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Books > Social sciences > Psychology > Physiological & neuro-psychology
This book explores the relationship between cellular processes and animal behaviour. It does this by focusing on the domain of navigation, bringing together scientists from either side of the brain-behaviour divide in an attempt to explain the linkage between spatial behaviour and the underlying activity of neurons. The Neurobiology of Spatial Behaviour is organised into two sections. Section one deals with the so-called 'higher' levels of description - studies of spatial behaviour and the brain areas that might underlie such behaviour. The section begins with insects, remarkably sophisticated navigators, and ends with humans, examining along the way issues such as whether animal brains contain maps and whether spatial and non-spatial information interact, and if so, how? Section two delves further into the brain and focuses on the mammalian representation of space and the role of place cells. These issues have far wider ramifications that simply helping us to understand the process of navigation. This system might provide a model for how other forms of knowledge, beliefs and intentions are encoded in neurons. As such, the book will be of interest to an interdisciplinary audience, including ethologists, psychologists, behavioural neuroscientists, computational modelers, physiological neuroscientists and molecular biologists.
The Neuropsychology of Vision describes a range of new approaches to neuropsychological investigation and provides a broad overview of visual neuropsychology. The book starts by presenting the results from new research employing single-unit recordings, on the neuronal basis of perception demonstrating that the visual system relies strongly on feedback from higher to lower levels of information processing, and that neuronal plasticity exists in the primary sensory cortices of adults, areas previously considered to be hard-wired. The book also describes other new and adapted techniques to measure brain activity, including multi-unit sum potential recording, functional magnetic resonance imaging and employing transcranial magnetic stimulation to induce temporary, circumscribed functional lesions in the cortices of normal subjects to mimic disorders. The coverage then moves on to review the experience of patients suffering from disturbances of visual perception. The disorders covered include agnosia, neglect, blindsight and achromatopsia. The final chapter is devoted to recovery and rehabilitation from cerebral visual disorder. Professors Fahle and Greenlee have brought together some of the leading international specialists in the field to provide this comprehensive and up-to-date review.
Written by one of the leading figures in biosocial criminology and evolutionary psychology, this work explores the tight relationship between criminality and indiscriminate sexuality within the framework of life history theory. The underlying thesis is that traits associated with a strong libido, indiscriminately expressed, are intertwined with traits associated with criminal behavior; that is, excessive interest in sexual adventures pursued in an irresponsible way is undergirded by the same individual short-run hedonistic traits that define criminality. While traditional criminology tends to view sexual and criminal behavior as separate domains, many biosocial criminologists, evolutionary psychologists, neuroscientists, and behavioral and molecular geneticists are not at all surprised that a link exists between criminality and sexuality. Research shows that the statistical relationship between indiscriminate sexuality and criminal behavior is stronger than for most other variables associated with crime, although most studies dealing with this relationship are from outside the dominant environmentalism paradigm of criminology. Using life history theory as the theoretical umbrella for exploring the relationship between indiscriminate sexuality and criminal behavior, the book explores how and why criminal behavior is related to hypersexuality. Life history theory, which has a long and fruitful history of use among evolutionary biologists who use it to investigate the relationship between mating strategies and the environment among various species of animals (including humans) is particularly suited to understanding how an exclusive focus on mating effort is related to criminal behavior. This book will be of interest to scholars and students in criminology, psychology, and sociology, and anyone interested in examining the interconnection between biological, psychological, and socio-environmental factors in relation to criminal behavior.
In recent years there has been much psychological and neurological work purporting to show that consciousness and self-awareness play no role in causing actions, and indeed to demonstrate that free will is an illusion. The essays in this volume subject the assumptions that motivate such claims to sustained interdisciplinary scrutiny. The book will be compulsory reading for psychologists and philosophers working on action explanation, and for anyone interested in the relation between the brain sciences and consciousness.
Music offers a unique opportunity to better understand the organization of the human brain. Like language, music exists in all human societies. Like language, music is a complex, rule-governed activity that seems specific to humans, and associated with a specific brain architecture. Yet unlike most other high-level functions of the human brain--and unlike language--music is a skil at which only a minority of people become proficient. The study of music as a major brain function has for some time been relatively neglected. Just recently, however, we have witnessed an explosion in research activities on music perception and performance that correlates in the human brain. This volume brings together an outstanding collection of international authorities--from the fields of music, neuroscience, psychology, and neurology--to describe the amazing advances being made in understanding the complex relationship between music and the brain.
