Voluntary and Involuntary Control of Automatic Processing in Spatial Congruency Tasks


Book Description

This special issue of the European Journal of Cognitive Psychology focuses on spatial congruency effects. The dominant view that has emerged after 50 years of research on this topic is that an automatic route processes task-irrelevant spatial information, while another, controlled, route supports rule-based response activation. However, in line with recent literature, this issue reports studies that show that what has been considered automatic, is in fact subject to various control processes. Consequently, in order to account successfully for congruency effects, dual-route models should be adapted so that they can account for between- and within-trial modulation of congruency effects. On the other hand, these studies also show that the relationships between stimulus and response representations that give rise to congruency effects are far more complex than considered so far. Therefore, integrative models for (spatial) congruency effects must indicate when (and how) a response will be activated on the basis of irrelevant stimulus information. The present set of papers not only addresses these issues and outlines possible starting points for future research, but also extends beyond spatial congruency to domains such as task-switching, conflict monitoring, priming, attention, dual-tasking and number processing. Most importantly, this special issue explicitly demonstrates the significance of congruency effects for the study of cognitive control in general.




The Oxford Handbook of Synesthesia


Book Description

Synesthesia is a fascinating phenomenon which has captured the imagination of scientists and artists alike. This title brings together a broad body of knowledge about this condition into one definitive state-of-the-art handbook.




The Neuroscience of Attention: The Neuroscience of Attention


Book Description

This book will provide the reader with a solid overview of the mechanisms and models in the neuroscience of attentional control and selection from leading authorities working in humans and animals, and incorporating a array of neuroscience methods from single neuron recordings to functional brain imaging.




Control of Cognitive Processes


Book Description

The thirty-two contributions discuss evidence from psychological experiments with healthy and brain-damaged subjects, functional imaging, electrophysiology, and computational modeling.




Working Memory Capacity


Book Description

The idea of one's memory "filling up" is a humorous misconception of how memory in general is thought to work; it actually has no capacity limit. However, the idea of a "full brain" makes more sense with reference to working memory, which is the limited amount of information a person can hold temporarily in an especially accessible form for use in the completion of almost any challenging cognitive task. This groundbreaking book explains the evidence supporting Cowan's theoretical proposal about working memory capacity, and compares it to competing perspectives. Cognitive psychologists profoundly disagree on how working memory is limited: whether by the number of units that can be retained (and, if so, what kind of units and how many), the types of interfering material, the time that has elapsed, some combination of these mechanisms, or none of them. The book assesses these hypotheses and examines explanations of why capacity limits occur, including vivid biological, cognitive, and evolutionary accounts. The book concludes with a discussion of the practical importance of capacity limits in daily life. This 10th anniversary Classic Edition will continue to be accessible to a wide range of readers and serve as an invaluable reference for all memory researchers.




Video Games as Tools to Achieve Insight into Cognitive Processes


Book Description

Though traditionally designed for entertainment, video games are being used more and more by psychologists to understand topics such as skill acquisition, cognitive capacity and plasticity, aging, individual differences, and development. The appeal of using video games over simpler laboratory paradigms partly comes from their ability to present rich and complex cognitive challenges more representative of the demands of the complex everyday tasks we perform outside of the laboratory. However, this complexity also presents a host of methodological and analytic challenges. This Research Topic brings together research using games to explore cognitive processes, with a special focus on the challenges of this approach. Challenges are in terms of design, implementation, or data analysis.




Task Switching and Cognitive Control


Book Description

This book offers an overview of state-of-the-art research in cognitive control and task switching, which involve the regulation of one's own behavior by reference to internal plans, schedules, and rules. An international cast of researchers from a range of disciplines reviews the latest findings and theories regarding this fundamental yet mysterious aspect of the human brain and behavior.




Self Control in Society, Mind, and Brain


Book Description

This book presents social, cognitive and neuroscientific approaches to the study of self-control, connecting recent work in cognitive and social psychology with recent advances in cognitive and social neuroscience. In bringing together multiple perspectives on self-control dilemmas from internationally renowned researchers in various allied disciplines, this is the first single-reference volume to illustrate the richness, depth, and breadth of the research in the new field of self control.




Human Safety and Risk Management


Book Description

The third edition of a bestseller, Human Safety and Risk Management: A Psychological Perspective incorporates a decade of new research and development to provide you with a comprehensive and contemporary guide to the psychology of risk and workplace safety. A major enhancement is reflected in the new subtitle for the book, A Psychological Perspective, which highlights both the expertise of the authors and also confirms the predominantly psychological orientation of the revised text. New in the Third Edition: State-of-the-art theory reviews, research findings, and practical applications New chapter on impact that sensor technologies have on approaches to safety and risk in contemporary society Enhanced chapters on key issues around sensing danger, risk perception, error detection, safety culture, risk management, leadership, teams, and stress management This book discusses how people perceive and manage risks and how to make the workplace a safer place. It examines the influence of individual factors on safety, as well as team and organizational factors at work, from a psychological perspective. It also highlights changes in safety due to the changing workplace, globalization, and managing employees’ safety and health beyond the workplace — a challenge that many organizations have yet to address. Reflecting current scientific research across a range of disciplines as it applies to human safety and risk management, this book helps you meet the challenges posed by the rapidly evolving workplace.




The Wiley Handbook of Cognitive Control


Book Description

Covering basic theory, new research, and intersections with adjacent fields, this is the first comprehensive reference work on cognitive control – our ability to use internal goals to guide thought and behavior. Draws together expert perspectives from a range of disciplines, including cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, and neurology Covers behavioral phenomena of cognitive control, neuroanatomical and computational models of frontal lobe function, and the interface between cognitive control and other mental processes Explores the ways in which cognitive control research can inform and enhance our understanding of brain development and neurological and psychiatric conditions