Review of How the mind works.

Reviews the book, How the mind works by Steven Pinker (see record 1997-30233-000). In this book, the author writes with optimism and excitement about recent progress in psychology, but with despair about the human condition. The scope of the book is stated briefly: I will try to explain what the mind is, where it came from, and how it lets us see, think, feel, interact, and pursue higher callings like art, religion, and philosophy (p. 3). The reader will be disappointed in many of these explanations: the book dwells on the already-expansive topics of what the mind is, and where it came from. As for the rest, we are told that humans have innate knowledge of optics, logic, mathematics, physics, botany (p. 377), and even psychology (p. 329). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Cognition.

Reviews the book, Cognition by John G. Benjafield, et al. (2010). Cognition (4th ed.) provides a comprehensive introduction to cognitive psychology for undergraduate students and others who require an overview of the area. New in the fourth edition is a chapter on cognitive neuroscience. The reviewer only has one criticism of Benjafield et al.: Citations for published works in every chapter that also appeared in the third edition stop around 2007 or earlier (when the third edition was published). Cognition is a book that will appeal to those looking for a high-level, scholarly survey of cognitive psychology. It is this aspect of Cognition that sets it apart from most other textbooks that cover cognitive psychology. Yet, despite its scholarly approach, it remains an engaging text that makes the reader want to keep reading more: a delicate balance, but one that Benjafield et al. manage with aplomb. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Computation and cognition: Toward a foundation for cognitive science.

Reviews the book, Computation and cognition: Toward a foundation for cognitive science by Zenon W. Pylyshyn (see record 1986-97211-000). Cognitive science is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of mind based on a computational conception of mind. Computation and cognition is a presentation of Zenon Pylyshyn's position on just what a computational conception of mind is and should be. In the course of the exegesis, the basic, often implicit, assumptions of cognitive science are revealed, and the enterprise as a whole is placed on firm ground. The book is difficult but important. The reviewer cannot recommend it to the intelligent layman. However, it is a book that should be read by cognitive scientists and others with a deep interest in the possibility of a computational view of mind. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Piaget's theory of intelligence.

Reviews the book, Piaget's Theory of Intelligence by Charles J. Brainerd (1978). This book is much more than an introduction to Piaget's theory. It is also a comprehensive and long overdue critical evaluation of the theory, based on an extensive consideration of replication research. For each stage of cognitive development, as well as a concluding discussion of educational implications, Brainerd describes the theory and then reviews the relevant research bearing on the topics discussed. Important and complex aspects of the theory are discussed in terms of the predictions that should follow in controlled experiments, rather than merely presenting Piaget's ideas as revealed truth. Unfortunately, the text is purported to be an introduction to Piaget's theory for the undergraduate course in cognitive development, and in that capacity it would be less satisfactory than as a supplementary or even an advanced text. As an introductory text it may be too critical. Brainerd fares no worse than other recent authors who have attempted to introduce Piaget's ideas. The book's strength, as well as its uniqueness, clearly lies in its evaluative orientation. It is highly recommended for those readers already familiar with the theory, preferably from primary sources. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children reason about shared preferences.

Two-year-old children’s reasoning about the relation between their own and others’ preferences was investigated across two studies. In Experiment 1, children first observed 2 actors display their individual preferences for various toys. Children were then asked to make inferences about new, visually inaccessible toys and books that were described as being the favorite of each actor, unfamiliar to each actor, or disliked by each actor. Children tended to select the favorite toys and books from the actor who shared their own preference but chose randomly when the new items were unfamiliar to or disliked by the two actors. Experiment 2 extended these findings, showing that children do not generalize a shared preference across unrelated categories of items. Taken together, the results suggest that young children readily recognize when another person holds a preference similar to their own and use that knowledge appropriately to achieve desired outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Cognitive psychology.

Reviews the book, Cognitive Psychology by Guy Claxton (1980). This is a bold attempt to provide a well-integrated review of the problems and prospects of modern cognitive psychology. In general, the book succeeds although one may disagree with the directions that are foreseen. The book consists of nine papers by eight authors. Six chapters plus an overview cover traditional topics within cognition while two excellent chapters extend the discussion to motor control and cross-cultural perspectives. Together the chapters are '... meant to be a guidebook to organizing one's thoughts, and a life-raft to cling on to when in danger of drowning in the sea of detail'. This is an excellent overview for graduate students or scientists in related fields; it will prove difficult for all but the brighter undergraduates. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Handbook of social psychology.