Sleep has long been a topic of fascination for artists and scientists. Why do we sleep? What function does sleep serve? Why do we dream? What significance can we attach to our dreams? We spend so much of our lives sleeping, yet its precise function is unclear, in spite of our increasing understanding of the processes generating and maintaining sleep. We now know that sleep can be accompanied by periods of intense cerebral activity, yet only recently has experimental data started to provide us with some insights into the type of processing taking place in the brain as we sleep. There is now strong evidence that sleep plays a crucial role in learning and in the consolidation of memories. Once the preserve of psychoanalysts, 'dreaming' is now a topic of increasing interest amongst scientists. With research into sleep growing, this volume is both timely and valuable in presenting a unique study of the relationship between sleep, learning, and memory. It brings together a team of international scientists researching sleep in both human and animal subjects. Aimed at researchers within the fields of neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, psychiatry, and neurology, this book will be an important first step in developing a full scientific understanding of the most intriguing state of consciousness.
This book is an exploration of key systemic and socio-political considerations when working with people whose lives have been impacted by neurological injury and those who care for them. Expert contributors consider the impact of intersectionality across domains that include gender, sexuality, class, education, religion and spirituality, race, culture, and ability/disability. It offers relevant literature in the field of neuropsychology as well as clinical case studies that provide inspiration and key reflections for clinicians, neurological specialist therapists, and medical staff alike. Chapters discuss navigating intersectionality in couple therapy, hidden social inequalities in paediatric neurorehabilitation, racial microaggression in inpatient settings, and more. This book is essential for all health and social-care practitioners working in the field of brain injury and chronic illness who want to challenge the status quo and advocate for diversity and inclusion.
Vascular dementia, caused by multiple small strokes, is the second commonest cause of dementia behind Alzheimer's disease. In recent years there has been a radical reappraisal of the concept of vascular dementia and a move away from an Alzheimer-based diagnostic paradigm towards one more appropriately tailored for vascular disease. Vascular Cognitive Impairment presents a new definition for this class of cerebrovascular process with an emphasis on early detection, prompt treatment and the prevention of disease progression. Vascular Cognitive Impairment: Preventable Dementia presents an overview of the current state of our knowledge in this field. It reviews the historical background, prevalence, risk factors and economic consequences of the condition. In addition, the book summarises our knowledge of the pathological process, describing insight derived from genetic and imaging studies, before examining opportunities for early diagnosis, prevention and the options for management, both now, and as a result of ongoing clinical trials. With contributions from an expert team of international contributors, this book provides a comprehensive summary of the state-of-the-art in this field, providing a framework for a new understanding of a complex, disabling but Preventable condition.
Consciousness has many elements, from sensory experiences such as vision, audition, and bodily sensation, to nonsensory aspects such as volition, emotion, memory, and thought. The apparent unity of these elements is striking; all are presented to us as experiences of a single subject, and all seem to be contained within a unified field of experience. But this apparent unity raises many questions. How do diverse systems in the brain co-operate to produce a unified experience? Are there conditions under which this unity breaks down? Is conscious experience really unified at all? In recent years, these questions have been addressed by researchers in many fields, including, neurophysiologists and computational modellers, neuropsychology, cognitive psychology, and philosophy. With chapters from some of the leading thinkers on consciousness, this is a thought-provoking book that attempts to answer some of the big questions. Contributors include - Chris Frith, David Chalmers, Guilio Tononi, Anne Treisman, Andrew Young, Sydney Shoemaker, Glyn Humphreys, Rodney Cotterill, Zoltan Dienes, Susan Hurley, Randall O'Reilly, Andreas Engel, Pierre Perruchet, Catherine Tallon-Baudry, and Francisco Varela.
We all know what a voluntary action is - we all think we know when an action is voluntary, and when it is not. First, there has to be some wish or goal, then an action designed to fulfil that wish or attain that goal. This standard view of voluntary action is prominent in both folk psychology and the professional sphere (e.g. the juridical) and guides a great deal of psychological and philosophical reasoning. But is it that simple though? For example, research from the neurosciences has shown us that the brain activation required to perform the action can actually precede the brain activation representing our conscious desire to perform that action. Only in retrospect do we come to attribute the action we performed to some desire or wish to perform the action. This presents us with a problem - if our conscious awareness of an action follows its execution, then is it really a voluntary action? The question guiding this book is: What is the explanatory role of voluntary action, and are there ways that we can reconcile our common-sense intuitions about voluntary actions with the findings from the sciences? This is a debate that crosses the boundaries of philosophy, neuroscience, psychology and social science. This book brings together some of the leading thinkers from these disciplines to consider this deep and often puzzling topic. The result is a fascinating and stimulating debate that will challenge our fundamental assumptions about our sense of free-will.
