Reviews (20)

Comments on Garnder's "Musical Intelligence" chapter
I read this book while researching music and intelligence, so what follows is a review and summary of the chapter on musical intelligence. I found the material presented in this chapter very useful in guiding my research; anyone interested in music & mind should definitely check this book out.

Gardner's work on musical intelligence presented in Frames of Mind has had a dramatic influence throughout the field of music-mind research, more so than any other single publication - he is often cited as a definitive expert and referenced in most books, essays, theses, and dissertations on the subject. He asserts that music is its own form of intelligence, unique among a group that includes linguistic, musical, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic and personal intelligences. In his writings on musical intelligence, he surveys a wide range of thought and research findings: professional opinions of prominent musicians and composers, anthropological analyses of highly musical cultures, and neurological perspectives examining the evolution of music representations in the brain; just to name a few. Gardner provides a thorough synopsis of musical intelligence in that he addresses it from just about every perspective there is. His arguments are shaped with a forceful tone, but on the other hand they lack depth and proof. This is likely due in part to the fact that his work preceded (and perhaps inspired) the bulk of the available research. His argument that music is in and of itself a distinct form of intelligence is briefly laid out. He presents a wealth of commentary on the subject that is all truly impressive and thought provoking, but then he proceeds to his conclusion by simply stating that the research backs up his argument that music is its own intelligence. He further adds that any sort of relations to the other intelligences are superficial analyses at best. His conclusions are hastily drawn and based heavily on the reader's making assumptions about how the research and his hypothesis are related.

However, from the midst of this colloquium of quotes and references, one can deduce an implied logical theory regarding what composes music intelligence. The research is arranged so that there is a natural flow to it. Gardner starts off by quoting the Polish Hoene Wronsky, who summarized the relationship between music and intelligence rather succinctly: "[Music is] the corporealization of the intelligence that is in sound" (99). When one listens to music, a unique phenomenon occurs. Seemingly arbitrary auditory signals are recorded to memory and deciphered by intellect; meaning is attributed to them after whatever fashion our self wills. For those who have not been the recipients of an extensive music education, the method of processing music would be closest to what Gardner calls the "figural approach"-an intuitive understanding that is reached "based solely upon what is heard irrespective of any theoretical knowledge about music" (110-11). It is at this basic level that musical thought exists, untouched, in its rawest form...indeed, as Levi Strauss noted (among others), "if we can explain music...we may find the key for all thought" (123). In the event that the listener has developed a musical language according to fundamental music theory, they are approaching the music with a "formal mode of thought": this individual "can conceptualize his musical experience in a principled manner" (111). Musical thought is thus translated and transferred over to a common framework that is easily communicated, through speech, performance, or notation. Thus the composer is born - the better one knows the language, the more readily he can proceed to explicate and arrange the initial musical idea into patterns representative of a finished musical work. He has in essence created "passages that articulate or place into proper proportion the elements of the initial idea" (101-2). Aaron Copland calls this initial idea a "gift from heaven", the origin of which still remains the sole element of mystery in the compositional puzzle (102). As if to answer this, another 20th century composer Harold Shapero theorizes to the effect that the mind has a store of all recorded "tonal experiences" that it has absorbed. These are later recalled, and "compounded with remembered emotional experiences" in an act that renders them "more than an acoustical series of tones" (102).

What then, are the components of musical intelligence that make such an act of creative composition possible? Gardner's theory splits everything into two basic categories: pitch (melody) and rhythm. In this schema rhythm simply refers to the underlying beat, while pitch can be used in either a horizontal or vertical aspect. Horizontal pitch refers to the melody-composed of relations among the pitches as they unfold over time. Vertical pitch refers to harmony-when two or more sounds are emitted at the same time, giving rise to a "harmonious" or "dissonant" sound. A separate category that Gardner identifies is that of timbre-the characteristic qualities of a tone, the nuances by means of which emotion and a sense flow can be imbued into the music (104-5). Musical intelligence is made up of the ability to understand and manipulate these components when creating, performing, or listening to music.

