How the Brain Thinks


Book Description

How does the brain think? An alternative way of looking at how matter produces mind. Calling on new research in neuroscience and a new interpretation of old ideas, this book tackles the age-old questions of how thinking, consciousness and emotion happen. We can be irrational and unpredictable but we are completely understandable, the author explains in this fascinating introduction to our complex inner world. At a fundamental level, he suggests, thinking happens when areas within the frontal cortex use the components of attention, emotion and memory to produce higher order functions such as consciousness and perception. These thought processes are similar in most of us. We are uniquely unpredictable simply because we all have a mix of different genes and experience. The value of story, why you should drive with your lights on, confusion around definitions of consciousness and our voice within, and new ways of thinking about feelings and emotion, are some of the topics on which this book offers fresh insights. Chapters include explanations and key insights into: Attention, Consciousness and Our Internal Narrative Emotion - At the Core of Thinking Memory - Stored Experience Perception Biology of the Brain




How the Brain Thinks


Book Description

"Calling on new research in neuroscience and a new interpretation of old ideas, this book tackles the age-old questions of how thinking, consciousness and emotion happen. We can be irrational and unpredictable but we are completely understandable, the author explains in this fascinating introduction to our complex inner world. At a fundamental level, he suggests, thinking happens when areas within the frontal cortex use the components of attention, emotion and memory to produce higher order functions such as consciousness and perception. These thought processes are similar in most of us. We are uniquely unpredictable simply because we all have a mix of different genes and experience. The value of story, why you should drive with your lights on, confusion around definitions of consciousness and our voice within, and new ways of thinking about feelings and emotion, are some of the topics on which this book offers fresh insights"--Publisher information.




Discovering the Brain


Book Description

The brain ... There is no other part of the human anatomy that is so intriguing. How does it develop and function and why does it sometimes, tragically, degenerate? The answers are complex. In Discovering the Brain, science writer Sandra Ackerman cuts through the complexity to bring this vital topic to the public. The 1990s were declared the "Decade of the Brain" by former President Bush, and the neuroscience community responded with a host of new investigations and conferences. Discovering the Brain is based on the Institute of Medicine conference, Decade of the Brain: Frontiers in Neuroscience and Brain Research. Discovering the Brain is a "field guide" to the brainâ€"an easy-to-read discussion of the brain's physical structure and where functions such as language and music appreciation lie. Ackerman examines: How electrical and chemical signals are conveyed in the brain. The mechanisms by which we see, hear, think, and pay attentionâ€"and how a "gut feeling" actually originates in the brain. Learning and memory retention, including parallels to computer memory and what they might tell us about our own mental capacity. Development of the brain throughout the life span, with a look at the aging brain. Ackerman provides an enlightening chapter on the connection between the brain's physical condition and various mental disorders and notes what progress can realistically be made toward the prevention and treatment of stroke and other ailments. Finally, she explores the potential for major advances during the "Decade of the Brain," with a look at medical imaging techniquesâ€"what various technologies can and cannot tell usâ€"and how the public and private sectors can contribute to continued advances in neuroscience. This highly readable volume will provide the public and policymakersâ€"and many scientists as wellâ€"with a helpful guide to understanding the many discoveries that are sure to be announced throughout the "Decade of the Brain."




How the Brain Works


Book Description

Are men's and women's brains really different? Why are teenagers impulsive and rebellious? And will it soon be possible to link our brains together via the Cloud? Drawing on the latest neuroscience research, this visual guide makes the hidden workings of the human brain simple to understand. How the Brain Works begins with an introduction to the brain's anatomy, showing you how to tell your motor cortex from your mirror neurons. Moving on to function, it explains how the brain works constantly and unnoticed to regulate heartbeat and breathing, and how it collects information to produce the experiences of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. The chapters that follow cover memory and learning, consciousness and personality, and emotions and communication. There's also a guide to the brain's disorders, including physical problems, such as tumours and strokes, and psychological and functional disorders, ranging from autism to schizophrenia. Illustrated with bold graphics and step-by-step artworks, and peppered with bite-sized factoids and question-and-answer features, this is the perfect introduction to the fascinating world of the human brain.




