care economies.
The book is intended as a resource for clinical neuropsychologists who wish to explain to health-care providers the value of their work. It is the first book of the National Academy of Neuropsychology book series entitled Neuropsychology: Scientific Basis and Clinical Application.

Related link: Free Email Alerting

In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an autism alarm, estimating that one in 150 children may be affected by autism spectrum disorder. Autism has been treated mainly with technical approaches: principally applied behavior analysis and psychopharmacology. The findings in this book implicate oxidative stress as a common feature in autism, and support the claim that oxidative stress and intracellular redox imbalance can be induced or triggered in autism by exposure to certain environmental agents. Such findings could point the way to new treatment approaches in autism. Autism: Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Immune Abnormalities brings together a wealth of cutting-edge evidence that is already influencing how we treat this serious condition. It looks at the role of neuropathological abnormalities, genetics, and those factors common to oxidative stress such as inflammation, immune dysfunction, aberrant cellular signaling, and gene-environment interactions. Among dozens of research topics, this volume - Looks at interactions between genetic and environmental factors such as the maternal immune environment and prenatal/postnatal environmental stressors Summarizes evidence for oxidative damage and inflammation in autism Introduces a PDD behavior inventory as a tool for assessing autism Considers autism as an aberrant adaptive response to neuroinflammation and oxidative stress Examines the role of abnormal calcium signaling and the hypothesis that it may represent a target for novel therapeutics Presents a hypothesis that autism arises from the dysregulation of a unified gut/brain system rather than originating in the brain alone Proposes the utility of using a biopsychosocial method to treat autism This book shows us that autism is not only developmental but also a chronic condition based on active pathophysiology, and that it is not only behavioral but also presents somatic and systemic features. The findings in these chapters support the theory that oxidative stress plays an important role in autism. They also point to the value of conducting in-depth mechanistic studies as a way to uncover new targets for therapeutic intervention in autism.

Very angry people live in a trap. They say things they don't mean, hurt people they love, and even begin to hate themselves. The vicious cycle of problem anger is hard to break. Real change, an escape from the damaging patterns of persistent anger, requires good information and sound advice. Angry All the Time, Second Edition, a major revision of a best-selling classic that has helped tens of thousands of people overcome problem anger, contains both. The book is organized to move readers along the shortest path to recovery: In the first section, Understanding the Problem, readers explore the causes of their anger. Then, in the second section, Taking Action, they learn powerful, step-by-step strategies to control their behavior, to change anger- provoking thoughts, to avoid verbal and physical violence, in short, to make the authoris eight-step process of anger management a powerful force for change in their lives.

This edition includes two completely new chapters and significant revision to many of the original sections. Tips for problem solving and directing anger in positive ways, new strategies for encouraging change, and a discussion of anger styles and the effects of jealousy on problem anger are just some of the engaging new concepts

This Special Issue presents proceedings of the International Conference on Behavioral Health and Traumatic Brain Injury convened in October 2008 that brought together over 100 international scientists, health care professionals, policy makers, US Military personnel, and family members, addressing the issues of mild traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder in the military. The conference produced a Report to US Congress outlining recommendations for state of the art, novel approaches in research, technology, diagnosis, treatment, training, and outreach. The issue contains the Report, a message from US Congressman Bill Pascrell, and articles authored by participants of the conference.

A Handbook of Geriatric Neuropsychology: Practice Essentials (Second Edition) brings together experts in the field to integrate the knowledge and skills needed to understand and treat older adults who are experiencing problems with memory and other thinking skills. With three new sections, including coverage of other conditions beyond neuropsychological disorders, special assessment contexts, and more on interventions and ethics, as well as multiple new chapters, and significant updates from the first edition, this book provides a strong foundation for clinicians, educators, and researchers invested in the wellbeing of older adults. The impact and experience of aging, like the practice of neuropsychology, evolves over time. Similarly, through advances in science and professional techniques, neuropsychological practice has continued to evolve. Neuropsychological evaluation remains the most effective method of diagnosing age-related cognitive decline, cognitive difficulties that result from psychological factors, and other related disorders, as well as determining how the various disorders impact functioning and quality of life. This book explores these areas and offers state-of-the-art assessment techniques to assess changes in cognition and behavior and to distinguish normal changes from neuropathology. This book is a go-to resource and key reference for psychologists who serve older adults with known or suspected cognitive problems, as well as those who are invested in promoting brain wellness. It provides much of the information needed to establish and improve foundational and functional competencies in geriatric neuropsychology and establish practices that are personally and professionally rewarding, all aimed at promoting the understanding and wellbeing of older adults.

The effect of neurological disease on emotional function has been a relatively neglected area of study in the modern era. Yet many forms of neurological diseases cause a variety of symptoms ranging from depression, anxiety, loss of motivation, loss of empathy, and emotional lability, with major impacts on work and social functioning. The case descriptions in this special issue illustrate the challenges we face in trying to understand the origins of these deficits, but also highlight the opportunity we have to improve our understanding of emotional functions by studying these patients. An introductory overview of the neuroanatomy of emotion provides a context for understanding the individual articles.

Standing at the junction of psychology, neuroscience, and biology, cognitive neuroscience seeks to provide brain-based accounts of mental functions such as language, memory, perception, action, emotions, and decision-making. Its emergence as a coherent discipline came about relatively recently through the amalgamation of techniques that had already been in existence (such as research into the effects of brain lesion on cognition, and electrical recordings of the brain) with newly established techniques (principally brain-imaging methods), originally developed for medical diagnostic purposes.

As cognitive neuroscience flourishes as never before, this new title in Psychology Press's Major Works series, Critical Concepts in Psychology, meets the need for an authoritative reference work to make sense of the subject's already vast literature and the continuing explosion in research output. Edited by a prominent scholar, and the author of the field's leading student textbook, Cognitive Neuroscience is a four-volume collection of foundational and contemporary contributions.

The four volumes are divided into eight principal sections: History, Methods, and Key Concepts; Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience; Perception and Attention; Action; Learning and Memory; Language; Executive Functions and Decision-Making; and Emotions and Social Neuroscience. The collection is also fully indexed and has a comprehensive introduction, newly written by the editors, which places the collected material in its historical, intellectual, and practical context. It is an essential work of reference and is destined to be valued by scholars and students of cognitive neuroscience as a vital one-stop research tool.