Reviews the book, Handbook of social psychology edited by Gardner Lindzey (1954). The reviewer notes that the publication of this two-volume Handbook is a truly signal event in social psychology. The text is comprehensive, up to date, balanced. It gives extensive treatment to theory, to methodology, and to research findings and applications. It is sophisticated in its approach and makes no concession to oversimplified presentation, either in content or in style. The reviewer also reports that the editor has demonstrated a high order of intelligence and judgment in the selection and organization of the various chapters. No main area of social psychology is neglected. As contrasted with the more typical compendiums of material in a large field, this book succeeds remarkably in avoiding unnecessary redundancy. The choice of authors in this text is also excellent. Some of the authors have taken this as an occasion for creating something beyond simply a critical review of an area of social psychology; parts of some of the chapters are original contributions to the theory and method of social psychology. Overall, this Handbook offers convincing evidence that social psychology is indeed a field in its own right, continually growing in the extent to which its methods and findings bear intimate relationship with other areas of psychology, and at the same time contributing a steady stream of methods and data which are uniquely to be found in connection with social behavior of individuals and groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Exploring the psychology of interest.

Reviews the book, Exploring the psychology of interest by Paul J. Silvia (see record 2006-03939-000). As Silvia observes, the study of interest has been extensive. However, it has been scattered across many subfields including the specialized and somewhat isolated areas of aesthetics, educational psychology, and vocational psychology. There exists a further divide between models of interest as an emotional experience and the personality-based study of interests and their idiographic development over time. Thankfully, Silvia's book brings a sense of order and coherence to this otherwise fractured body of work. The book's unifying theme is that cognition plays a singular role in generating, as well as interpreting, the experience of any emotion, including interest. Silvia wields his cognitivism skillfully, using it to advance a compelling case that interest is a function of cognitive appraisal. He then presents a related attributional analysis of how individuals develop particular interests and avocations over time. These two theoretical models organize the first two sections of the book, and they nicely integrate the existing literatures concerning interest and the development of interests, respectively. A final section of the book concludes with a comparison of models of interest followed by Silvia's suggested directions for future research. This is a great example of what the psychology of emotion needs. It is a successful "second-generation" effort to organize the proliferation of emotion research and theorizing that has occurred over the past few decades (Detweiler-Bedell & Salovey, 2002). Emotion researchers who read the book will benefit as much from Silvia's method as from the richness of his subject. In particular, this would be an ideal book for graduate students and faculty to hash over as part of a weekly reading group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Cognitive development in atypical children: Progress in cognitive development research.

Reviews the book, Cognitive development in atypical children: Progress in cognitive development research edited by Linda S. Siegel and Frederick J. Morrison (1985). A great deal of psychological research in the past decade has focused on the topic of cognitive development. Accordingly, there are now whole volumes devoted to this subject, such as the Springer Series in Cognitive Development, of which this book, edited by Siegel and Morrison, is one. The term "Progress" in the titles of some of the volumes in the Springer Series denotes that these volumes are "strongly thematic, in that [they are] limited to some well-defined domain of cognitive development research." The theme for this particular book is that of atypical cognitive development, with the term encompassing disorders such as reading disability, autism, and hyperactivity. The book contains seven chapters: three on reading disability, two on autism, one on temperament and attention, and one on atypical infant development. Although the individual chapters in this book are interesting and informative, as is often the case with an edited volume, this book is less cohesive than one might hope. The book is part of a series that is intended to be "strongly thematic." In my view, it does not quite succeed in this regard. Presumably the unifying theme of this book is one of cognitive development in special populations; however, the populations chosen are quite diverse so that the reader often loses sight of the theme. Although this volume could presumably serve as a text for a course in atypical cognitive development, my general feeling is that the material presented varies awkwardly from an introductory to an advanced level, a range that makes it not quite appropriate for either an introductory or an advanced course in the field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Handbook of implicit social cognition: Measurement, theory, and applications.

Reviews the book, Handbook of implicit social cognition: Measurement, theory, and applications edited by Bertram Gawronski and Keith B. Payne (see record 2010-13147-000). The comprehensive overview of theoretical models, empirical findings, and practical applications of research in implicit social cognition provided within this book is timely and warranted. The editors were successful in clearly outlining that implicit social cognition theory and measurement. A primary strength of this volume is the way in which seemingly divergent areas of research have been organized into five distinct sections, each of which builds upon the previous sections to provide a comprehensive understanding of implicit social cognition. Even the novice researcher may benefit from the practical guides to implicit theory and measurement. This book would be especially interesting and useful for active researchers across a variety of domains who are interested in understanding how implicit processes can influence human behaviour. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Vers une logique des significations.

Reviews the book, Vers une logique des significations by Jean Piaget and Rolando Garcia (1987). This volume is a collection of Piaget's works. Each chapter describes one of his logico-mathematical studies on the play activities of children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Explanation and cognition.

Reviews the book, Explanation and cognition by Frank C. Keil and Robert A. Wilson (see record 2000-05066-000). The essays in this book address five basic questions about explanation as a large and natural part of our cognitive lives: (1) How do explanatory capacities develop, (2) are there kinds of explanation, (3) do explanations correspond to domains of knowledge, (4) why do we seek explanations and what do they accomplish, and (5) how central are causes to explanation? The volume’s various authors also introduce and explore a number of emerging perspectives on explanation from computer science, linguistics, and anthropology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Theory and problems of adolescent development.