We all know what a voluntary action is - we all think we know when an action is voluntary, and when it is not. First, there has to be some wish or goal, then an action designed to fulfil that wish or attain that goal. This standard view of voluntary action is prominent in both folk psychology and the professional sphere (e.g. the juridical) and guides a great deal of psychological and philosophical reasoning. But is it that simple though? For example, research from the neurosciences has shown us that the brain activation required to perform the action can actually precede the brain activation representing our conscious desire to perform that action. Only in retrospect do we come to attribute the action we performed to some desire or wish to perform the action. This presents us with a problem - if our conscious awareness of an action follows its execution, then is it really a voluntary action? The question guiding this book: What is the explanatory role of voluntary action, and are there ways that we can reconcile our common-sense intuitions about voluntary actions with the findings from the sciences? This is a debate that crosses the boundaries of philosophy, neuroscience, psychology and social science. This book brings together some of the leading thinkers from these disciplines to consider this deep and often puzzling topic. The result is a fascinating and stimulating debate that will challenge our fundamental assumptions about our sense of free-will.
This volume explores and challenges the assumption that behavioral proclivities and pathologies are directly traceable to experience-an assumption that still widely dominates folk psychology as well as the perspective of many mental health practitioners. This tendency continues despite powerful evidence from the field of behavioral genetics that genetic endowment dwarfs other discrete influences on development and psychopathology when extrinsic conditions are not extreme. An interdisciplinary collection, the book uses historical, cultural and clinical perspectives to challenge the longstanding notion of identity as the product of a life-narrative. Although the nativist-empiricist debate has been revivified by recent advances in molecular biology, such ideas date back to the Socratic dialogue on the innate mathematical sense possessed by an illiterate slave. The author takes a philosophical and historical approach in revisiting the writings of select figures from science, medicine, and literature whose insights into the potency of inherited factors in behavior were particularly prescient, and ran contrary to the modern declivity toward the self as narrative. The final part of the volume uses historical and clinical perspectives to help illuminate the elusive concept of innateness, and highlights important ramifications of the revolution in behavioral genetics. Seeking to challenge the clinical utility of the therapeutic narrative rather than the importance of experience per se, the book will ultimately appeal to psychiatrists, psychologists, and academics from various disciplines working across the fields of behavioral genetics, evolutionary biology, philosophy of science, and the history of science.
This volume provides an overview of cognitive science and critically assesses areas within the topic that are evolving rapidly. Using multidisciplinary studies and rich empirical literature, discussions, and demonstrations, this book: * Discusses the evolution of cognition with reference to material records and the use of brain imaging * Highlights emerging domains and novel themes within cognitive science such as transgender cognition, space cognition, cross-cultural cognition, futuristic artificial intelligence, social cognition and moral cognition * Reflects on the status of cognition research in these emerging areas and critically evaluates their current progress * Explores data both from behavioural and neuroimaging research literature, and sheds light on the potential effects of technological growth and changing habits on attention and cognitive abilities of humans * Examines the effects of religious and meditative practices on its core cognitive science components * Speculates research domains that would gain importance in the next few decades in cognitive science research Finding commonalities in theoretical frameworks and models in upcoming areas in cognition research, this comprehensive study will be of interest to students, researchers and teachers of cognitive psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, medical science and computer science. It will also be helpful for academicians, psychologists, neuroscientists, mental health professionals, medical professionals, counsellors and those looking for an alternate perspective on the topic.
Why does the brain create music? In Beethoven's Anvil, cognitive scientist and jazz musician William Benzon finds the key to music's function in the very complexity of musical experience. Music demands that our symbol-processing capacities, motor skills, emotional and communicative skills all work in close coordination - not only within our own heads but with the heads (and bodies) of others. Music is at once deeply personal and highly social, highly disciplined and open to emotional nuance and interpretation. It's precisely this coordination of different mental functions, Benzon argues, that underlies our deep need to create and participate in music. Music synchronizes the brain and has had a profound, and little-appreciated, influence on the shape of the mind and human cultures. This is a remarkable book: both daring and scholarly, it offers a sweeping vision of a vital, underappreciated force in our minds and culture.
