Thoughts on Thought

This is an introduction to cognitive science intended for use as a textbook for advanced undergraduate and/or graduate-level courses. In it, the author presents the major experiments and theoretical arguments in cognitive psychology in some detail. Where appropriate, alternative theoretical arguments are offered, and in some cases the author explains that there are interesting questions to which psychologists do not yet have the answers.

This book is packaged in an innovative manner. The 170-page printed textbook is actually a pré cis of a much longer manuscript, which is produced in the form of downloadable resources. Each chapter of the pré cis references the more detailed coverage and full-color illustrations which are contained on the downloadable resources, which is provided for readers who wish to delve more deeply into the material.

Contents: Preface. What Is a Theory of Thought? The Construction of Consciousness. Blackboard Models of Thought. Connectionism. Memory. Visual-Spatial Representations. Language and Thought. The Organization of Knowledge. Categorical Reasoning Based on Conscious Strategies. Reasoning. Decision Making: Psychological Models of Choice. Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going?