Rooted in neuroscience, psychology and evolutionary biology, this study explores what happens when we stop paying attention and the effect on our behavior.If we've done our job well—and, let's be honest, if we're lucky—you'll read to the end of this description. Most likely, however, you won't. Somewhere in the middle of the next paragraph, your mind will wander off. Minds wander. That's just how it is.That may be bad news for me, but is it bad news for peopl...

In this enlightening biography, award- winning academic psychologist Michael Corballis tells the story of how the field of cognitive psychology evolved and the controversies and anecdotes that occurred along the way.Since the Second World War, psychology has undergone several scientific movements, from behaviourism to cognitive psychology and finally to neuroscience. In this fascinating biography, Corballis recounts his career as a researcher who played a part in these monumental c...

What gives the human brain the creative ability that defines us all as individuals? Although the silicon version is hard on its heels, the brain remains the most remarkable computer in existence. Leading us through cognitive theory, neuroscience and Darwinian evolution with his trademark wit and wisdom, Michael Corballis explains what we know—and don’t know—about our minds. How do we know if we’re really the top dogs in brain power? Does our creativity stem solely from the right brain? Fro...

Evolutionary science has long viewed language as, basically, a fortunate accident—a crossing of wires that happened to be extraordinarily useful, setting humans apart from other animals and onto a trajectory that would see their brains (and the products of those brains) become increasingly complex.But as Michael C. Corballis shows in The Truth about Language, it's time to reconsider those assumptions. Language, he argues, is not the product of some "big bang" 60,000 years ...

While psychologists write bestsellers about humans' smarter side - language, cognition, consciousness - and self-help gurus harangue us to be attentive and mindful, we all know that much of the time our minds are just goofing off. So what does the brain do when you're not looking? Rooted in neuroscience, psychology and evolutionary biology but written with Corballis' signature wit and wisdom, The Wandering Mind takes us into the world of the 'default-mode network' to tackle the big questio...

A groundbreaking theory of what makes the human mind uniqueThe Recursive Mind challenges the commonly held notion that language is what makes us uniquely human. In this compelling book, Michael Corballis argues that what distinguishes us in the animal kingdom is our capacity for recursion: the ability to embed our thoughts within other thoughts. "I think, therefore I am," is an example of recursive thought, because the thinker has inserted himself into his...

From God to Noam Chomsky, many have suggested that language arose suddenly in a way that cannot be explained through ordinary evolutionary processes. Corballis argues otherwise. He uncovers the precursors of language in the ability of mice and other animals to engage in 'mental time travel', the use of gesture by apes, the capacity of chimpanzees to step into the shoes (or paws) of others, and the increasing need for social co-operation as hominins left the forest. By adding voice and gram...

Originally published in 1976, this title deals with the problem of how we tell left from right. The authors argue that the ability to tell left from right depends ultimately on a bodily asymmetry, such as preference for one or the other hand, or dominance of one side of the brain. This has implications for child development, reading disability, navigation, art, and culture.

A groundbreaking theory of how language arose from primate gesturesIt is often said that speech is what distinguishes us from other animals. But are we all talk? What if language was bequeathed to us not by word of mouth, but as a hand-me-down?The notion that language evolved not from animal cries but from manual and facial gestures—that, for most of human history, actions have spoken louder than words—has been around since Condillac. But never before has a...

Drawing upon various other disciplines—including anthropology, biology, neuroscience, and linguistics—this account offers an up-to-date, broad coverage of psychological topics. Answering questions such as Why do we remember faces but not names? What would be the consequences of cutting a brain in half? and Do human beings really only use 10% of their brains? it also dismisses certain inaccurate theories about the mind, and explains how it enables us to speak, stand uprigh...

Presenting the work of researchers who are at the forefront of the study of memory mechanisms, this volume addresses a wide range of topics including: physiological and biophysical studies of synaptic plasticity, neural models of information storage and recall, functional and structural considerations of amnesia in brain-damaged patients, and behavioral studies of animal cognition and memory. The book's coverage of diverse approaches to memory mechanisms is intended to help dissolve the bo...

The Brontës' Christmas invites you to step back in time and explore the delights of a Victorian Christmas through the eyes of our most beloved authors.While the Brontë family's celebrations weren't the most exuberant, Victorian society cheerfully embraced the newfound idea of Christmas as a time for feasts, decorations, the exchanging of gifts and parlour games.Through a selection of seasonal recipes, letters, poetry and extracts, The Brontës' ...