The Student’s Guide to Cognitive Neuroscience

Reflecting recent changes in the way cognition and the brain are studied, this thoroughly updated fifth edition of this bestselling textbook provides a comprehensive and student-friendly guide to cognitive neuroscience. Jamie Ward provides an easy-to-follow introduction to neural structure and function, as well as all the key methods and procedures of cognitive neuroscience, with a view to helping students understand how they can be used to shed light on the neural basis of cognition.

The book presents a comprehensive overview of the latest theories and findings in all the key topics in cognitive neuroscience, including vision, hearing, attention, memory, speech and language, executive function, social and emotional behavior, and developmental neuroscience. Throughout, case studies, newspaper reports, everyday examples, and student-friendly pedagogy are used to help students understand the more challenging ideas that underpin the subject. This edition features expanded coverage of consciousness, a combined chapter on literacy and numeracy, and increased coverage of brain networks and computational approaches.

Written in an engaging style by a leading researcher in the field and presented in full color including numerous illustrative materials, this book will be invaluable as a core text for undergraduate modules in cognitive neuroscience. It can also be used as a key text on courses in cognition, cognitive neuropsychology, biopsychology, or brain and behavior. Those embarking on research will find it an invaluable starting point and reference.

This textbook is supported by an extensive collection of free digital resources for students and instructors, including lectures by leading researchers, links to key studies and interviews, multiple-choice questions, and interactive flashcards to test your knowledge. Visit the Instructor & Student Resources website at routledgelearning.com/wardcognitiveneuroscience.

Jamie Ward is Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Sussex, UK. He is the author of a number of books on social and cognitive neuroscience and on synesthesia, and is President of the British Association of Cognitive Neuroscience.