All in all, Gardner presents a muddled theory for musical intelligence, which relies largely on the expertise of others, especially in explanation of musical facets. His book provides a good synopsis of the different perspectives and research; but he fails to really add anything unique to the discussion--other than the statement that music is a form of intelligence. The how & why are left to the reader to deduce from the arrangement of quotes & concepts. It needs a clear thesis that describes precisely what musical intelligence is and how the evidence supports this.

It's all in how you look at it...
Howard Gardner's 'Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences' is a fascinating book that helps to explain how and why different people seem to learn in different ways and possess different skills and talents. Gardner's main thesis throughout the text is that there is not one thing called intelligence, but rather several different types of intelligence that work together (or, sometimes, play together) inside each person's overall intellectual development and structure.

Gardner begins his discussion with an overview of the idea of multiple intelligences. The idea of different kinds of intelligence is hardly new, as Gardner concedes, but that idea having been formed, it is rarely carried forward save by the most innovative of teachers and thinkers. Why does a person, for instance, remember particular teachers from elementary or secondary school days rather clearly, while others not at all? Beyond the subject matter and interest, there is a manner of teacher connecting with the student that taps into dominant and active kinds of intelligence, despite the subject matter at hand.

Potential Isolation by Brain Damage
This establishes an autonomy of the function of a particular kind of intelligence from others, thus helping demonstrate uniqueness and separation.

The Existence of Idiot Savants, Prodigies, etc.
That certain kinds of intelligence can be highly developed in some to an extraordinary level also helps demonstrate uniqueness - for instance, rarely is the musical genius likewise a genius in all (or even many) other intellectual areas.

An Identifiable Core Operation or Set of Operations
There must be something that the intelligence processes or does in a particular way differently from others - for example, we process mathematical information and linguistic information in different ways.

Distinctive Development History
Intelligence, even if gifted naturally, has a development line that can be traced from earlier to later proficiency.

Evolutionary History and Plausibility
Intelligence can evolve to higher levels (this is readily seen in science and mathematics); likewise, intelligence can be lost in different arenas.

Experimental Data Support
Intelligences can be isolated and studied - linguistic and spatial abilities are often used as experiments easily documented.

Psychometric Finding Support
While the IQ test is hardly the final arbiter, there are ways of materially charting the relative state of intelligences of people in comparison with one another.

Susceptibility to Symbolic Expression
Intelligences should have a means of symbolic expression and transmission - linguistic intelligence can use words spoken and written; musical intelligence can use written and sound symbols, etc.

Using these criteria, Gardner proposes the following list of intelligences, alerting the reader that while this list is broad and encompasses much of human intelligence, it is not an exhaustive list.

Linguistic Intelligence
Musical Intelligence
Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
Spatial Intelligence
Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence
Personal Intelligence

Most of these items are fairly clear - we know that linguistic intelligence involves language, words, speech, and the understanding and use of such tools. Similarly, logical-mathematical intelligence is fairly well understood. It is on the basis of these two intelligences that most of Western academics is founded and evaluated - even the primary measuring instruments such as SAT tests recognise the difference between mathematical and linguistic abilities by separating out those tests and scoring them differently.

Musical intelligence is likewise understood. It is an intelligence people can tap into for enjoyment even if the sophisticated understanding of theory is not present, unlike the main part of logical-mathematical intelligence.

Spatial and bodily-kinesthetic intelligences are sensed by athletes, dancers, and others who use their bodies in ways that exceed normal abilities. These are intelligences that are closely related. A quarterback or a ballet dancer needs to have both an awareness of body motions and abilities as well as sense of the space involved for the action. However, these are separate intelligences. An architect may have a great sense for spatial requirements and have no real bodily-kinesthetic intelligence.

