The Brain-Shaped Mind: What the Brain Can Tell Us About the Mind

by Naomi Goldblum, Shifra Glick

Overview

In the same way atomic structures explain the physical properties of an object, neuroscientists are now learning about the human mind by examining how the neurons in the brain are connected to one another and their surrounding environments. Will brain scientists ever be capable of reading minds? Why are certain things harder to remember than others? The Brain-Shaped Mind addresses these and other questions to provide a clear account of how the structure of the brain influences the workings of the mind. Naomi Goldblum is a lecturer in psychology at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel. She has studied neuropsychology with a particular emphasis on cognitive psychology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521000949
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/23/2001
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	148
Product dimensions:	6.02(w) x 8.94(h) x 0.35(d)

About the Author

Born in New York, Naomi Goldblum was originally educated in mathematics at the Yeshiva University. She later moved to Israel where, at the Hebrew University, she extended her interests to the field of psychology. Her doctorate was entitled 'A psycholinguistic study of the metaphor'. Naomi Goldblum is now a lecturer in psychology at Bar-Ilan University, where she specialises in cognitive psychology, in particular psycholinguistics and the processes involved in creative endeavours.

Table of Contents

Preface; Figure permissions and acknowledgements; 1. Introduction; 2. What the brain cannot tell us about the mind; 3. How neurons form networks; 4. Theories and models of how the mind functions; 5. What are connectionist networks?; 6. How our networks learn; 7. Connecting the networks: how different things are related; 8. Evidence for connectionist models; 9. Two different types of memory; 10. Coping with disaster; 11. Practical implications; 12. Criticism of connectionist theory; Annotated references and suggested readings; Index.

Editorial Reviews

'The book is indeed easy to understand. It is well structured, minimally technical in its terminology, informative, and argumentatively clear. Readers interested in a basic understanding of what is known today about the human brain would definitely find this book valuable; and teachers of the non-neuroscience-oriented cognitive sciences, particularly cognitive psychology and cognitive linguistics, might find it a useful introduction to brain research for their students.' Jyh Wee Sew, CHIJ ST Theresa's Convent, Singapore

From the Publisher