Advances in Behavioural Brain Science – serie

Classically, behavioural neuroscience theorizes about experimental evidence in a qualitative way. However, more recently there has been an increasing development of mathematical and computational models of experimental results, and in general these models are more clearly defined and more detailed than their qualitative counter parts. These new computational models can be set up so that they are consistent with both single neuron and whole-system levels of operation, allowing physiological results to be meshed with behavioural data – thus closing the gap between neurophysiology and human behaviour. There is considerable diversity between models with respect to the methodology of designing a model, the degree to which neurophysiological processes are taken into account and the way data (behavioural, electrophysiological, etc) constrains a model. This book presents examples of this diversity and in doing so represents the state-of-art in the field through a unique collection of papers from the world's leading researchers in the area of computational modelling in behavioural neuroscience.Based on talks given at the third Behavioural Brain Sciences Symposium, held at the Behavioural Brain Sciences Centre, University of Birmingham, in May 2007, the book appeals to a broad audience, from postgraduate students beginning to work in the field to experienced experimenters interested in an overview.

Over the past forty years much work has assessed how attention modulates perception, but relatively little work has evaluated the role of attention in action. This is despite the fact that recent research indicates that the relation between attention and action is a crucial factor in human performance. Attention in Action provides state-of-the-art discussion of the role of attention in action and of action in constraining attention. The research takes an interdisciplinary approach covering experimental studies of attention and action, neuropsychological studies of patients with impaired action and attention, single cell studies of cross-modal links in attention and action, and brain imaging studies on the underlying neural circuitry. Contributions from prominent international researchers both review the field and present new evidence, making this book an invaluable resource for researchers and therapists alike.

The use of language is a fundamental component of much of our day-to-day life. Language often co-occurs with other activities with which it must be coordinated. This raises the question of whether the cognitive processes involved in planning spoken utterances and in understanding them are autonomous or whether they are affected by, and perhaps affect, non-linguistic cognitive processes, with which they might share processing resources. This question is the central concern of Automaticity and Control in Language Processing.The chapters address key issues concerning the relationship between linguistic and non-linguistic processes, including:How can the degree of automaticity of a component be defined?Which linguistic processes are truly automatic, and which require processing capacity?Through which mechanisms can control processes affect linguistic performance? How might these mechanisms be represented in the brain?How do limitations in working memory and executive control capacity affect linguistic performance and language re-learning in persons with brain damage?This important collection from leading international researchers will be of great interest to researchers and students in the area.

Over the past forty years much work has assessed how attention modulates perception, but relatively little work has evaluated the role of attention in action. This is despite the fact that recent research indicates that the relation between attention and action is a crucial factor in human performance. Attention in Action provides state-of-the-art discussion of the role of attention in action and of action in constraining attention. The research takes an interdisciplinary approach covering experimental studies of attention and action, neuropsychological studies of patients with impaired action and attention, single cell studies of cross-modal links in attention and action, and brain imaging studies on the underlying neural circuitry. Contributions from prominent international researchers both review the field and present new evidence, making this book an invaluable resource for researchers and therapists alike.

The use of language is a fundamental component of much of our day-to-day life. Language often co-occurs with other activities with which it must be coordinated. This raises the question of whether the cognitive processes involved in planning spoken utterances and in understanding them are autonomous or whether they are affected by, and perhaps affect, non-linguistic cognitive processes, with which they might share processing resources. This question is the central concern of Automaticity and Control in Language Processing.The chapters address key issues concerning the relationship between linguistic and non-linguistic processes, including:How can the degree of automaticity of a component be defined?Which linguistic processes are truly automatic, and which require processing capacity?Through which mechanisms can control processes affect linguistic performance? How might these mechanisms be represented in the brain?How do limitations in working memory and executive control capacity affect linguistic performance and language re-learning in persons with brain damage?This important collection from leading international researchers will be of great interest to researchers and students in the area.