Discovering the Brain

Discovering the Brain

Author: National Academy of Sciences

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 1992-01-01

Total Pages: 195

ISBN-13: 0309045290

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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."


Book Synopsis Discovering the Brain by : National Academy of Sciences

Download or read book Discovering the Brain written by National Academy of Sciences and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1992-01-01 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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."

Thinking About Human Memory

Thinking About Human Memory

Author: Michael S. Humphreys

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2016-03-11

Total Pages: 239

ISBN-13: 1316531252

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Thinking About Human Memory provides a novel analytical approach to understanding memory that considers the goals of the memory task, the cues and information available, the opportunity to learn, and interference from irrelevant information (noise). Each of the five chapters describing this approach introduces historical ideas and demonstrates how current thinking both differs from and is derived from them. These chapters also contain analyses of current problems designed to demonstrate the power of the approach. In a subsequent chapter, the authors discuss how memory is controlled by the environment, by others, and by ourselves, and then apply their insights to the problem solving of children, our hominin ancestors, and scrub jays. Finally, the questions of how to define episodic memory and how to investigate phylogenetic and developmental changes in memory are addressed. This book will appeal to memory researchers, including applied researchers, and advanced students.


Book Synopsis Thinking About Human Memory by : Michael S. Humphreys

Download or read book Thinking About Human Memory written by Michael S. Humphreys and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2016-03-11 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thinking About Human Memory provides a novel analytical approach to understanding memory that considers the goals of the memory task, the cues and information available, the opportunity to learn, and interference from irrelevant information (noise). Each of the five chapters describing this approach introduces historical ideas and demonstrates how current thinking both differs from and is derived from them. These chapters also contain analyses of current problems designed to demonstrate the power of the approach. In a subsequent chapter, the authors discuss how memory is controlled by the environment, by others, and by ourselves, and then apply their insights to the problem solving of children, our hominin ancestors, and scrub jays. Finally, the questions of how to define episodic memory and how to investigate phylogenetic and developmental changes in memory are addressed. This book will appeal to memory researchers, including applied researchers, and advanced students.

Our Minds, Our Memories

Our Minds, Our Memories

Author: Jeanne Ellis Ormrod

Publisher: Prentice Hall

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780137013432

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An engaging and conversational book about the basics of human thought and memory processes from a cognitive psychology perspective. While covering the fundamentals of how our brains think, learn, and remember, Our Minds, Our Memories also entertains the reader with a bright tone, engaging exercises, and thought-provoking examples. A textbook that doesn't look or read like a textbook, this new first edition teaches students and non-students alike about thought and memory from the perspective of cognitive psychology, information processing, and constructivism. Utilizing up-to-date educational psychology research, helpful visuals, and a conversational tone, Our Minds, Our Memories covers common misconceptions about learning and memory, reviews the basic anatomy of the brain and the human memory system, and explains why we forget much of what we experience. The book also helps readers acquire effective learning strategies and study habits for their own lives by exploring the subjects of critical thinking, mnemonics, metacognition, and problem solving. In order to help further their understanding of the material, each chapter includes exercises through which readers can see various aspects of cognition in their own thinking and learning.


Book Synopsis Our Minds, Our Memories by : Jeanne Ellis Ormrod

Download or read book Our Minds, Our Memories written by Jeanne Ellis Ormrod and published by Prentice Hall. This book was released on 2011 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An engaging and conversational book about the basics of human thought and memory processes from a cognitive psychology perspective. While covering the fundamentals of how our brains think, learn, and remember, Our Minds, Our Memories also entertains the reader with a bright tone, engaging exercises, and thought-provoking examples. A textbook that doesn't look or read like a textbook, this new first edition teaches students and non-students alike about thought and memory from the perspective of cognitive psychology, information processing, and constructivism. Utilizing up-to-date educational psychology research, helpful visuals, and a conversational tone, Our Minds, Our Memories covers common misconceptions about learning and memory, reviews the basic anatomy of the brain and the human memory system, and explains why we forget much of what we experience. The book also helps readers acquire effective learning strategies and study habits for their own lives by exploring the subjects of critical thinking, mnemonics, metacognition, and problem solving. In order to help further their understanding of the material, each chapter includes exercises through which readers can see various aspects of cognition in their own thinking and learning.