How the Brain Works


Book Description

Not just another standard introduction to neuroanatomy, How theBrain Works is an innovative and fun way to learn about thefunction and dysfunction of the central nervous system, asexplained in nine easy-to-understand "lectures." This exciting new addition to the "How it Works" series does awaywith the use of exhaustive details and tedious definitions toprovide an understandable and scientifically sound overview of thehuman brain. This book is neither an outline nor a summary, but aninformal approach to the relationship between physiology andmanifest behavior, including all essential elements covered in mostcourses. Students will find this book to be the perfect introduction totheir neuroscience courses, as well as a quick review for exam.Professionals will enjoy the way in which this complex topic isaddressed in a simple and straightforward manner, and the generalreader will satisfy a basic curiosity about the brain and its rolewithin the central nervous system.




The Secret Life of the Mind


Book Description




How People Learn


Book Description

First released in the Spring of 1999, How People Learn has been expanded to show how the theories and insights from the original book can translate into actions and practice, now making a real connection between classroom activities and learning behavior. This edition includes far-reaching suggestions for research that could increase the impact that classroom teaching has on actual learning. Like the original edition, this book offers exciting new research about the mind and the brain that provides answers to a number of compelling questions. When do infants begin to learn? How do experts learn and how is this different from non-experts? What can teachers and schools do-with curricula, classroom settings, and teaching methodsâ€"to help children learn most effectively? New evidence from many branches of science has significantly added to our understanding of what it means to know, from the neural processes that occur during learning to the influence of culture on what people see and absorb. How People Learn examines these findings and their implications for what we teach, how we teach it, and how we assess what our children learn. The book uses exemplary teaching to illustrate how approaches based on what we now know result in in-depth learning. This new knowledge calls into question concepts and practices firmly entrenched in our current education system. Topics include: How learning actually changes the physical structure of the brain. How existing knowledge affects what people notice and how they learn. What the thought processes of experts tell us about how to teach. The amazing learning potential of infants. The relationship of classroom learning and everyday settings of community and workplace. Learning needs and opportunities for teachers. A realistic look at the role of technology in education.




Creating Mind


Book Description

What makes us human and unique among all creatures is our brain. Conciousness, perception, emotion, memory, learning, language and intelligence all originate in, and depend on, the brain. During the 20th century, our understanding of the brain has revealed many of the mechanisms by which the brain creates mind and consciousness.




How the Mind Works


Book Description

Explains what the mind is, how it evolved, and how it allows us to see, think, feel, laugh, interact, enjoy the arts, and ponder the mysteries of life.




Top Brain, Bottom Brain


Book Description

One of the world's leading neuroscientists teams up with an accomplished writer to debunk the popular left-brain/right-brain theory and offer an exciting new way of thinking about our minds. The second edition, with expanded practical applications, highlights how readers can harness the theory to succeed in their own lives. For the past fifty years, popular culture has led us to believe in the left-brain vs. right-brain theory of personality types. Right-brain people, we've been told, are artistic, intuitive, and thoughtful, while left-brain people tend to be more analytical, logical, and objective. It would be an illuminating theory if it did not have one major drawback: It is simply not supported by science. Dr. Stephen M. Kosslyn, who Steven Pinker calls "one of the world's great cognitive neuroscientists," explains with cowriter G. Wayne Miller an exciting new theory of the brain. Presenting extensive research in an inviting and accessible way, Kosslyn and Miller describe how the human brain uses patterns of thought that can be identified and understood through four modes of thinking: Mover, Perceiver, Stimulator, and Adaptor. These ways of thinking and behaving shape your personality, and with the scientifically developed test provided in the book, you'll quickly be able to determine which mode best defines your own usual style. Once you've identified your usual mode of thought, the practical applications are limitless, from how you work with others when you conduct business, to your personal relationships, to your voyage of self-discovery.