Originally published in 1995, this book is about the conduct of cognitive science rather than what cognitive science is. It has three main objectives. First, it describes the birth of cognitive science. Second, it outlines the method of enquiry which characterises and defines cognitive science. This method uses the techniques of artificial intelligence based on the assumption that mental activity can, in principle, be reproduced by a computer program. Third, the book describes the state of the art in relevant areas, with particular attention to application fields such as pedagogics, human...

Piagetian theory was once considered able to describe the structure and development of human thought. As a result, it generated an enthusiasm that it could direct education to develop new teaching methods, particularly in science and mathematics. However, disillusionment with Piagetian theory came rather quickly because many of its structural and developmental assumptions appeared incongruent with empirical evidence.

In recent years several neo-Piagetian theories have been proposed which try to preserve the strengths of Piaget s theory, while eliminating its weaknesses. At the same time...

Physiological psychology deals with the "interaction" between under the skin physiological variables and the personal and social context in which organisms live. Originally published in 1975, much of this book has relevance for the understanding of human action: knowledge of physiological mechanisms underlying psychological functions can throw light on conditions such as obesity, schizophrenia, and the emotional disorders, and on procedures such as psychosurgery and drug therapy. "

Cognitive science which draws on ideas from psychology, philosophy, linguistics and artificial intelligence (AI) attempts to explain our mental life within a scientific framework. Its goal is, thus, to remove the last major obstacle to a unified scientific account of the natural world. In this title, originally published in 1991, Alan Garnham provides an invaluable introduction to this exciting new development in the study of mind. "

The Mind in Action" focuses on the development of a systematic explanation of cognition, rather than on facts about the way we perceive things, remember...

Originally published in 1991, this title was the result of a symposium held at Harvard University. It presents some of the exciting interdisciplinary developments of the time that clarify how animals and people learn to behave adaptively in a rapidly changing environment. The contributors focus on aspects of how recognition learning, reinforcement learning, and motor learning interact to generate adaptive goal-oriented behaviours that can satisfy internal needs an area of inquiry as important for understanding brain function as it is for designing new types of freely moving autonomous...

Originally published in 1987 this title was designed as a textbook for first degree students of psychology and provides an introduction to the major topics within the subject of physiological psychology. The aim was to cover these major subject areas and at the same time to provide indications of advances made in the previous two decades. Today the book is still suitable for all levels of study, from beginning students to final year level, who wish to cover historical aspects of physiological psychology.

Originally published in 1980, this title looks at the mental processes involved in producing and understanding spoken language. Although there had been several edited volumes on speech in the previous ten years, this volume was unique in that it deals exclusively with perception and production of "fluent" speech. The chapters in this volume, contributed to by distinguished scientists from psychology, linguistics and computer science, deal with such questions as: How are ideas encoded into sound? How does a speaker plan an utterance? How are words recognized? What is the role of knowledge...

Originally published in 1988, the purpose of this title was to present a coherent summary of the previous 30 years of research on the way in which animals and humans distribute their behaviour between alternative sources of reinforcement. There were three reasons why the book was needed at the time. First, it makes use of the empirical results available, something only partially present in many theories of the time. Second, as a general source of information to gain understanding of the scope of research on behaviour allocation. Third, a text was needed that described the techniques of...

Originally published in 1989 the purpose of this title was to provide information and ideas for: Staff Developers and Teacher Educators, as they consider program content to prepare teachers to teach thinking skills. Teachers, as they assess their own abilities to create classroom conditions for thinking and their readiness to implement a curriculum for developing thinking skills. Curriculum Developers, as they decide how the curriculum should be organized and sequenced according to children s developmental levels. Administrators, as they assess and provide leadership for improving the...

Originally published in 1993, this title provided a lively but comprehensive account of experimental and theoretical approaches to the study of human memory at the time. Throughout, the book integrates experimental findings with neuropsychological data and describes a wide range of fascinating memory phenomena.

A central theme of the book concerns the organization of memory. The idea that memory is composed of a series of structures is contrasted with process accounts of how memory works. There is a substantial account of the explicit/implicit distinction in memory research an area that...