Perhaps the most difficult to express is the idea of personal intelligence. This is likewise the one intelligence that Gardner concedes he might have the most difficulty with in defining, symbolising, and expressing. It involves an ability to interact with others and with oneself. Perhaps Einstein is a classic example of a savant in logical-mathematical intelligence while being impaired in the personal intelligence arena - not having a good sense of himself and his relationships with others, with time, with place, etc. Religious leaders and diplomatic persons tend to be high in this intelligence.

In the third part of Gardner's book, he explores the education and application of intelligences. Gardner explores the educational systems of many cultures, past and present, to illustrate ways in which different kinds of intelligence are cultivated. A hunter needs good bodily-kinesthetic abilities as well as good spatial abilities honed to a high degree. City-dwellers tend to need linguistic and logical-mathematical abilities to a higher degree.

'As compared with hundred or even thirty years ago, talk about the development of intelligence, the realisation of human potential, and the role of education is very much in the international air.'

The ways in which all kinds of intelligence, including the very-difficult-to-teach personal intelligence, can be cultivated. First is the requirement of recognition of different kinds of intelligence and the ways in which students respond. In my theology class last semester, we had students who were divinity students, counseling students, and church music students. To have required the same pattern of assignment for each of these groups would have been unfair. So, one person turned in an audio tape as accompaniment for her theology paper. Another student framed her theological discussion in terms of a counseling session. These permitted the students to tap into their stronger intelligences while still learning what was valuable from the basic course materials.

This is a valuable book for teachers, pastors, counselors, parents, supervisors, and anyone who wants a clearer definition of what is working inside oneself as intelligence.

not a liberal and the book was still good
intelligent people would agree with me when i say that a unique approach to an otherwise tired theory is more than welcome. on the other hand, some readers from glenville, NY can suck it. If you are a close-minded mechanical conservative tight-@ss who cant appreciate a new idea, nor accept that creative minds might be just as much a contributing member of society as your self-righteous politican or tight-wad teacher, then this book might not be for you. stick to something more classic, like The Bible, or The Prince, by Machiavelli.

Nice theory, application is the problem
On first glance, much of the rhetoric on "multiple intelligences" does not sound particularly unreasonable, which is part of why it is so dangerously insidious. But a deeper look reveals three profound problems:

1. The core problem with this fad is the utter lack of any suggestion as to how such supposed "learning styles" might be OBJECTIVELY and QUANTITATIVELY identified or assessed, or how any of this would translate into effective teaching practices. Ultimately, there is a complete absence of even the slimmest quantitative evidence that any of this has any utility.
2. In an attempt to provide different kinds of exercises and projects for the different "learning styles" of the students in the classroom, spectacular blocks of precious time are wasted that could be better spent.
3. If the education industry really took to heart the notion that different kids require different approaches, then the obvious conclusion is that it's nuts to require all of the students in a geographic district to attend the same school. A student should be sent to the school that best addresses his or her needs, not merely according to which side of the street he or she lives on.

There are many good sources for true "critical thinking" and commentary about Gardner's theories. Try looking for "Illinois Loop" and going to the page on multiple intelligences.

Can you Spot a a Liberal?
This is based on opinion:
I had to unfortunately suffer through Mr. Gardner's diatribe as an education student. I have tried to educate my colleagues as to what he is about. Most specifically, we saw him lecture, where he called for a "revolution" in education. When he asked the audience what most people think of when they think of a revolutionist, he showed a picture of Lenin. Thereafter, the lecture blasted Ron Reagan and conservatives, and pointed to the fun aspects of there being a bad person in Iraq or Cuba.
This book is trying to tell you, the educator, that no one is smart and no one is "dumb". Dumb just means your true talent hasn't been discovered. While I agree many students have talents that are not uncovered, and public schools fail with the standardized test, don't tell me the basketball player is as intelligent as the person who invented the MRI; or the poet as smart as the scientist who finds a cure for cancer.
No, we are all not equally intelligent. Some of us are smart, some of us are not. But we are not equal, and we never will be.
This theory is a method to make us all equal--exactly where socialists and liberals lie. Sure the bell of equality rings harmoniously for many; while the aristocrats sit perched at the Harvard tower, controlling their brainwashed flock. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Less than meets the eye
"How People Learn" is both a simple summary of some recent research in the cognitive sciences and an argument for how teaching should be done. This is currently a very popular topic in the educational industry, as educators look for justification in the cognitive literature for the rather ad-hoc educational theories of the past 40 or 50 years. Most of this volume is devoted to a fairly low-level- let's say High School level- review of selected literature form the cognitive and neuropsychological literature of the last few decades, and as far as it goes, it's not bad. It's spotty, certainly, and musch of it is very old, but the lay reader will still find much of it interesting and informative.

