Description

The Oxford Companion to the Mind is a classic. Published in 1987, to huge acclaim, it immediately took its place as the indispensable guide to the mysteries - and idiosyncracies - of the human mind. In no other book can the reader find discussions of concepts such as language, memory, and intelligence, side by side with witty definitions of common human experiences such as the 'cocktail-party' and 'halo' effects, and the least effort principle.

Richard Gregory again brings his wit, wisdom, and expertise to bear on this most elusive of subjects. Research into the mind and brain has moved on in bounds in recent years, and interest in the subject has never been so high. There has been a shift in focus away from Freud's concept of the unconscious onto consciousness itself. The new edition of the Companion includes three 'mini symposia' - on consciousness, brain scanning, and artificial intelligence - with contributions from a number of specialists, and encompassing a range of approaches.

Cultural as well as scientific in approach, this accessible book offers authoritative descriptions and analysis. With new entries on controversial topics such as artificial life, attachment theory, caffeine, cruetly, drama, extra-terrestrial intelligence, genetics of mental illness, imagination, lying, puzzles, and twins, this highly-anticipated second edition explores the most intriguing of subjects.

Features

• The long-awaited second edition to the highly acclaimed and immensely successful Oxford Companion to the Mind
• Cultural as well as scientific in its approach, it combines authoritative description and analysis with lightness, wit, and a personal touch
• New entries include artificial life, attachment theory, caffeine, conjuring, cruelty, drama, extra-terrestrial intelligence, face-to-face communication, genetics of mental illness, imagination, lying, puzzles, twins
• Features three new mini symposia - on consciousness, brain imaging, and artificial intelligence - with contributions from a range of specialists, representing the variety of approaches to these major subjects in a balanced but lively and personal way
• Includes Roger Penrose and Steven Rose on consciousness; Beryl Bainbridge on construction of fiction; Raj Persaud on depression; Richard Gregory on facial expression, illusions of vision and consciousness, Ted Honderich on free will; Noam Chomsky on language

Reviews

"Editor Gregory (neuropsychology emeritus, Bristol U.) and contributors explore over 1,000 aspects of the human mind, including memory, language, imagination, mental illness and handicap, consciousness, sensory and extrasensory perception, and a wide array of theories, symptoms, and syndromes. Contributors come from such diverse fields as experimental psychology, linguistics, psychiatry, neuroscience, philosophy, and physics. This second edition includes updated information from new research on such topics as artificial life, imagination, and cruelty, and mini-symposia on consciousness, brain imaging, and artificial intelligence. Gregory includes a glossary and an index of subjects and contributors. Now it is impossible to excuse oneself by saying one does not have an owner's manual for one's mind."--Reference and Research Library Book News

Product Details

1024 pages; 59 halftones, 108 line illus.; ISBN13: 978-0-19-866224-2ISBN10: 0-19-866224-6

About the Author(s)