Takes a very applied and accessible approach to assessments of mental capacity. Case examples illustrate decision-making capacity in a number of settings and contexts, including financial decisions, medical decisions, criminal/civil court, and other areas. Legal commentary helps illustrate state laws and ethical principles. Includes practice-oriented information and guidelines illustrating how psychologists, Mental Health professionals and lawyers work together. Gives attention to issues related to equity, stereotypes/bias, race, disability, socioeconomic status, and age.

Human faces present complex visual patterns that mediate a rich variety of social activity including recognition, emotion, and intention. In recent years considerable progress has been made in understanding how these complex images are interpreted by the brain, and in the development of computer systems for the processing, transmission, and graphical display of faces. This volume provides state-of-the-art reviews of the processes involved in perceiving and recognizing faces, with perspectives from neurophysiology, neuropsychology, cognitive psychology, and developmental psychology. It also includes contributions from engineering and computer science where the techniques of visualization offer some of the richest avenues for future progress. The authors are internationally recognized experts drawn from these various disciplines, and they review their own recent contributions to the field. Much of the current impetus and excitement comes from the remarkable degree of communication and collaboration, often spanning traditional disciplinary boundaries, that characterizes this field of research which is well illustrated by the chapters assembled in this volume.

For more than a century, the cerebral cortex has been regarded as the site of cognitive activities such as language, thought, and spatial awareness. In the past 20 years, however, an increasing amount of evidence has accumulated to suggest that subcortical structures such as the thalamus and the basal ganglia may participate in specific aspects of mental activity. This is the first book to focus entirely on this issue. The collaboration of an international group of researchers, this volume clearly describes the clinical patterns of neuropsychological disorders found in patients with subcortical lesions, and accurately reports the results of animal research. New imaging techniques allow the disorders to be correlated with the size and site of the lesion. This comprehensive work discusses the pattern that emerges from these findings, which is essentially that cognitive functions are mediated by complex neural circuits involving both cortical and subcortical structures.

This book is a practical and thoughtful guide for the forensic interview of children, presenting a synthesis of the empirical and theoretical knowledge necessary to understand the account of child victims of abuse or witnesses of crime. It is a complex task to interview children who are suspected of being abused in order to gather their stories, requiring the mastery of many skills and knowledge. This book is a practical one in that constant links are made between the results of the research and their relevance for the interventions made when interviewing child victims of abuse or witnesses of crime and in understanding their accounts. This book also presents in a detailed and concrete way the revised version of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD-R) Protocol, a forensic structured interview guide empirically supported by numerous studies carried out in different countries. The step-by-step explanations are illustrated with a verbatim interview with a child, as well as other tools to help the interviewer to prepare and handle an efficient and supportive interview. Conducting Interviews with Child Victims of Abuse and Witnesses of Crime is essential reading for stakeholders in the justice, social and health systems as well as anyone likely to receive allegations from children such as educators or daycare staff. Although the NICHD-R Protocol is intended for forensic interviewers, the science behind its development and application is relevant to all professionals working with children.

This book is a fascinating collection of various neuroscience terms coined over the last centuries. Each of the 45 chapters in this book dives deep into the etymologies, vernacular subtleties and historical anecdotes relating to these terms. The book illustrates the rich and diverse history of neuroscience, which has borrowed and continues to borrow terms and concepts from across cultures, literature and languages. The ever-increasing number of terms that needed to be coined with the mushrooming of the field required neuroscientists to show astonishing imagination and creativity, leading them to draw inspiration from Graeco-Roman mythology (Elpenor's syndrome), literature (Lasthenie de Ferjol's syndrome), theatre (Ondine's curse), Japanese folklore (Kanashibari), and even the Bible (Matthew effect). This book will of be immense interest to scholars and researchers studying neuroscience, history of science, anatomy, psychology and linguistics. It will also appeal to any reader interested in learning more about neuroscience and its history. All the chapters included in this book were originally published in a column that appeared from 1997 to 2020 in the Journal of the History of the Neurosciences.

Originally published in 1982, this book provides rich evidence of the relevance of the temporal aspects of behavior. The generalized areas of learning, memory, operant scheduled behavior, task performance, vigilance, mood and motivation and their rhythmic components are explored in varying detail. The particularized measures range from on-the-job errors, through reading efficiency to milliseconds of change in reaction time in the laboratory. The subjects range from ants to older persons. Across this range of settings, subjects, and behaviors, the message is clear: there is an interaction between time and behavior.

