The New Cognitive Neurosciences: Second Edition [Hardcover]

Michael S. Gazzaniga (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Bradford Books | Publication Date: November 26, 1999

Winner of the 2002 William James Book Award presented by the Society for General Psychology, Division One of the American Psychological Association. This award is given for the best book which furthers the mission of the Society for General Psychology by bringing together researchers and ideas from the various subfields of neuroscience and psychology.

The first edition of The Cognitive Neurosciences helped to define the field. The second edition reflects the many advances that have taken place-particularly in imaging and recording techniques. From the molecular level up to that of human consciousness, the contributions cover one of the most fascinating areas of science—the relationship between the structural and physiological mechanisms of the brain/nervous system and the psychological reality of mind. The majority of the chapters in this edition of The Cognitive Neurosciences are new, and those from the first edition have been completely rewritten and updated.


This major reference work is now available online as part of MIT CogNet, The Cognitive and Brain Sciences Community online.


Sections and section editors:

- Plasticity - Ira B. Black

- Development - Pasko Rakic

- Sensory Systems - J. Anthony Movshon and Colin Blakemore

- Motor - Emilio Bizzi

- Attention - Michael I. Posner

- Memory - Endel Tulving

- Language - Willem J. M. Levelt

- Thought and Memory - Edward E. Smith and Stephen M. Kosslyn

- Emotion - Joseph E. LeDoux

- Evolution - Leda Cosmides and John Tooby

- Consciousness - Daniel L. Schacter

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Gazzaniga has arrayed some of the world's leaders in one of the most exciting areas of neuroscience—cognitive neuroscience—and has woven their contributions into a comprehensive and well-documented, yet accessible and provocative, overview. This book belongs on the shelf of any reader interested in the brain and behavior."
—Stephen G. Waxman, Chairman, Department of Neurology, Yale Medical School

About the Author

Michael S. Gazzaniga is Professor of Psychology and Director for the SAGE Center for the Study of Mind at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In addition, he is the Director of the Summer Institute in Cognitive Neuroscience, President of the Cognitive Neuroscience Institute, and a member of the President's Council on Bioethetics.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1276 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press; 2 edition (November 26, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262071959
• ISBN-13: 978-0262071956
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.9 x 2.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,498,903 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely spectacular achievement, October 3, 2002

By 

DR P. Dash "drdneuro" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New Cognitive Neurosciences: Second Edition (Hardcover)

I think I can claim to be probably the only clinical neurologist who has read both this book and its first edition cover to cover, which really reflects the fascination of the articles more than incredible compulsivity on my part. The book is divided into 11 sections--development, plasticity, sensory systems, motor systems, attention, memory, language, higher cognitive functions, emotion, evolution, and consciousness, with anywhere from 8-15 articles in each section (total 94 chapters!), averaging around 15 pages each, and a helpful introduction written by an expert for the sections. There are also a large number of color illustrations. For the most part, the articles are very clearly written reviews, and would be appropriate for the upper undergraduate or graduate level student. The emphasis is obviously more on neuroscience than on clinical medicine, though helpful correlates to neurological patients can be found in many chapters. Michael Gazzaniga has once again done a masterful job in assembling contributors, and it is wonderful to see how much the field has advanced since the first edition of this book was published in 1995. For anyone with more than a casual interest in the field, this book is a MUST HAVE!!

27 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, Not an introduction to the field, March 21, 2001

By 

Justin Curry - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New Cognitive Neurosciences: Second Edition (Hardcover)

I am a freshman in High School and after taking a semester course in Biology Honors and a little guidance from my teacher I set out to do my final human anatomy project on how drugs affect the synaptic regions in nerve cells. Using this book and the Internet i completed the project successfully. The thing about this book is that if you already don't have some understanding of the nervous system, this book may be confusing, yet if you want the latest in the field and not to much history and coverage on the supposed "Mind-Body Problem" get this book. This book is a great text for showing the cell processes and overall nervous system.If you just want a basic understanding of how the nervous system works, get another book, yet if you want to comprehend and do some nice research papers i would recommend this book. This book is a compilation of most the research in the cognitive neurosciences and is in depth and comprehensive as books get. Sure its size and weight may have caused some back strain when in my bookbag, but it was worth it. Check your library for this book before you pay out if you just need it for a paper or project, but if you want to do some learning like I did then buy it.

12 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not the editorial quality I expected, November 2, 2002

By 

Melinda (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Cognitive Neurosciences: Second Edition (Hardcover)

I checked this book out from our library to see if it would meet my needs as an in-depth introduction and more to the neurosciences. I have a number of MIT press/Bradford books and expected quite a bit from this one. I was impressed with the breadth and range of topics and the quality of scholarship, but the incredible number of typos, particularly in the second section, left me steamed. Those poor authors who had the spelling of their names butchered in print have my sympathy. These typos include some in the diagrams, which lead to confusion. I expect a better quality of editing from a large professional university press. I bought Principles of Neuroscience (Kandel) instead. My advice would be to check out a copy of the Gazzaniga from your library and go over it to see if it is acceptable to you before you spend [...] on it.