Cognitive Psychology

This text presents the basic concepts of modern cognitive psychology in a succinct and accessible manner. Empirical results, theoretical developments, and current issues are woven around basic concepts to produce coherent accounts of research areas. Barsalou's primary goal is to equip readers with a conceptual vocabulary that acquaints them with the general approach of cognitive psychology and allows them to follow more technical discussions elsewhere. In meeting this goal, he discusses the traditional work central to modern thinking and reviews current work relevant to cognitive science. Besides focusing on research and theory in cognitive psychology, Barsalou also addresses its fundamental assumptions. Because the cognitive approach to psychology is somewhat subtle, often misunderstood, and sometimes controversial, it is essential for a text on cognitive psychology to address the assumptions that underlie it. Therefore, three of the eleven chapters address the "meta- assumptions" that govern research and theory in cognitive psychology. These meta-chapters provide a deeper understanding of the content areas and a clearer vision of what cognitive psychologists are trying to accomplish. The remaining eight "content" chapters cover the central topics in cognitive psychology. This book will be of value to a variety of audiences. Ideal for researchers in computer science, linguistics, philosophy, anthropology, and neuroscience who wish to acquaint themselves with cognitive psychology, it may also be used as a text for courses in cognitive science and cognitive psychology. Lay readers who wish to learn about the cognitive approach to scientific psychology will also find the volume useful.

"...Barsalou succeeds admirably. The book is extremely readable with everyday examples interspersed with solid conclusions drawn from 30 years of research."—CHOICE"...Barsalou has written a very useful book for cognitive scientists and for those who are interested in an introduction to cognitive psychology. The book has personality: (a) It is clearly distinguishable from other similar texts in having a central theme (categorization), (b) it takes a problem-centered approach starting with viewpoints and theory, and (c) it organizes the materials into schemes that very often contribute to a clarification of the issues."—Contemporary Psychology"This text is both thorough and scholarly in its coverage and provides a thoughtful interpretation of the field."—Thomas TrabassoUniversity of Chicago