How We Think and Learn

How We Think and Learn

Author: Jeanne Ellis Ormrod

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2017-02-13

Total Pages: 239

ISBN-13: 1107165113

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This book introduces readers to principles and research findings about human learning and cognition in an engaging, conversational manner.


Book Synopsis How We Think and Learn by : Jeanne Ellis Ormrod

Download or read book How We Think and Learn written by Jeanne Ellis Ormrod and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-02-13 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book introduces readers to principles and research findings about human learning and cognition in an engaging, conversational manner.

Introduction to Psychology

Introduction to Psychology

Author: Jennifer Walinga

Publisher: Hasanraza Ansari

Published:

Total Pages: 810

ISBN-13:

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This book is designed to help students organize their thinking about psychology at a conceptual level. The focus on behaviour and empiricism has produced a text that is better organized, has fewer chapters, and is somewhat shorter than many of the leading books. The beginning of each section includes learning objectives; throughout the body of each section are key terms in bold followed by their definitions in italics; key takeaways, and exercises and critical thinking activities end each section.


Book Synopsis Introduction to Psychology by : Jennifer Walinga

Download or read book Introduction to Psychology written by Jennifer Walinga and published by Hasanraza Ansari. This book was released on with total page 810 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is designed to help students organize their thinking about psychology at a conceptual level. The focus on behaviour and empiricism has produced a text that is better organized, has fewer chapters, and is somewhat shorter than many of the leading books. The beginning of each section includes learning objectives; throughout the body of each section are key terms in bold followed by their definitions in italics; key takeaways, and exercises and critical thinking activities end each section.

Lifespan Development of Human Memory

Lifespan Development of Human Memory

Author: Peter Graf (PhD.)

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 9780262072366

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An original approach to memory development that views memory as a continuous process of growth and loss over the human lifespan rather than as a series of separate periods. Until recently, the vast majority of memory research used only university students and other young adults as subjects. Although such research successfully introduced new methodologies and theoretical concepts, it created a bias in our understanding of the lifespan development of memory. This book signals a departure from young-adult-centered research. It views the lifespan development of memory as a continuous process of growth and loss, where each phase of development raises unique questions favoring distinct research methods and theoretical approaches. Drawing on a broad range of investigative strategies, the book lays the foundation for a comprehensive understanding of the lifespan development of human memory. Topics include the childhood and adulthood development of working memory, episodic and autobiographical memory, and prospective memory, as well as the breakdown of memory functions in Alzheimer's disease. Of particular interest is the rich diversity of approaches, methods, and theories. The book takes an interdisciplinary perspective, drawing on work from psychology, psychiatry, gerontology, and biochemistry.


Book Synopsis Lifespan Development of Human Memory by : Peter Graf (PhD.)

Download or read book Lifespan Development of Human Memory written by Peter Graf (PhD.) and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An original approach to memory development that views memory as a continuous process of growth and loss over the human lifespan rather than as a series of separate periods. Until recently, the vast majority of memory research used only university students and other young adults as subjects. Although such research successfully introduced new methodologies and theoretical concepts, it created a bias in our understanding of the lifespan development of memory. This book signals a departure from young-adult-centered research. It views the lifespan development of memory as a continuous process of growth and loss, where each phase of development raises unique questions favoring distinct research methods and theoretical approaches. Drawing on a broad range of investigative strategies, the book lays the foundation for a comprehensive understanding of the lifespan development of human memory. Topics include the childhood and adulthood development of working memory, episodic and autobiographical memory, and prospective memory, as well as the breakdown of memory functions in Alzheimer's disease. Of particular interest is the rich diversity of approaches, methods, and theories. The book takes an interdisciplinary perspective, drawing on work from psychology, psychiatry, gerontology, and biochemistry.

Thinking About Human Memory

Thinking About Human Memory

Author: Michael S. Humphreys

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2016-03-11

Total Pages: 239

ISBN-13: 1107087147

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Embedded in a historical context, this is a novel approach to memory involving goals, cues, information, opportunity to learn, and noise.


Book Synopsis Thinking About Human Memory by : Michael S. Humphreys

Download or read book Thinking About Human Memory written by Michael S. Humphreys and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2016-03-11 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Embedded in a historical context, this is a novel approach to memory involving goals, cues, information, opportunity to learn, and noise.

