Principles of Cognitive Neuroscience

The new and rapidly evolving field of cognitive neuroscience brings together cognitive psychology and neuroscience, drawing conceptual and technical elements from both these traditional disciplines. This union has been motivated by the exciting possibility of better understanding complex human brain functions that have puzzled thinkers for centuries. The emergence of cognitive neuroscience as a discipline in its own right over the last two decades is thus an expression of what many see as the next logical step for both neuroscience and cognitive psychology, driven by powerful new methods for studying the human brain.

Principles of Cognitive Neuroscience, introduced in 2008, was written to inform readers at all levels about the growing canon of cognitive neuroscience, and to make clear the many challenges that remain to be solved. Now, in this Second Edition, the authors--all leaders in the field--offer what is in essence a completely new book:

• The 28 chapters of the original edition have been condensed and combined to 15 chapters for the new edition.
• The condensation makes the topics covered easier to assimilate, and better suited to presentation in a single-semester course.
• Each chapter has been updated to address the latest developments in the field, including expanded coverage of genetics, evolution, and neural development.
• Introductory Boxes in each chapter take up an especially interesting issue to better capture readers' attention.
• An appendix reviews the major features of human neuroanatomy and basic aspects of neural signaling.

As before, this edition includes an extensive glossary of key terms. And, with every copy, we offer a fully upgraded version of Sylvius 4 Online, which includes an interactive tutorial on human neuroanatomy as well as a magnetic resonance imaging atlas of the human brain.

About the Authors

Dale Purves is Director of the Neuroscience and Behavioural Disorders program at Duke's Graduate Medical School and Executive Director of the Neuroscience Research Partnership at A*STAR (both located in Singapore).

Kevin S. LaBar is Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the Duke University School of Medicine.

Michael L. Platt is Professor of Neurobiology at the Duke University School of Medicine and Director of the Duke Institute for Brain Science.

Marty Woldorff is Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the Duke University School of Medicine.

Roberto Cabeza is Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke University.

Scott A. Huettel is Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience and Director of the Duke Center for Interdisciplinary Decision Science.