Originally published in 1979, this introductory text approaches schizophrenia as a complex biopsychological condition. Drawing from the fields of descriptive psychiatry, psychopathology, neurochemistry, genetics, life history research, and institutional practice, the author details our increasing understanding of the nature and etiology of schizophrenia at the time. He organizes and evaluates current concepts and findings from these areas, with a view towards integration. This volume was intended to serve as an introduction for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in psychology, as well as for students in psychiatry, psychiatric nursing, and clinical social work. The author assumes that a comprehensive understanding of schizophrenia requires a synthesis of findings from diverse fields and emphasizes the compatibility of, and points of contact between, clinical psychological, and biological approaches. Here is a text that introduces the reader to this challenging subject and to contributions from a variety of allied disciplines. Today it can be read in its historical context.

Originally published in 1976, this title deals with the problem of how we tell left from right. The authors argue that the ability to tell left from right depends ultimately on a bodily asymmetry, such as preference for one or the other hand, or dominance of one side of the brain. This has implications for child development, reading disability, navigation, art, and culture.

Psychophysics: A Practical Introduction, Second Edition, is the primary scientific tool for understanding how the physical world of colors, sounds, odors, movements, and shapes translates into the sensory world of sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell; in other words, how matter translates into mind. This timely revision provides a unique introduction to the techniques for researching and understanding how the brain translates the external physical world to the internal world of sensation. The revision expands and refines coverage of the basic tools of psychophysics research and better integrates the theory with the supporting software. The new edition continues to be the only book to combine, in a single volume, the principles underlying the science of psychophysical measurement and the practical tools necessary to analyze data from psychophysical experiments. The book, written in a tutorial style, will appeal to new researchers as well as to seasoned veterans. This introduction to psychophysics research methods will be of interest to students, scholars and researchers within sensory neuroscience, vision research, behavioral neuroscience, and the cognitive sciences.

How is space represented in the brain? How are spatial relationships encoded in the neural network so as to frame our perception and to orient and guide our actions? How are mental images of the outside world generated? Although these questions have caused endless philosophical controversy, it is only recently that neurophysiology has advanced sufficiently to provide a sound scientific basis for the subject. In this book, leading authorities in the field describe their latest research, and provide new theoretical insights for the understanding of spatial relationships and cognition. The book is divided into five sections. The first is devoted to oculomotor control, linking the problem of gaze control to that of sensorimotor mapping of the visual space; the second deals with neural control of skeletal movements; the third discusses the contribution of the cortical parietal association areas to the mapping of spatial information of multimodal origin (with emphasis on the neuropsychology of spatial disorders); the fourth highlights the role of hippocampal structures in cognitive mapping of space and in spatial memory; and the final section examines how neural networks can map spatial relationships and generate internal representations of the physical world.

Presenting new insights into reciprocity, this book combines Marcel Mauss's well-known gift theory with Barrington Moore's idea of mutual obligations linking rulers and the ruled. Teasing out the interrelatedness of these approaches, Reciprocity in Human Societies suggests that evolutionary psychology reveals a human tendency for reciprocity and collaboration, not only in a mutually cooperative way but also through increasing retributive moral emotions. The book discusses various historical societies and the different models of the current welfare state-Nordic (social democratic), conservative, and liberal- and the repercussions of the neoliberal policies of tax havens, tax cuts, and austerity with a cross-disciplinary approach that bridges evolutionary psychology, sociology, and social anthropology with history.

Left-handedness has been connected to many different conditions, traits, and abilities. This is especially true for pathological syndromes, such as schizophrenia, along with learning disabilities and autism. The published research on handedness is vast and frequently contradictory, often raising more questions than providing answers. Questions such as: Is handedness genetic? Can handedness be changed? Are there consequences to training someone to switch handedness? Are there positive traits associated with left-handedness like creativity? Are there negative traits associated with left-handedness like trouble reading maps? Is it abnormal to do some things right-handed and other things left-handed? Are the brains of left-handers different from the brains of right-handers? Laterality: Exploring the Enigma of Left-Handedness examines the research conducted over the past 50 years with special emphasis on twenty-first century research on handedness and translates this literature into an accessible and readable form. Each chapter is based on a question or questions covering diverse topics such as genetic and biological origins of handedness, familial and hormonal influences on handedness, and the effects of a majority right-handed world on the behaviors of left-handers.

