Principles of cognitive neuroscience / Dale Purves [and others].

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Cognitive neuroscience : definitions, themes, and approaches -- The methods of cognitive neuroscience -- Sensory systems and perception : vision -- Sensory systems and perception : auditory, mechanical, and chemical senses -- Motor systems : the organization of action -- Attention and its effects on stimulus processing -- The control of attention -- Memory : varieties and mechanisms -- Declarative memory -- Emotion -- Social cognition -- Language -- Executive functions -- Decision making -- Evolution and development of brain and cognition -- Appendix : The human nervous system -- Glossary.

The new and rapidly evolving field of cognitive neuroscience brings together cognitive psychology and neuroscience, drawing conceptual and technical elements from both these traditional disciplines. This union has been motivated by the exciting possibility of better understanding complex human brain functions that have puzzled thinkers for centuries. The emergence of cognitive neuroscience as a discipline in its own right over the last two decades is thus an expression of what many see as the next logical step for both neuroscience and cognitive psychology, driven by powerful new methods for studying the human brain. Introduced in 2008, the 1st edtion was written to inform readers at all levels about the growing canon of cognitive neuroscience, and to make clear the many challenges that remain to be solved. As before, this edition includes an extensive glossary of key terms.