An Introduction to the Philosophy of Psychology

by Daniel Weiskopf, Fred Adams

Overview

Psychology aims to give us a scientific account of how the mind works. But what does it mean to have a science of the mental, and what sort of picture of the mind emerges from our best psychological theories? This book addresses these philosophical puzzles in a way that is accessible to readers with little or no background in psychology or neuroscience. Using clear and detailed case studies and drawing on up-to-date empirical research, it examines perception and action, the link between attention and consciousness, the modularity of mind, how we understand other minds, and the influence of language on thought, as well as the relationship between mind, brain, body, and world. The result is an integrated and comprehensive overview of much of the architecture of the mind, which will be valuable for both students and specialists in philosophy, psychology, and cognitive science.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521740203
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	01/15/2015
Series:	Cambridge Introductions to Philosophy
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	328
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 3.50(d)

About the Author

Daniel Weiskopf is an Associate Professor of Philosophy and an associate faculty member in the Neuroscience Institute at Georgia State University. He has published numerous articles and chapters on concepts and mental representation, the structure of higher cognition, embodied and extended cognition, mechanistic and functional explanation, and modelling practices in the mind/brain sciences.

Fred Adams is Professor of Linguistics and Cognitive Science and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Delaware. He has published over 100 articles or chapters in philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, epistemology, and other areas of cognitive science.

Table of Contents

1. What psychology is; 2. Autonomy and reduction in psychology; 3. Modularity and cognitive architecture; 4. Nativism, development, and change; 5. Beyond the brain and body; 6. Perception and action; 7. Attention and consciousness; 8. The social mind; 9. Thought and language.