J.P. Das – författare

Although a number of books have appeared on learning disabili­ ties, we feel that the present book has two distinct features which are not found in most others. It is multidisciplinary and it com­ bines theory with practice. A group of researchers from the disciplines of Psychology in­ cluding medical psychology and information processing, Reading, Special Education and Physical Education interacted with each other before and after their presentations in a conference (November 1980, at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada), and then wrote their chapters for this book. We hope that their chapters were enriched by the discussions and arguments which happened in formal and informal settings during the authors' stay in Edmonton. Dr. Leong could not attend the conference, but was asked to write the introductory chapter for the book. The contributors to this volume have been involved with basic research as well as with clinical and educational research in learning disabilities. Some of them have a theoretical rather than a practical interest. However, a serious interest in a handicapping condition perhaps compels one to consider its amelioration no matter how 'pure' is the researcher. It is because of such a feeling.that those who do basic research have sug­ gested procedures for applying their findings. The result is a balanced product, entailing theory and practice.

Simultaneous and Successive Cognitive Processes presents some innovative ideas for defining simultaneous and successive cognitive processes by choosing certain tasks that would elicit the use of coding and planning. Factor analysis is used to assess the organization of cognitive functions in terms of coding and planning. The book demonstrates how to isolate coding and planning processes by using a battery of tasks, and extends the approach to complex cognitive areas such as reading, word association, and sentence comprehension. Comprised of 11 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the evolution of the concept of intelligence and some notable workers in the field, including Cyril Burt, Raymond B. Cattell, Jean Piaget, and Jerome Kagan. The discussion then turns to learning theory and cognitive development as the basis for understanding intelligence. Subsequent chapters focus on intellectual functions in terms of the workings of the brain; simultaneous and successive cognitive processing in children; the relationship of simultaneous and successive coding to school achievement; and simultaneous and successive cognitive processing in children with mental retardation and learning disability. The results of cross-cultural studies on cognitive processes are also discussed, together with the link between language functions and cognitive processing. This monograph will be of interest to teachers, school administrators, and educational psychologists.

Although a number of books have appeared on learning disabili­ ties, we feel that the present book has two distinct features which are not found in most others. It is multidisciplinary and it com­ bines theory with practice. A group of researchers from the disciplines of Psychology in­ cluding medical psychology and information processing, Reading, Special Education and Physical Education interacted with each other before and after their presentations in a conference (November 1980, at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada), and then wrote their chapters for this book. We hope that their chapters were enriched by the discussions and arguments which happened in formal and informal settings during the authors'' stay in Edmonton. Dr. Leong could not attend the conference, but was asked to write the introductory chapter for the book. The contributors to this volume have been involved with basic research as well as with clinical and educational research in learning disabilities. Some of them have a theoretical rather than a practical interest. However, a serious interest in a handicapping condition perhaps compels one to consider its amelioration no matter how ''pure'' is the researcher. It is because of such a feeling.that those who do basic research have sug­ gested procedures for applying their findings. The result is a balanced product, entailing theory and practice.

Although a number of books have appeared on learning disabili­ ties, we feel that the present book has two distinct features which are not found in most others. It is multidisciplinary and it com­ bines theory with practice. A group of researchers from the disciplines of Psychology in­ cluding medical psychology and information processing, Reading, Special Education and Physical Education interacted with each other before and after their presentations in a conference (November 1980, at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada), and then wrote their chapters for this book. We hope that their chapters were enriched by the discussions and arguments which happened in formal and informal settings during the authors' stay in Edmonton. Dr. Leong could not attend the conference, but was asked to write the introductory chapter for the book. The contributors to this volume have been involved with basic research as well as with clinical and educational research in learning disabilities. Some of them have a theoretical rather than a practical interest. However, a serious interest in a handicapping condition perhaps compels one to consider its amelioration no matter how 'pure' is the researcher. It is because of such a feeling.that those who do basic research have sug­ gested procedures for applying their findings. The result is a balanced product, entailing theory and practice.

This volume puts together a selection from the English translations of J.P. Das's poems written over the last four decades. These translations have earlier appeared in eleven collections-from the earliest First Person (1976) to the latest J.P. Das Omnibus (2012). The poems are arranged chrono-logically as they appeared over the years in original Odia. Names of translators are given at the ends of poems where the translation is not by the poet himself. If contemporary Oriya poetry has acquired a new dimension and sophistication in terms of vision, technical integrity and innovative use of the creative medium, it was because of Das's contribution. His passion for the diverse facets of life and existence makes his poetry vibrant and rejuvenating. The sense of rhythm that he tries to capture in his poetry is very close to the colloquial speech. These selected poems in translation bear testimony to the many qualities outlined in the assessment above.

Consciousness is an active area of both philosophical debates and scientific research. Consciousness Quest, rather than covering the broad spectrum of consciousness spread over multiple scientific disciplines, refocuses the quest for consciousness on a specific area where Eastern contemplative traditions, mostly in Hindu and Buddhist theories of mind, meet Western empirical research. This book is an introduction to current scientific thinking and research on consciousness and at the same time acquaints readers with the spectrum of classical and modern philosophical notions on consciousness.