The Seven Sins of Memory

The Seven Sins of Memory

Author: Daniel L. Schacter

Publisher: HMH

Published: 2002-05-07

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 0547347456

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A New York Times Notable Book: A psychologist’s “gripping and thought-provoking” look at how and why our brains sometimes fail us (Steven Pinker, author of How the Mind Works). In this intriguing study, Harvard psychologist Daniel L. Schacter explores the memory miscues that occur in everyday life, placing them into seven categories: absent-mindedness, transience, blocking, misattribution, suggestibility, bias, and persistence. Illustrating these concepts with vivid examples—case studies, literary excerpts, experimental evidence, and accounts of highly visible news events such as the O. J. Simpson verdict, Bill Clinton’s grand jury testimony, and the search for the Oklahoma City bomber—he also delves into striking new scientific research, giving us a glimpse of the fascinating neurology of memory and offering “insight into common malfunctions of the mind” (USA Today). “Though memory failure can amount to little more than a mild annoyance, the consequences of misattribution in eyewitness testimony can be devastating, as can the consequences of suggestibility among pre-school children and among adults with ‘false memory syndrome’ . . . Drawing upon recent neuroimaging research that allows a glimpse of the brain as it learns and remembers, Schacter guides his readers on a fascinating journey of the human mind.” —Library Journal “Clear, entertaining and provocative . . . Encourages a new appreciation of the complexity and fragility of memory.” —The Seattle Times “Should be required reading for police, lawyers, psychologists, and anyone else who wants to understand how memory can go terribly wrong.” —The Atlanta Journal-Constitution “A fascinating journey through paths of memory, its open avenues and blind alleys . . . Lucid, engaging, and enjoyable.” —Jerome Groopman, MD “Compelling in its science and its probing examination of everyday life, The Seven Sins of Memory is also a delightful book, lively and clear.” —Chicago Tribune Winner of the William James Book Award


Book Synopsis The Seven Sins of Memory by : Daniel L. Schacter

Download or read book The Seven Sins of Memory written by Daniel L. Schacter and published by HMH. This book was released on 2002-05-07 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A New York Times Notable Book: A psychologist’s “gripping and thought-provoking” look at how and why our brains sometimes fail us (Steven Pinker, author of How the Mind Works). In this intriguing study, Harvard psychologist Daniel L. Schacter explores the memory miscues that occur in everyday life, placing them into seven categories: absent-mindedness, transience, blocking, misattribution, suggestibility, bias, and persistence. Illustrating these concepts with vivid examples—case studies, literary excerpts, experimental evidence, and accounts of highly visible news events such as the O. J. Simpson verdict, Bill Clinton’s grand jury testimony, and the search for the Oklahoma City bomber—he also delves into striking new scientific research, giving us a glimpse of the fascinating neurology of memory and offering “insight into common malfunctions of the mind” (USA Today). “Though memory failure can amount to little more than a mild annoyance, the consequences of misattribution in eyewitness testimony can be devastating, as can the consequences of suggestibility among pre-school children and among adults with ‘false memory syndrome’ . . . Drawing upon recent neuroimaging research that allows a glimpse of the brain as it learns and remembers, Schacter guides his readers on a fascinating journey of the human mind.” —Library Journal “Clear, entertaining and provocative . . . Encourages a new appreciation of the complexity and fragility of memory.” —The Seattle Times “Should be required reading for police, lawyers, psychologists, and anyone else who wants to understand how memory can go terribly wrong.” —The Atlanta Journal-Constitution “A fascinating journey through paths of memory, its open avenues and blind alleys . . . Lucid, engaging, and enjoyable.” —Jerome Groopman, MD “Compelling in its science and its probing examination of everyday life, The Seven Sins of Memory is also a delightful book, lively and clear.” —Chicago Tribune Winner of the William James Book Award

