The Attentive Brain (Bradford Books) (Hardcover)

by Raja Parasuraman (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Of the myriad tasks that the brain has to perform, perhaps none is as crucial to the performance of other tasks as attention. A central thesis of this book on the cognitive neuroscience of attention is that attention is not a single entity, but a finite set of brain processes that interact mutually and with other brain processes in the performance of perceptual, cognitive, and motor skills. After an introductory part I, the book consists of three parts. Part II, Methods, describes the major neuroscience methods, including techniques used only with animals (anatomical tract tracing, single-unit electrophysiology, neurochemical manipulations), noninvasive human brain-imaging techniques (ERPs, positron emission tomography, and functional magnetic resonance imaging), and studies with brain-damaged individuals. This part also includes a chapter on the computational modeling of attention. Part III, Varieties of Attention, looks at three major components of attention from the cognitive neuroscience perspective: selection, vigilance, and control. It also discusses links to memory and language. Finally, part IV, Development and Pathologies, discusses the application of findings from the previous sections to the analysis of normal and abnormal development and to pathologies of attention such as schizophrenia and attention deficit disorders. Contributors: Edward Awh, Gordon C. Baylis, Jochen Braun, Dennis Cantwell, Vincent P. Clark, Maurizio Corbetta, Susan M. Courtney, Francis Crinella, Matthew C. Davidson, Gregory J. DiGirolamo, Jon Driver, Jane Emerson, Pauline Filipek, Ira Fischler, Massimo Girelli, Pamela M. Greenwood, James V. Haxby, Mark H. Johnson, John Jonides, Julian S. Joseph, Robert T. Knight, Christof Koch, Steven J. Luck, Richard T. Marrocco, Brad C. Motter, Ken Nakayama, Orhan Nalcioglu, Paul G. Nestor, Ernst Niebur, Brian F. O'Donnell, Raja Parasuraman, Michael I. Posner, Robert D. Rafal, Trevor W. Robbins, Lynn C. Robertson, Judi E. See, James Swanson, Diane Swick, Don Tucker, Leslie G. Ungerleider, Joel S. Warm, Maree J. Webster, Sharon Wigal.

About the Author
Raja Parasuraman is Professor in the Department of Psychology at the Catholic University of America.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 577 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press; 1 edition (May 8, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262161729
• ISBN-13: 978-0262161725
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 7.5 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,697,125 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars good book!, August 28, 1999

By	L. Toth (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is by far the best review available of its subject to date. It covers behavioral, psychophysical and neurophysiological studies of attention at an appropriate depth and breadth to be useful for scientists working in the field. Extensive reference lists follow each chapter. Unlike other works of this sort, it is not particularly biased towards the author's work. And I believe amateurs and science enthusiats as well will find the writing to be understandable and of above-average clarity.