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Present-day behavioral and cognitive neuroscience is based on the idea that the conventional philosophical theory of the mind provides a reliable guide to the functional organization of the brain. Consequently, much effort has been expended in a search for the neural basis of such psychological categories as memory, attention, emotion, motivation, and perception. This book argues that (a) conventional psychological concepts originate from the philosophical speculations of ancient Greek philosophers, especially Plato and Aristotle; (b) there is serious doubt that these ancient philosophical analyses provide a reliable guide to the understanding of the human mind, human behavior, or the organization of the brain; and (c) that modern scientific studies of animal behavior provide a better guide to the study of the functional organization of the brain than is provided by conventional psychological concepts.
List of contents
The mind and the explanation of behavior.- An introduction to behavior for neuroscientists.- Brain organization and behavior: The big picture.- Human origins and adaptations.- Human instinctive behavior.- Memory and experience-dependent behavior.- Neural mechanisms of locomotion in humans.- The neural control of voluntary movement in humans.- About hunting.
Summary
Present-day behavioral and cognitive neuroscience is based on the idea that the conventional philosophical theory of the mind provides a reliable guide to the functional organization of the brain. Consequently, much effort has been expended in a search for the neural basis of such psychological categories as memory, attention, emotion, motivation, and perception. This book argues that (a) conventional psychological concepts originate from the philosophical speculations of ancient Greek philosophers, especially Plato and Aristotle; (b) there is serious doubt that these ancient philosophical analyses provide a reliable guide to the understanding of the human mind, human behavior, or the organization of the brain; and (c) that modern scientific studies of animal behavior provide a better guide to the study of the functional organization of the brain than is provided by conventional psychological concepts.
Additional text
From the reviews:
"Vanderwolf … critiques current approaches to the study of the neural basis of mind, particularly as they apply to psychological processes such as perception, attention, motivation, emotion, memory, and cognition. … Vanderwolf reminds those interested in the field of the brain, behaviour, and the mind that works best when it rests on objective data. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty." (C. R. Timmons, CHOICE, Vol. 44 (11), July, 2007)
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From the reviews:
"Vanderwolf ... critiques current approaches to the study of the neural basis of mind, particularly as they apply to psychological processes such as perception, attention, motivation, emotion, memory, and cognition. ... Vanderwolf reminds those interested in the field of the brain, behaviour, and the mind that works best when it rests on objective data. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty." (C. R. Timmons, CHOICE, Vol. 44 (11), July, 2007)
