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Recommended Reading List
Recommended Reading List
kahneman, slovic & tversky ; judgment and uncertainty: heuristics and biases
william james ; the principles of psychology (esp. the chapters on the self,stream of consciousness, and habit)
Books I have not read but suspect are good: Pinker’s new book, How the Mind Works; Tom Gilovich’s book(s) on
judgment/social psych.
In Cognition & Perception, I would read Lloyd K. Komatsu, “Experimenting With The Mind.” (1994, Brooks-Cole).
“Cognitive Psychology’s Greatest Hits.” Most of the important (foundational) studies of the past forty years are
there, and it is the kind of thing that doesn’t have to be read cover to cover; the student can pick and choose
For Cognitive Neuroscience, I think Kosslyn’s “Wet Mind” is at the right level for an undergraduate (1995 Simon &
Schuster).
If the student knows (s)he has an interest in psycholinguistics, Herb Clark’s “Using Language” (1996, Cambridge)
Gardner, H. (1985) The Mind’s New Science: A History of the Cognitive Revolution. New York: Basic Books. –
This is a great introduction to the convergence of cognitive psychology, AI, linguistics, and neuroscience into
cognitive science
Gould, S. J. (1981). The Mismeasure of Man. New York: Norton. – Describes and debunks the hereditarian view
of intelligence (a topic still very current). (I believe there may be a newer revised edition.)
I also think that Dan Dennett’s 1995 book, Darwin’s Dangerous Idea, is a good one to have on the list, because I
think an understanding of evolution is essential for psychologists, and it’s a fun book to read. However, it’s not
really a psychology book so I’ll leave it to your judgment as to whether to include it.
Donald O. Hebb The Organization of Behavior: A Neuropsychological Theory Wiley, New York, 1949. Fast
approaching its 50th anniversary, Hebb’s prescient commentary is a good starting point for students who are
open to the view that the brain might have some relevance to psychology .
Patricia H. Miller (1993) Theories of developmental psychology (3rd Ed). W.H. Freeman.
Alex Huk (Graduate student, Cognitive)
Of course, the Rumelhart and Neisser books are a bit old, but I’ve found them very enjoyable to read. Both the
Jackendoff and Pinker titles are similar in scope (ie, language-oriented), but I think the former is more careful
regarding content.
Two recent ones by Steve Pinker “How the mind works” and one on language [Language Instincti] — both
Two pop books on cognitive science — one by Morton Hunt and one by Howard Gardner. Highly readable.
his own book: shyness:what it is, what to do about it, Addison Wesley Pub.
philosopher, yet writes to be understood. Knows about psychology and AI, too.
Valentino Braitenberg–Vehicles. Fun little book about a succession of imaginary robots wired for greater and