Main description:

This unique textbook explores core cognitive psychology topics from an innovative new perspective, focusing on key real-world issues to show how we understand and experience the world.

The book examines compelling topics such as creativity, problem-solving, reasoning, rationality and language, all within the context of modern 21st century life. Each chapter demonstrates how this vibrant and constantly evolving discipline is at the heart of some of the biggest issues facing us all today. The last chapter discusses the future of cognitive psychology, which includes guidance on conducting rigorous, replicable research and how to use skills from cognitive psychology to be an effective student. Packed with pedagogical features, each chapter includes boxed examples of cognitive psychology in the real world and engaging 'try it yourself' features. Each chapter also includes objectives, a range of illustrative figures, chapter summaries, key readings and a glossary for ease of use. The book is fully supported by original online resources for students and instructors.

Offering a new model for the study of cognitive psychology that brings the subject alive, the book is essential reading for all students studying psychology and related disciplines.

Contents:

Cognitive psychology in a changing world
Our world today

What is Cognitive Psychology?

A brief history of Cognitive Psychology

A global discipline

Cognitive Psychology today

Shaping the world

Understanding the world

Experiencing the world

Final thoughts - Five ways in which Cognitive Psychology can make a difference

Chapter summary

Keywords

Key readings

Problem solving
Introduction

Defining and categorising problems

Gaining insight: Problem restructuring and solution discovery

Using prior knowledge: Heuristic strategies and analogising in problem solving

Theoretical integration

Chapter summary

Keywords

Key readings

Creativity and expertise
Introduction

Creative cognition

The nature of expertise

The determinants of expertise

Chapter summary

Keywords

Key readings

Deductive reasoning
Introduction

The nature of deductive reasoning

Conditional reasoning

Theories of conditional reasoning

The abstract Wason selection task

Thematic selection tasks: Content and context effects

Syllogistic reasoning

Further developments in dual-process theorising

Human rationality

Informal reasoning

Chapter summary

Keywords

Key readings

Concepts & categories
Introduction

Properties of categories

How are categories mentally represented?

Ad-hoc cognition

Chapter summary

Keywords

Key readings

Judgment & decision making
Introduction: The Nature of Judgement and Decision Making

Making probability judgements

Chapter summary

Keywords

Key readings

Reading
Introduction

Reading words

Reading aloud

Reading text

Chapter summary

Keywords

Key readings

Speech & other language issues
Introduction

Speech perception

Speech recognition

Models of spoken word recognition

Other types of speech

Language production

Producing speech

Writing

Language and thought

Bilingualism

Language and ageing

Chapter summary

Keywords

Key readings

Memory and forgetting
Introduction

The architecture of memory

Working memory

Long-term memory

Theories of forgetting

Chapter summary

Keywords

Key readings

Everyday memory
Introduction

Autobiographical memory

The neuroscience of autobiographical memory

Eyewitness testimony

False memories

Prospective memory

Chapter summary

Keywords

Key readings

Attention
Introduction

Focused auditory attention

Focused visual attention

Visual Search

Cross modal attention

Divided attention

Attention as a skill

Failures in attention

Chapter summary

Keywords

Key readings

Perception
Introduction

Bottom-up versus top-down perceptual processing

Two visual systems

Basic processes in vision

Object recognition

Face recognition

Perception and Action

Perception in other domains

Chapter summary

Keywords

Key readings

The nature of consciousness
Introduction

What is consciousness?

Methods for studying consciousness

Theories of consciousness

Evidence from neuropsychological patients

The neural correlates of consciousness

Detecting consciousness

The purpose of consciousness

Conscious versus nonconscious processing

Consciousness and free will

Chapter Summary

Keywords

Key reading

Cognition and the body
Introduction

Body metaphors and bodily states

Defining embodied cognition

Diet and cognition

Illness and cognition

Chapter summary

Keywords

Key readings

The future of cognitive psychology: Issues and opportunities

Introduction

Replication crisis

Research in Cognitive Psychology

Reading a journal article and critical evaluation

How cognitive psychology can make you a better student

Future directions for Cognitive Psychology

Chapter summary

Keywords

Key readings

References