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The Origins of Consciousness challenges the dominant view that consciousness is an emergent property of the complex human brain. Based on his pioneering research on a variety of organisms, Vallortigara argues that the most basic forms of mental life do not require large brains, and that the neurological surplus observed in some animals such as humans is likely at the service of memory storage, not of the processes of thought or, even less, of consciousness. The book argues for a simple neural mechanism that can provide the crucial event that brings into effect the minimum condition for subjective experience. Implications of the hypothesis for the appearance of consciousness in different organisms are discussed, as well as links with a variety of fascinating human phenomena such as disorders of consciousness, tickling and visual illusions. Challenging widely accepted theories of consciousness, the book is a must-read for students and researchers of human and animal consciousness.
The Origins of Consciousness challenges the dominant view that consciousness is an emergent property of the complex human brain. Based on his pioneering research on a variety of organisms, Vallortigara argues that the most basic forms of mental life do not require large brains, and that the neurological surplus observed in some animals such as humans is likely at the service of memory storage, not of the processes of thought or, even less, of consciousness. The book argues for a simple neural mechanism that can provide the crucial event that brings into effect the minimum condition for subjective experience. Implications of the hypothesis for the appearance of consciousness in different organisms are discussed, as well as links with a variety of fascinating human phenomena such as disorders of consciousness, tickling and visual illusions. Challenging widely accepted theories of consciousness, the book is a must-read for students and researchers of human and animal consciousness.
Year 2009 was the triumph of Darwin as a global superstar, spinning from the pop icon to the actual understanding to what make him a great innovator, able to give a turn to whole modern culture. Does all this activity mean evolution has lost its ability to excite fear and opposition? After such a deluge of books, conferences, reviews, gadgets, what is today our vision on theory of Evolution and its Impact? These are the questions asked at an inter-academy conference held in Torino (May 27-29, 2010) among the Accademia delle Scienze di Torino, the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei and the Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften. The present book collects the contributions from the me...
Horses were first domesticated about 6,000 years ago on the vast Eurasian steppe, yet only in the last two decades have scientists begun to explore the mental capacities of these animals. In The Mind of the Horse, Michel-Antoine Leblanc presents an encyclopedic synthesis of scientific knowledge about equine behavior and cognition, providing experts and enthusiasts alike with an up-to-date understanding of how horses perceive, think about, and adapt to their physical and social worlds. Much of what we think we know about "the intelligence of the horse" derives from fragmentary reports and anecdotal evidence. Putting this accumulated wisdom to the test, Leblanc introduces readers to rigorous e...
Leading researchers present current methodological approaches and future directions for a less anthropocentric study of animal cognition.
The second edition of The Lateralized Brain provides for readers a volume detailing the functional and structural differences between the left and right hemispheres of the brain, highlighting how the widespread use of modern neuroimaging techniques such as fMRI and DTI have completely changed the way hemispheric asymmetries are currently investigated. In this new edition, all chapters have been updated with recent advances in the field, and a new chapter on hemispheric asymmetries in development and aging has been integrated. Also featured is a new, larger section on laterality in social behavior, alongside a comprehensive overview about key topics in laterality research, including its histo...
Discusses brain asymmetry from four perspectives - function, evolution, development and causation - covering a wide range of species, including humans.
This book explores afresh the long-standing interest, and emphasis on, the `special' capacities of primates. Some of the recent discoveries of the higher cognitive abilities of other mammals and also birds challenge the concept that primates are special and even the view that the cognitive ability of apes is more advanced than that of nonprimate mammals and birds. It is therefore timely to ask whether primates are, in fact, special and to do so from a broad range of perspectives. Divided into five sections this book deals with topics about higher cognition and how it is manifested in different species, and also considers aspects of brain structure that might be associated with complex behavior.
From an infant’s first grasp of quantity to Einstein’s theory of relativity, the human experience of number has intrigued researchers for centuries. Numeracy and mathematics have played fundamental roles in the development of societies and civilisations, and yet there is an essential mystery to these concepts, evidenced by the fear many people still feel when confronted by apparently simple sums. Including perspectives from anthropology, education and psychology, The Nature and Development of Mathematics addresses three core questions: Is maths natural? What is the impact of our culture and environment on mathematical thinking? And how can we improve our mathematical ability? Examining t...