Philosophers, psychiatrists, and neuroscientists have all been providing insights which help to build a view of how the human mind works. This book is unique for using all these insights to build a fully integrated view of the subject. The book touches on many aspects of human thought and experience and so will appeal to readers in a wide range of disciplines. The book is accessible to students - Hundert has used it on university courses - and, in its paperback format, could be bought by them.

Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) are used as measures of covert brain function. Their usefulness as such has led to an enormous increase of interest in their basic character and their application in clinical and research settings. Written by internationally recognized investigators, Event-Related Brain Potentials aims to meet this growing interest. It provides an up-to-date and comprehensive review of current knowledge as well as discussions of factors that will shape future developments. The book is divided into four sections, each addressing a key area in ERP research. Much of the material covered is new and has not received such in-depth and systematic discussion before. In keeping with the interdisciplinary nature of research in this area, it includes views from experts in the fields of neurology, psychiatry, cognitive psychology, biophysics, engineering, and genetics. It also contains extensive bibliographies and is fully indexed.

This comprehensive overview of research and clinical practice in PTSD includes new insights into assessment with regard to DSM-5 and ICD-11, discussion of ongoing controversies in the field as to what constitutes safe and effective care, and new research as to assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of PTSD. The second edition includes new coverage of the neurobiology of PTSD, PTSD in special populations, and forensic issues relating to PTSD.

Reconstructing Identity After Brain Injury tells the remarkable story of Stijn Geerinck and his journey from road traffic accident to recovery. After he was hit by a drunk driver whilst cycling, Stijn suffered a traumatic brain injury and had to undergo drastic maxillofacial and neurosurgery. In his own words, this book narrates Stijn's difficult recovery, focusing on the physical, medical, mental, social and financial changes he had to endure. It lays the groundwork for coping with permanent impairment resulting from TBI, including lifelong lesions and the irreversible physical changes. The testimonial narrative is complemented with philosophical insights, providing key philosopher's reflections on the experience of brain injury. Stijn also explores the essential human characteristics of resilience, fighting spirit, emotionality, despair, vulnerability, hope, depression, optimism, anxiety, rationality, focus, anger and love, as he looks at the impact of his brain injury and resulting disfigurement on his masculine identity. It is essential reading for any professional involved in neuropsychological rehabilitation, and all those touched by this condition.

The Evolution of Human Cleverness presents a unique introduction to the way human cognitive abilities have evolved. The book comprises a series of mini-essays on distinct topics in which technical terms are simplified, considering how humans made the long journey from our ape-like ancestors to become capable of higher-level reasoning and problem solving. All the topics are cross-linked, allowing the reader to dip in and out, but certain key concepts run through the underlying reasoning. Chiefly, these are adaptation and selection, the distinction between ultimate and proximate causes of behaviour, gene-culture co-evolution, and domain-general versus domain-specific cognitive processes. The book should help the reader draw lessons for the human species as a whole, especially in view of the environmental threats to its own existence. Entries have been carefully crafted to cut through scientific jargon, providing bite-sized and digestible chunks of knowledge, making the topic accessible for students and lay readers alike. The author draws on research from diverse fields including Psychology, Anthropology, Archaeology, Biology, and Neuroscience to provide an unbiased account of the field, making it an ideal text for students of all levels.

This is the first comprehensive guide devoted exclusively to the widely encountered class of behaviors that consist of repetitive, habitual, and apparently purposeless actions. The authors, leading experts in the field, bring to light the latest information on these stereotyped behaviors and examine their occurrence in psychiatric and neurological patients, as well as in response to stress, drug use, environmental factors, and other causes. The volume includes an historical perspective, information on the role of brain dopamine, the neuropsychological significance of effects of stimulant drugs, and the contribution of dopamine receptor subtypes. Yawning and grooming responses are considered, and are discussed in relation to coping with stress. 5-Hydroxytryptamine and stereotyped behavior is reviewed, and the stereotypy induced by drugs or by brain damage is given full analysis. Environmental factors are discussed and two full chapters are devoted to stereotyped responses and performance encountered in psychiatric and neurological patients.