Reviews "Theory and problems of adolescent development," by David P. Ausubel (see record 1955-00581-000). Unlike most other books in this area, this book offers a systematic presentation of psychological knowledge woven around a dynamic point of view. It is a scholarly book written in language that makes for easy and interesting reading. The author opens his book with an organized set of arguments designed to convince his readers that there is justification for a book on the "Psychology of Adolescent Development." His major premise states that "adolescence is treated as a separate developmental period not because it covers a decade but because it spans an interval in which distinctive changes occur in a biosocial status of the human organism. The author has marshaled his psychological knowledge and psychiatric experience into a well-organized book. Dr. Ausubel quotes freely from other authors and from his own writings and research. There are extensive references contained in the bibliography at the end of each chapter. Although the author states that "this book is primarily intended as an advanced textbook in adolescent psychology for graduate students in psychology and education," it would appear that this book is written with sufficient clarity and nontechnical language to be used in any college course dealing with adolescent behavior. It would be especially desirable in clinically-oriented courses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Jerome Bruner: Language, culture, self.

Reviews the book, Jerome Bruner: Language, culture, self by David Bakhurst and Stuart G. Shanker (2001). The subject of this fine collection of essays is Jerome Bruner’s contribution to our contemporary understanding of the mind. As the editors note, although Bruner has typically “concerned himself with concrete and practical issues, such as education and, most recently, the law, he has always been an intensely theoretical thinker, a man fascinated by ideas” (p. 1). It is for that reason that the editors and contributors to this volume have chosen to focus exclusively on Bruner’s work as a “philosophical psychologist and philosopher of psychology” (p. 1). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intact and impaired mechanisms of action understanding in autism.

Typically developing children understand and predict others' behavior by extracting and processing relevant information such as the logic of their actions within the situational constraints and the intentions conveyed by their gaze direction and emotional expressions. Children with autism have difficulties understanding and predicting others' actions. With the use of eye tracking and behavioral measures, we investigated action understanding mechanisms used by 18 children with autism and a well-matched group of 18 typically developing children. Results showed that children with autism (a) consider situational constraints in order to understand the logic of an agent's action and (b) show typical usage of the agent's emotional expressions to infer his or her intentions. We found (c) subtle atypicalities in the way children with autism respond to an agent's direct gaze and (d) marked impairments in their ability to attend to and interpret referential cues such as a head turn for understanding an agent's intentions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Experiential Groups in Theory and Practice.

Reviews the book, Experiential Groups in Theory and Practice by Kjell Erik Rudestam (1982). Rudestam's intention in part is to provide a text that would be suitable for instructing both undergraduate and graduate-level students in a number of current approaches offering therapy in groups. His choice of title appears to refer not only to the models he has selected for discussion but also to his general aim of providing opportunities for experiential learning as well as developing "cognitive" understanding. In general, the latter is encouraged by his clear and readable exposition and the systematic approach he has taken to organizing the material. Opportunities for experiential learning are made possible by the inclusion of group exercises which typify those used by each approach. For every exercise, the purpose, time and materials, and preparation on the part of the leader, if any, are specified, and the procedure to be followed is outlined in detail. Apart from these exercises, the reader's first-hand appreciation of an approach is enhanced through the inclusion of segments of actual verbal transactions. As illustrative material, these segments have been well chosen--indeed, one wishes that more such material could have been provided. This book offers a readable introduction to an interesting collection of current approaches to group therapy and suggests the means whereby students' learning can be enhanced through some first-hand experience. Its principal shortcoming lies in the lack of emphasis placed on critical analysis by the author. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Natural theories of mind: Evolution, development and simulation of everyday mindreading.

Reviews the book, Natural theories of mind: Evolution, development and simulation of everyday mindreading edited by Andrew Whiten (see record 1991-97348-000). In recent years there has been a phenomenal growth in interest and research directed at what, has become known as a Theory of Mind ("ToM") and its development. Among the many edited books recently made available on the topic, Whiten's Natural theories of mind is unique in the eclectic, multidisciplinary approach it brings to this vital, yet fledgling area. This interdisciplinary approach, which also includes a chapter by Carrithers placing the development of a theory of mind within the broader context of sociology and anthropology, is at the same lime both the strength of this volume and its limitation. It may be that few will read this book cover-to-cover (not a remarkable criticism for an edited book). Those who do will be given an unusually broad overview of this hot research area and the interdisciplinary context within which the area can best be understood and from which it will most profitably develop. Whiten's collection is therefore recommended both to those who are looking for an entrance into the theory of mind literature and for those already embroiled in the field who are looking for new perspectives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exploring the specificity of age-related differences in theory of mind tasks.

Tasks assessing theory of mind (ToM) and non-mental state control tasks were administered to young and older adults to examine previous contradictory findings about age differences in mental state decoding. Age differences were found on a verbal ToM task after controlling for vocabulary levels. Older adults achieved significantly lower scores than did younger adults on static and dynamic visual ToM tasks, and a similar pattern was found on non-ToM control tasks. Rather than a specific ToM deficit, older adults exhibited a more general impairment in the ability to decode cues from verbal and visual information about people. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)