The Evolution of Memory Systems

The Evolution of Memory Systems

Author: Elisabeth A. Murray

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 529

ISBN-13: 0199686432

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Current theories about human memory have been shaped by clinical observations and animal experiments. This doctrine holds that the medial temporal lobe subserves one memory system for explicit or declarative memories, while the basal ganglia subserves a separate memory system for implicit or procedural memories, including habits. Cortical areas outside the medial temporal lobe are said to function in perception, motor control, attention, or other aspects of executive function, but not in memory. 'The Evolution of Memory Systems' advances dramatically different ideas on all counts. It proposes that several memory systems arose during evolution and that they did so for the same general reason: to transcend problems and exploit opportunities encountered by specific ancestors at particular times and places in the distant past. Instead of classifying cortical areas in terms of mutually exclusive perception, executive, or memory functions, the authors show that all cortical areas contribute to memory and that they do so in their own ways-using specialized neural representations. The book also presents a proposal on the evolution of explicit memory. According to this idea, explicit (declarative) memory depends on interactions between a phylogenetically ancient navigation system and a representational system that evolved in humans to represent one's self and others. As a result, people embed representations of themselves into the events they experience and the facts they learn, which leads to the perception of participating in events and knowing facts. 'The Evolution of Memory Systems' is an important new work for students and researchers in neuroscience, psychology, and biology.


Book Synopsis The Evolution of Memory Systems by : Elisabeth A. Murray

Download or read book The Evolution of Memory Systems written by Elisabeth A. Murray and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017 with total page 529 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Current theories about human memory have been shaped by clinical observations and animal experiments. This doctrine holds that the medial temporal lobe subserves one memory system for explicit or declarative memories, while the basal ganglia subserves a separate memory system for implicit or procedural memories, including habits. Cortical areas outside the medial temporal lobe are said to function in perception, motor control, attention, or other aspects of executive function, but not in memory. 'The Evolution of Memory Systems' advances dramatically different ideas on all counts. It proposes that several memory systems arose during evolution and that they did so for the same general reason: to transcend problems and exploit opportunities encountered by specific ancestors at particular times and places in the distant past. Instead of classifying cortical areas in terms of mutually exclusive perception, executive, or memory functions, the authors show that all cortical areas contribute to memory and that they do so in their own ways-using specialized neural representations. The book also presents a proposal on the evolution of explicit memory. According to this idea, explicit (declarative) memory depends on interactions between a phylogenetically ancient navigation system and a representational system that evolved in humans to represent one's self and others. As a result, people embed representations of themselves into the events they experience and the facts they learn, which leads to the perception of participating in events and knowing facts. 'The Evolution of Memory Systems' is an important new work for students and researchers in neuroscience, psychology, and biology.

Memory Makes The Brain: The Biological Machinery That Uses Experiences To Shape Individual Brains

Memory Makes The Brain: The Biological Machinery That Uses Experiences To Shape Individual Brains

Author: Christian Hansel

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 2021-01-04

Total Pages: 193

ISBN-13: 9811228825

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The development of the young brain after birth and the emergence of cognitive capacities, mind, and individuality rest on the maturation of a dense net of synaptic connections between neurons. Memory Makes the Brain describes the dramatic, competitive elimination of surplus synapses that occur in the young, maturing brain — in a process called synaptic pruning that was discovered by pediatric neurologist Peter Huttenlocher in the 1970's at the University of Chicago. Explaining similarities between developmental pruning and learning processes in the adult brain, neurobiologist Christian Hansel offers a unique perspective on brain adaptation and plasticity throughout lifetime, at times weaving in personal accounts and memories. The cellular plasticity machinery that enables learning is known to be affected in brain developmental disorders such as autism. Memory Makes the Brain explains how both maturation and adult synaptic plasticity are deregulated in autism, and how we begin to trace back autism-typical behavioral abnormalities to such synaptopathies.


Book Synopsis Memory Makes The Brain: The Biological Machinery That Uses Experiences To Shape Individual Brains by : Christian Hansel

Download or read book Memory Makes The Brain: The Biological Machinery That Uses Experiences To Shape Individual Brains written by Christian Hansel and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2021-01-04 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The development of the young brain after birth and the emergence of cognitive capacities, mind, and individuality rest on the maturation of a dense net of synaptic connections between neurons. Memory Makes the Brain describes the dramatic, competitive elimination of surplus synapses that occur in the young, maturing brain — in a process called synaptic pruning that was discovered by pediatric neurologist Peter Huttenlocher in the 1970's at the University of Chicago. Explaining similarities between developmental pruning and learning processes in the adult brain, neurobiologist Christian Hansel offers a unique perspective on brain adaptation and plasticity throughout lifetime, at times weaving in personal accounts and memories. The cellular plasticity machinery that enables learning is known to be affected in brain developmental disorders such as autism. Memory Makes the Brain explains how both maturation and adult synaptic plasticity are deregulated in autism, and how we begin to trace back autism-typical behavioral abnormalities to such synaptopathies.