Cognitive Neuroscience, Second Edition (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Richard B. Ivry (Author), George R. Mangun (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

With over four hundred new citations, Cognitive Neuroscience, Second Edition, embraces the latest findings in this cutting-edge field. A revised chapter two, "The Cellular and Molecular Basis of Cognition," introduces new analysis of the chemical systems that support cognition, outlines the modulation of neuronal transmission during development and disease, and increases coverage of the function of membrane receptors in neurochemistry. An entirely new chapter three, "Gross and Functional Anatomy of Cognition," provides a foundation for working through the functional analysis of cognitive systems in subsequent chapters. The Second Edition also includes extensive coverage of computational modeling, highlighting the ways in which modeling demonstrates the neural mechanisms of cognition.

About the Author

Michael Gazzaniga (Ph.D., California Institute of Technology) has held positions at the University of California, Santa Barbara; New York University; the State University of New York, Stony Brook; Cornell University Medical College; and the University of California, Davis. Currently, he is the David T. McLaughlin Distinguished Professor at Dartmouth College. Richard Ivry (Ph.D., University of Oregon) has held positions at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and now at the University of California, Berkeley. George Mangun (Ph.D., University of California, San Diego) has taught at Dartmouth Medical School and is now at Duke University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 748 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 2 edition (January 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393977773
• ISBN-13: 978-0393977776
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #364,820 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best overall for Cogntive Neuroscience, May 12, 2003

By A Customer

I have used it in an upper division undergraduate psychology class, and in my students' rankings of textbooks, this book has consistently been ranked higher than any other text I've used.

The level is beyond a simple introductory psychology text, but is very appropriate for the upper division course.

The numerous full-color illustrations and photographs are especially helpful in illustrating key points.

It covers the full spectrum of the neural basis of cognition, from simple perception through the biology of emotion to the basis of consciousness (with very interesting case studies of brain damaged patients throughout).

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not for those without background, February 24, 2004

By	Vicki Sergent (one of the California State Universities) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is not intended for the general reader, reader with cellular neuroscience background, but has a target audience of advanced undergraduate or graduate level students with relevant background. Also would be useful for the psychology professional without specific or with dated cognitive neuroscience background, or others intending a research or applied clinical career in the area. Appropriate background would necessarily be at least an undergraduate course in cognitive psychology, with additional help provided by biological psychology or a medical professional in neurology. Discussions of principles and mechanisms are at a "functional machinery" level and thus would not make sense to those without some previous training in those principles. It just isn't a basic text, thus, no glossary of basic terms is included. Yes, the material is both abstract and complex, but so is brain function, and we are just beginning to learn. There are very, very few textbooks that survey this area which only became a separate field of study sometime around 1986. Other reading material in the field consists entirely of professional level chapters in compiled and edited texts. The only other broad survey text that I know of is Marie Banich's book on the related area of Cognitive Neuropsychology.

21 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not an Introductory Text, July 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Cognitive Neuroscience: The Biology of the Mind (Hardcover)

I am currently studying this text in an introductory class. It seems to be a source of frustration to most of the course's students.

The text's overall organization is to compare studies of animals and humans, discuss how they differ from or support one another, and show how they may reveal underlying mechanisms for behavior. However, this structure is never made clear. To the beginning psych student, the text comes across as a jumbled mess of conflicting data and jargon. There is no glossary supplied, and as if that weren't enough, the index is not thorough.

Most of the faults with this book arise from poor editing rather than writing. It's clear that the authors are experts in their field; however, as experts, their writing is at too high of a level for the beginning student. If this book is intended for an introductory class, the editors should be more careful about clearly defining difficult terms and removing as much cognitive neuroscience lingo as possible. Further, although the graphics are nice to look at, many of their captions introduce new concepts not discussed in the text or fail to clarify what is depicted. As a side note, the editors should also look closely at the headings and subheadings: many are placed incorrectly and add little or no value to reading comprehension.

In short, this is a good text for someone who wants a broad review of a field they are already familiar with. It will need a second or third edition if it is to be appropriate for an introductory class.