Author: Giacomo Rizzolatti, Corrado Sinigaglia
By OUP Oxford

Author: Susan Blackmore
By OUP Oxford

Very informative, directly from the best people on the field! , 2007-12-24
You get all the different raprochements on the relation of consciousness to matter: You get the theories of those who believe in gods, of those who believe in classical laborious science and of those who suggest a quantum raprochement. I strongly suggest this book because it opens access to many other writers and books, depending on which theories included in this book persuade you best.

Author: Eric R. Kandel, James H. Schwartz, Thomas M. Jessell
By McGraw-Hill Medical

sets a standard for neuroscience textbooks, 2007-12-02
This is a great book by any standard. A massive amount of information in the vast field of neuroscience is covered in detail and synthesized in a coherent fashion. In addition to Eric Kandel's pioneering laboratory research, this book is one of his great contributions to neuroscience, and of course many other scientists contributed to it, including James Schwartz and Thomas Jessell. It's as good as the best textbooks I've read, such as Alberts' Molecular Biology of the Cell. It covers up to date research, in addition to the history of the field. Topics range from the molecular workings of the neuron all the way up to behavior. It's not at all dumbed down, so someone seeking a "CliffsNotes" version of the field should look elsewhere. I suppose, however, if someone just wants a summary of the field, he can simply read the subheadlines in each chapter. The book is lengthy due to its detail, but the intelligent general reader should readily understand nearly all of it. And in spite of its length it actually is concise in covering this broad range of subject matter. Author of Adjust Your Brain: A Practical Theory for Maximizing Mental Health.

Author: Daniel J. Levitin
By Atlantic Books

With a song in our heads, 2007-12-03
When a rock musician, a sound engineer and a neuroscientist combine their talents to explain how we think about music, it promises to be interesting. When those three individuals are present in one man who also writes well, the result is compelling. With a strong scientific foundation - no little of that from his own work - from which to build, coupled with his production experience, Levitin has launched a new phase in the understanding of how the mind deals with the outside world. In the manner of colours we think we see, sounds are simply vibrations of air until our brain identifies and translates them for us. Without descending into arcane terms for either the brain or music, he skilfully guides us through the process of "music appreciation" - and why we do.

Musicians enter our lives more intimately than almost anybody else. They can inspire us, influence our lives in innumerable ways, and they are available at any time - virtually at our command. We welcome their presence even when we haven't consciously sought them out. Music is always a personal relationship, sometimes very intense, generating emotions perhaps hidden or suppressed. How can the movement of air molecules generate such reactions in us?

In answering that question, Levitin takes the reader on describes the path sound takes from its entry into the ear. Nerve impulses from sound have a number of paths open to them. Widely dispersed areas of the brain process the signals, further triggering a variety of reactions. Much new information about sounds and the brain's reaction to them has come to light in recent years. When the sound is music, the brain actually goes through mathematical calculations to register timbre, pitch and other musical elements. Familiar music activates responses in the brain's temporal lobes, working with the hippocampus to retrieve memories and formulate new, integrated ones. Areas in the brain, particularly the cerebellum, display increased activity when listening to music, far less so when hearing simple or incoherent noise. Recent studies also point out the influence of the cerebellum in emotional response, a find challenging long-held views of that part of the brain's role. Music's generation of feelings is non-specific - we don't necessarily associate it with those around us. When we do take neighbours into account, it generally enhances the feelings - so long as those folks aren't interrupting our listening.

Lest the reader think all this neuroscience is lofty, obscure and "soul destroying" analysis, take heart. Levitin introduces his book with a discussion of "what music can teach us about the brain, what the brain can teach us about music - and what both can teach us about ourselves". The range of music he uses as examples is clear indication of the breadth of his interests and research. At one point, he visits John Pierce, the founder of "psycho-acoustics" who sought the six tunes best exemplifying rock and roll. The choices are illustrative, but Pierce proved more interested in how sound was manipulated by the performers than in the songs. Although the limits of the research preclude detailed analysis of classical pieces, Levitin examines Bach's flute cantatas to explain how variations in sounds stimulate emotional reactions. Mahler's music brought innovation to the symphonic format in ways that made his compositions particularly effective in evoking listener response.

Providing a wealth of information, this book is a treasure. You needn't be a musician or a critic to gain from it. Any listener, and all of us are that irrespective of our "taste" in music, will be impressed by what is going on in our minds when hearing music we adore or which repels us. In fact, even "new" music which may not attract us on first hearing it, can become another trigger for positive emotional response. Read this book and listen to it again. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Author: Michael O'Shea
By OUP Oxford

A brainy introduction, but not picture perfect, 2007-10-15
O'Shea's book provides a very broad overview of the structure and function of the most complex object known to Man. The biochemical and physical interactions of neurons, the formation of memory, brain-machine interaction, and a range of other topics, are all touched upon in a readable and informative manner, pitched at the level of an intelligent beginner, and requiring just an elementary grasp of physics and chemistry. The book has one significant shortcoming: Most of the illustrations are copied from other publications, and are a poor match with the text. For example, on page 45 there is a diagram illustrating avoidance behaviour in unicellular animals, a simple concept not requiring a diagram, let alone one that occupies almost an entire page and contains labels that are not referenced in the text. Yet when we come to the discussion of the large-scale structure of the human brain, in Chapter 4, which cries out for a detailed diagram, there is none. I was reduced to finding one online, to refer to as I read the text. I agonized long and hard about whether to deduct a star, because I do recommend this book, but in the end I decided I had to. I hope OUP reissue it with more relevant illustrations.

Author: David J. Chalmers
By Oxford Paperbacks

Review of David Chalmers' 'The Conscious Mind', 2003-12-21
Along with Erwin Schrodinger's 'Mind and Matter', this ranks as one of the best writings about consciousness I have read. Chalmers does not evade the problem of subjective experience, but faces it directly and acknowledges that materialistic science cannot explain the subjective phenomenon of consciousness. It is rare to find a work that faces up to the problem so honestly, without having to resort to accounts of structure and dynamics that do not bear any meaning when explaining the nature of subjective experience. I would thoroughly recommend this book to those who are interested in consciousness, and are dissatisfied with contemporary writings on it.

Author: Elkhonon Goldberg
By OUP USA

Highly recommended, 2008-01-14
Engaging and easy to read. Relevant and accessible both to researchers and anyone else who is interested.

Author: Richard L. Gregory
By OUP Oxford

Reference No.1, 2001-06-17
Lighting Design is all about working with the human visual system. This book provides a great deal of useful information on the process of perception written in a clear interesting and understandable way with copious illustrations of the problems encountered. This does make a good cover to cover read and also provides a good long term reference book.

Author: Mark R. Rosenzweig, S. Marc Breedlove, Neil V. Watson
By Sinauer Associates Inc.,U.S.

Author: Andrew M. Colman
By OUP Oxford

The Ideal book for any student or teacher, 2001-06-20
This book is a fantastic book for anyone studying or anyone interested in psychology. It helps find the meanings to many complex words used in psychology,etc. Coming from a student of psychology i have found this book very helpful for essay work. This book has helped me find new words and the layout is easy to read and easy to find any key words