To understand mental function, we need to uncover the representations and processes underlying our ability to comprehend and to produce words, sentences,numbers and objects (or pictures of them). The unique contribution of the field of cognitive neuropsychology is the investigation of these representations and processes in individuals who have sustained selective brain damage. Indeed, studies of such individuals provide a window into the mental system and allow us to explore the functional architecture that is necessary and sufficient for cognition. This special issue of Cognitive Neuropsychology is a collection of papers that exemplifies this type of cognitive neuropsychology research. The special issue is designed to honour and pay tribute to Eleanor M. Saffran, one of the pioneers of this discipline, who adopted this approach in her wide-ranging investigations of individuals with cognitive impairment following brain damage. The papers included in this collection all explore issues concerning behavioural and neural mechanisms mediating cognition and are divided into four separate sections. Two of these focus on language, with the emphasis of the first on single word recognition and the second on processes that are invoked beyond the single word level. Conceptual and semantic processes are covered in a third section and the final section is concerned with issues related to more peripheral processes, which, when impaired, give rise to alexia, agnosia and/or agraphia. This extensive collection of papers represents a comprehensive overview of the current state of the field and the papers elucidate the most recent findings in the domain of cognitive neuropsychology.

This engaging volume for the general reader explores how individuals and societies remember, forget and commemorate events of the past. The collection of eight essays takes an interdisciplinary approach to address the relationships between individual experience and collective memory, with leading experts from the arts and sciences. We might expect scientists to be concerned with studying just the mental and physical processes involved in remembering, and humanities scholars to be interested in the products of memory, such as books, statues and music. This collection exposes the falseness of such a dichotomy, illustrating the insights into memory which can be gained by juxtaposing the complementary perspectives of specialists venturing beyond the normal boundaries of their disciplines. The authors come from backgrounds as diverse as psychoanalysis, creative writing, neuroscience, social history and medicine.

Memory is both a private, personal phenomenon and a collective interpretation of history by society. The concept of memory has long intrigued scientists, philosophers, and scholars alike. This fascinating volume explores some of the many ways that individuals and societies remember, forget, and commemorate events of the past. The collection of eight essays, representing some of the most engaging contemporary voices in the arts and sciences, takes a unique interdisciplinary approach to address the relationships between individual experience and collective memory. Many would expect scientists to be concerned with studying only the mental and physical processes involved in remembering; and humanities scholars to be interested in only the products of memory, such as literature, art, and music. Memory exposes the falseness of such a dichotomy by illustrating the insights into memory that can be gained by juxtaposing the complementary perspectives of specialists venturing past the normal boundaries of their disciplines. The authors represent fields as diverse as psychoanalysis, creative writing, neuroscience, social history, and medicine; but explore concepts beyond their areas of notoriety, providing textured, complete, and sometimes personal views of the meaning of memory. This thought-provoking and unusual collection will delight a wide variety of readers. Contributors : Richard Sennett, Catherine Hall, A. S. Byatt, Jack Goody, Juliet Mitchell, Barbara Wilson, Steven Rose, Terrence Sejnowski.

To understand mental function, we need to uncover the representations and processes underlying our ability to comprehend and to produce words, sentences, numbers and objects (or pictures of them). The unique contribution of the field of cognitive neuropsychology is the investigation of these representations and processes in individuals who have sustained selective brain damage. Indeed, studies of such individuals provide a window into the mental system and allow us to explore the functional architecture that is necessary and sufficient for cognition.
This special issue of "Cognitive Neuropsychology "is a collection of papers that exemplifies this type of cognitive neuropsychology research. It is designed to honour and pay tribute to Eleanor M. Saffran, one of the pioneers of this discipline, who adopted this approach in her wide-ranging investigations of individuals with cognitive impairment following brain damage.
The papers included in this collection all explore issues concerning behavioural and neural mechanisms mediating cognition and are divided into four separate sections. Two of these focus on language, with the emphasis of the first on single word recognition and the second on processes that are invoked beyond the single word level. Conceptual and semantic processes are covered in a third section and the final section is concerned with issues related to more peripheral processes, which, when impaired, give rise to alexia, agnosia and/or agraphia. This extensive collection of papers represents a comprehensive overview of the current state of the field and the papers elucidate the most recent findings in the domain of cognitive neuropsychology.