Spatial neglect is a disorder of space-related behaviour. It is characterized by failure to explore the side of space contralateral to a brain lesion, or to react or respond to stimuli or subjects located on this side. Research on spatial neglect and related disorders has developed rapidly in recent years. These advances have been made as a result of neuropsychological studies of patients with brain damage, behavioural studies of animal models, as well as through functional neurophysiological experiments and functional neuroimaging. The Cognitive and Neural Bases of Spatial Neglect provides an overview of this wide-ranging field of scientific endeavour, providing a cohesive synthesis of the most recent observations and results. As well as being a fascinating clinical phenomenon, the study of spatial neglect helps us to understand normal mechanisms of directing and maintaining spatial attention and is relevant to the contemporary search for the cerebral correlates of conscious experience, voluntary action and the nature of personal identity itself. The book is divided into seven sections covering the anatomical and neurophysiological bases of the disorder, frameworks of neglect, perceptual and motor factors, the relation to attention, the cognitive processes involved, and strategies for rehabilitation. Chapters have been written by a team of the leading international experts in this field. This will be essential reading for neuropsychologists, neurologists, neurophysiologists, cognitive neuroscientists and psychologists.
The study of brain lesions and their impact on cognition and behavior has been the dominant tool used to examine the complex function of the brain for the last three centuries. By testing neuropsychological deficits that correlate with a lesion in a particular part of the brain, it is possible to hypothesise about the role and cognitive function of that individual brain area. Over the past several decades, the rapid development and implementation of many new technologies to visualize brain activity has greatly augmented our understanding of brain function. However, even now there are many experimental questions that are difficult, if not impossible to answer in any way other than lesion techniques. Such studies though are not without their own challenges to overcome such as lesion-induced neuroplasticity, widespread degenerative changes, and the permanent nature of a lesion. Recent developments in different fields of neuroscience have provided tools to overcome many of the problems related to conventional lesion techniques and have succeeded to synthesizing these new approaches with a variety of new techniques to visualize brain activity on the level of individual neurons as well as on the level of cognitive performance. These 'virtual lesions' involve the temporary deactivation of a part of the brain, by means of a range of techniques that have been recently developed. Because these deactivations are reversible, and leave the neuronal substrate unaffected, they provide a much more controllable, and rigorous way of testing subjects. These 'virtual lesion' approaches provide an essential bridge across the gap between basic research and computational approaches and provide mechanisms to test the applicability of models and their annexant hypotheses. 'Virtual Lesions' provides a state of the art guide to the full range of reversible deactivation techniques available. With each chapter written by experts in their respective field, and providing evidence of the practical applications of their methods, along with potential pitfalls, the book will serve as a valuable and practical guide for future experimentation within cognitive neuroscience.
Combines a strong research-based rationale for the farmstead model based on long term qualitative and quantitative data with specific suggestions and examples of how to implement the model. Provides specific guidelines for enhancing communication and social interaction, managing troublesome behaviors, calming anxieties, and establishing daily routines, reflecting a positive approach to intervention and consistent with the quality-of-life emphasis inherent in the Bittersweet model. Based on the most up-to-date research relating to neurodiversity, ecopsychology, subjective quality of life, and the unique "giftedness" of many adults with autism. A focus on subjective quality of life and specific examples about how to integrate quality of life experiences for individuals throughout the day
The book covers important topics in the psychiatric genetics (PG) field. Many of these have been overlooked in mainstream accounts, and many contemporary PG researchers have omitted or whitewashed the eugenic and "racial hygiene" origins of the field. The author critically analyzes PG evidence in support of genetic claims which, given the lack of gene discoveries, are based mainly on the results of psychiatric twin and adoption studies. Given that the evidence in favor of genetic influences is much weaker than mainstream sources report, due to serious issues in twin and adoption research, the author points to environmental factors, including trauma, as the main causes of conditions such as schizophrenia.
