Publisher's Synopsis
Our experience of the world around us is grounded in many intricate cognitive processes, which allow us to sense and perceive, to comprehend, and to remember. But how can we study these cognitive processes? What techniques are available to help us probe new questions in cognitive psychology, and further our understanding of this intriguing field? Cognitive Psychology: A Methods Companion focuses on the key methods of cognitive psychology, as well as on exciting new techniques that cognitive psychologists increasingly need to understand. Its aim is to enable students to understand these methods, their advantages and disadvantages, and better appreciate the research that employs them. Adopting a broad approach, the book draws on the contributions of the neural sciences and the computing sciences to experimental psychology, demonstrating how connectionism, symbolic computation, neuroimaging, and neuropsychology are being applied to illuminate our understanding of cognitive processes. Students are encouraged to undertake numerous activities, including computer-based exercises using specially designed software and files, to help them engage with the methods covered, and begin to explore the power of these methods as research tools. With new technologies driving forward advances in cognitive psychology at an unprecedented rate, it has never been more important for students to be aware of these technologies. Cognitive Psychology: A Methods Companion is the perfect resource to help students attain this awareness, and appreciate the impact that these technologies are having on the study of cognitive psychology. Online Resource Centre: The Online Resource Centre contains the following resources to augment material presented in the text, and to support interactive self-directed student learning - Neural Nets software - Act-r software - Excel spreadsheets and exercises - SPSS data files
