George Houghton - Böcker

One thing that separates human beings from the rest of the animal world is our ability to control behavior by referencing internal plans, goals, and rules. This ability, which is crucial to our success in a complex social environment, depends on the purposeful generation of "task sets"--states of mental readiness that allow each of us to engage with the world in a particular way or achieve a particular aim.This book reports the latest research regarding the activation, maintenance, and suppression of task sets. Chapters from many of the world's leading researchers in task switching and cognitive control investigate key issues in the field, from how we select the most relevant task when presented with distracting alternatives, to how we maintain focus on a task ("eyes on the prize") and switch to a new one when our goals or external circumstances change. Chapters also explore the brain structures responsible for these abilities, how they develop during childhood, and whether they decline due to normal aging or neurological disorders. Of interest especially to scholars and students of cognitive psychology, the volume offers thorough, multi-disciplinary coverage of contemporary research and theories concerning this fundamental yet mysterious aspect of human brain function and behavior.

Connectionist Models in Cognitive Psychology is a state-of-the-art review of neural network modelling in core areas of cognitive psychology including: memory and learning, language (written and spoken), cognitive development, cognitive control, attention and action. The chapters discuss neural network models in a clear and accessible style, with an emphasis on the relationship between the models and relevant experimental data drawn from experimental psychology, neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience. These lucid high-level contributions will serve as introductory articles for postgraduates and researchers whilst being of great use to undergraduates with an interest in the area of connectionist modelling.

This volume focuses on spoken language and its production. It is part of a series which provides a forum for the cross-fertilization of ideas from diverse disciplines that share a mutual interest in discourse. A variety of approaches to the topic are represented: sociolinguistics; psycholinguistics; ethnomethodology and the study of language; educational psychology; and computational linguistics.

This volume focuses on spoken language and its production. It is part of a series which provides a forum for the cross-fertilization of ideas from diverse disciplines that share a mutual interest in discourse. A variety of approaches to the topic are represented: sociolinguistics; psycholinguistics; ethnomethodology and the study of language; educational psychology; and computational linguistics.

Connectionist Models in Cognitive Psychology is a state-of-the-art review of neural network modelling in core areas of cognitive psychology including: memory and learning, language (written and spoken), cognitive development, cognitive control, attention and action. The chapters discuss neural network models in a clear and accessible style, with an emphasis on the relationship between the models and relevant experimental data drawn from experimental psychology, neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience. These lucid high-level contributions will serve as introductory articles for postgraduates and researchers whilst being of great use to undergraduates with an interest in the area of connectionist modelling.