Lawrence W. BARSALOU : Cognitive Psychology : An Overview for Cognitive Scientists

PREFACE by the author

This book presents the basic concepts of modern cognitive psychology in a succinct and accessible manner. Rather than listing experiments and models exhaustively for each significant area of research, I have tried instead to produce a coherent overview of its central constructs. My primary goal is to equip readers with a conceptual vocabulary that will acquaint them with the general approach of cognitive psychology and allow them to follow discussions of it elsewhere. In presenting basic constructs, I cover a wide variety of experiments, theories, and issues. Although my coverage of an area is never exhaustive, I include specific examples of experiments and theories that provide a concrete sense of relevant research. I address not only current work relevant to cognitive science but also traditional work central to modern thinking. Given the constraints of an overview, I have, of necessity, failed to acknowledge much quality work of importance. Interested readers can find this work through the extensive references provided.