The term 'episodic memory' refers to our memory for unique, personal experiences, that we can date at some point in our past - our first day at school, the day we got married. It has again become a topic of great importance and interest to psychologists, neuroscientists, and philosophers. How are such memories stored in the brain, why do certain memories disappear (especially those from early in childhood), what causes false memories (memories of events we erroneously believe have really taken place)? Since Endel Tulving's classic book 'Episodic memory' (OUP, 1983) very few books have been published on this topic. In recent years however, many of the assumptions made about episodic memory have had to be reconsidered as a result of new techniques, which have allowed us a far deeper understanding of episodic memory. In 'Episodic memory: new directions in research' three of the worlds leading researchers in the topic of memory have brought together a stellar team of contributors from the fields of cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, and neuroscience, to present an account of what we now know about about this fundamentally important topic. The list of contributors includes, amongst others, Daniel Schacter, Richard Morris, Fareneh Vargha-Khadem, and Endel Tulving. The work presented within this book will have a profound effect on the direction that future research in this topic will take.
The Interpretation of Dreams and of Jokes provides a unique and integrative introduction to dream science. It addresses a notable gap in cognitive psychology on the subject of dreams and explores significant overlaps between the phenomena of dreams and jokes. Bringing together extensive research from cognitive psychology, neuroscience and psychoanalysis, the book provides a balanced approach to dream science that is underpinned by experimental and theoretical research. It considers the significance of dreams and their relationships to jokes, examining how both require an understanding of latent content in which context and individual differences play a large part. The book outlines a history of dream research and dream science and includes several original dream extracts for discussion. The book's chapters explore how we can interpret meaning in dreams, how dreams might be indicators of inner psychological and somatic states, whether dreams can be used in problem-solving and the relationship between dreams and aphasia, memory and waking consciousness. This groundbreaking book will be essential reading for researchers and students from psychological and psychoanalytic backgrounds who are interested in the analysis and science of dreams.
The latest volume in the critically acclaimed and highly influential Attention and Performance series focuses on a subject at the heart of psychological research into human performance - the interplay between perception and action. What are the mechanisms that translate the information we receive via our senses into physical actions? How do the mechanisms responsible for producing a response from a given stimulus operate? Recently, new perspectives have emerged, drawing on studies from neuroscience and neurophysiology. Within this volume, state of the art and cutting edge research from leading scientists in cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience is presented describing the approaches being taken to understanding the mechanisms that allow us to negotiate and respond to the world around us.
This timely practical reference addresses the lack of Spanish-language resources for mental health professionals to use with their Latino clients. Geared toward both English- and Spanish-speaking practitioners in a variety of settings, this volume is designed to minimize misunderstandings between the clinician and client, and with that the possibility of inaccurate diagnosis and/or ineffective treatment. Coverage for each topic features a discussion of cultural considerations, guidelines for evidence-based best practices, a review of available findings, a treatment plan, plus clinical tools and client handouts, homework sheets, worksheets, and other materials. Chapters span a wide range of disorders and problems over the life-course, and include reproducible resources for: Assessing for race-based trauma. Using behavioral activation and cognitive interventions to treat depression among Latinos. Treating aggression, substance use, abuse, and dependence among Latino Adults. Treating behavioral problems among Latino adolescents. Treating anxiety among Latino children. Working with Latino couples. Restoring legal competency with Latinos. The Toolkit for Counseling Spanish-Speaking Clients fills a glaring need in behavioral service delivery, offering health psychologists, social workers, clinical psychologists, neuropsychologists, and other helping professionals culturally-relevant support for working with this under served population. The materials included here are an important step toward dismantling barriers to mental health care.
*Provides a foundational understanding of linguistics as it applies to spoken and signed languages. *Covers numerous linguistic disciplines such as phonetics, semantics and sociolinguistics. *Makes linguistic theory accessible to speech-language pathologists. *Highlights the importance of integrating linguistic frameworks into clinical decision-making.
- Topic has had a huge surge of interest since 2000 due to the greatly increased incidence of social communication disorders - Covers theory and evidence-based practice, making it a rounded and solid resource for students and professionals
Stuttering Perspectives is a highly engaging book that interweaves discussion and research about stuttering with personal accounts. Written in a reader-friendly and informal style, the book considers stuttering from a variety of angles, providing the reader with a nuanced and holistic view. In this way, topics such as therapy, support groups, listener reactions, and many others are not only explained within the context of current research, but also illustrated with lively examples demonstrating the stuttering experience. Fully updated in its second edition, the book includes new stories, additional discussion questions, and inclusion of contemporary stuttering issues not contained in the original version. This book is highly relevant reading for speech and language professionals, as well as students of communication sciences and disorders. It will also be of great interest to people who stutter and anyone with an interest in fluency disorders. |
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