Understanding cognitive science /

The tenets of cognitive science are rapidly becoming accepted in a range of disciplines, including philosophy, psychology, linguistics, anthropology, and computer science. The presentation of these principles (and related research strategies) have, to date, been found in highly technical work (such as Z. Pylyshyn's Computation and Cognition, 1984) or in more general and historical presentations (such as H. Gardner's The Mind's New Science, CH, Jan '86). However, Understanding Cognitive Science fills the void between these two extremes. Without sacrificing clarity of expression, the contributors address in depth a range of issues currently pursued by cognitive scientists. The 11 chapters are written by well-respected scholars from a range of disciplines (including Roger Schank, Edward Shoben, Kenneth Paap, and Nigel Shadbolt). Topics covered include approaches to the philosophy of mind; the distinction between physical symbol and connectionist approaches; and issues in visual perception, knowledge representation, memory, neural network learning, and semantics. All the chapters are clearly and concisely written; they outline major theoretical issues and themes, and draw attention to current controversies, including the author's stance on matters controversial. This is a well-edited book that provides an up-to-date synopsis of the major themes in the field. Highly recommended for advanced students. -A. N. Katz, University of Western Ontario