This study examines the suffering narratives of the Bimo and Christian religious communities of the Yi minority who reside in the remote mountains of Sichuan and Yunnan, China, respectively. It is informed by the theoretical framework of ecological rationality, which posits that religions influence and are influenced by cognitive styles that have co-evolved with the ecological niche of a culture. It was predicted and found that in times of adversity, traditional religious communities differ in emotion expression, causal attribution, and help-seeking behavior, with far-reaching ramifications for how they are uniquely vulnerable to the ravages of modernization. The authors hope that the voices of the study participants, heard through their harrowing narratives, may inspire a deepened sensitivity to the plight of rural Chinese communities as China races to become a superpower in the global economy.

* Makes mental health case law accessible and usable to practicing forensic professionals * Provides a huge range of fascinating legal case studies offering real-world significance * Case studies summarise complex legal decisions through a neuropsychological sieve, to highlight the neuropsychological details. * Allows both legal and psychological communities to better understand each other's professions * Includes a glossary of clear definitions of both legal and mental health terms.

* Makes mental health case law accessible and usable to practicing forensic professionals * Provides a huge range of fascinating legal case studies offering real-world significance * Case studies summarise complex legal decisions through a neuropsychological sieve, to highlight the neuropsychological details. * Allows both legal and psychological communities to better understand each other's professions * Includes a glossary of clear definitions of both legal and mental health terms.

* The first book of its kind to offer a training framework for neuropsychologists who use psychometrists in their practice * An essential resource for psychologists/neuropsychologists who employ technicians and those involved in training graduate students who are just learning to administer cognitive tests. * Includes guidance on methods to prepare the psychometrist for testing with unique populations and responding to atypical behaviors * Includes coverage on promoting board certification of your psychometrist, and the process and procedures required to be successful

This book brings together scholarship that contributes diverse and new perspectives on childhood amnesia - the scarcity of memories for very early life events. The topics of the studies reported in the book range from memories of infants and young children for recent and distant life events, to mother-child conversations about memories for extended lifetime periods, and to retrospective recollections of early childhood in adolescents and adults. The methodological approaches are diverse and theoretical insights rich. The findings together show that childhood amnesia is a complex and malleable phenomenon and that the waning of childhood amnesia and the development of autobiographical memory are shaped by a variety of interactive social and cognitive factors. This book will facilitate discussion and deepen an understanding of the dynamics that influence the accessibility, content, accuracy, and phenomenological qualities of memories from early childhood. This book was originally published as a special issue of Memory.

This book discusses evolution of the human brain, the origin of speech and language. It covers past and present perspectives on the contentious issue of the acquisition of the language capacity. Divided into two parts, this insightful work covers several characteristics of the human brain including the language-specific network, the size of the human brain, its lateralization of functions and interhemispheric integration, in particular the phonological loop. Aboitiz argues that it is the phonological loop that allowed us to increase our vocal memory capacity and to generate a shared semantic space that gave rise to modern language. The second part examines the neuroanatomy of the monkey brain, vocal learning birds like parrots, emergent evidence of vocal learning capacities in mammals, mirror neurons, and the ecological and social context in which speech evolved in our early ancestors. This book's interdisciplinary topic will appeal to scholars of psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, biology and history.

'Meet Luca Turin, a renegade scientist and perfume critic with an extraordinary sense of smell.' Newsday Funny, irreverent and passionate, The Secret of Scent opens the lid on two worlds - the glamorous and highly lucrative realm of the perfume makers, and the equally rivalrous domain of smell science. Smell is our forgotten sense. Long neglected by science in favour of more prestigious areas of research, it's also barely understood in general life. At the core of our sense of smell lies an enigma: why do things smell the way they do? How is smell written into the molecules? This book is the story of the quest to solve this puzzle. Luca Turin has been described in The Economist as 'a man with a powerful nose and a bizarre obsession with perfume.' Starting with a tour of the great perfumes and their gifted makers, he shows how few people have an idea of what perfume is or how it is made, let alone how smell works and what part it plays in other pleasures like food. But not everyone has ignored this powerful sense. A small band of mavericks has been trying to crack the code of smell for seventy years. Building on their work, Turin thinks he has succeeded. And like all good mysteries, the solution was all the while hidden in plain sight - in this case, right under our noses.