But the final chapter- Conclusions- is a tremendous disappointment, at least for this reader. Half the conclusions offered are so simple, and so obvious, as to be laughable. The other half are either contradictory or simply unjustified.

Consider this gem: "Transfer and wide application of learning are most likely to occur when learners acheive an organized and coherent understanding of the material; when the situations for transfer share the structure of the original learning; when subject matter has been mastered and practiced; when subject domains overlap and share cognitive elements; when instruction includes specific attention to underlying principles; and when instruction specifically emphasizes transfer."

Translated, that means that people can best use things they learn when they've learned them very well, that practice helps, and that it helps to learn something in a way similar to how you're going to use it.

Or this: "The predominant indicator of expert status is the amount of time spent working and learning in a subject area to gain mastery of the content" That's Edu-Speak for "the best way to learn material is to practice it"

The author then concludes with an attempt to justify the "new approaches to teaching" that had their genesis in the ed school of the 60s and 70s in a way that in no way follows what was found in the last 230 pages:

"Traditional education has tended to emphasize memorization and mastery of text. Research on the development of expertise, however, has shown that more than a set of general general problem solving skills or memory for an array of facts is necessary to acheive deep understanding..."

Wait a minute. Didn't we just learn that people who learn things best are those who practice them?

The biggest problem with this book is that it, like so many education books, is written by people with a lot of time in schools of education, but little or no time in a classroom or a basic psychology lab. The authors misinteprret the findings of others, they ignire a few centuries of existing knowledge, and they tend to use an overly complex terminology that parodies the language of psychology. And they confuse the principles of basic learning with the techniques and strategies of more skilled practitioners. Sometimes the results are merely amusing, but often they have tragic consequences.

A perfect example is to be found in the great whole word vs. phonetics debate of the past twenty years. Some education researcher came across the interesting tidbit that skilled readers don't sound out words; they recognize whole words at a glance. This was seized on by the education community, and within a short time phonics were out, whole word was in, and reading acquisition skills plummeted. The educators, amazingly enough, missed the obvious: That the skills required for initial acquisition are very different from the strategies used later on. Even the best readers rely on phonological skills when they encounter new words. If all you learn is whole word, there's no way for you to learn on your own or to sound out new words. Despite the overwheling data in favor of phonetics, Ed schools still push the supposedly superior whole-word teaching method. (The tremendous commercial success of the "Hooked on Phonics" program should be evidence enough regarding which method works better.)

As anyone who has actually read the cognitive memory and learning literature of the past few decades will tell you, there are a number of facts regarding learning that are pretty much undisputable. One is that all learning is essentially unconcious. The brain tries to make patterns from repeated stimuli, and to associate these patterns with other patterns. Another is that repeated presentation strengthens these associations. This is something that's been demonstrated down to the cellular level back in the 1960s (Hebb, et al)

What this means is that initial learning is all about repetition, and lots of it. The best way to learn to play clainet is to practice clarinet, and the best way to learn to perform multiplication is to practice the heck out of your multiplication tables. You can use all the audio-visual aids, enrichment activies and voyages of self-discovery you want, but the only way to acquire inital skills is through repetition. Somehow, this message still hasn't gotten through to the education schools.

Very much an agenda setting book
As someone reading this outside the US, I found the agenda in the book quite interesting. Unsurprisingly about one third of the text is taking up with issues in mathematics and science teaching - a source of major concern in the industrialised West. Lots of advice on principles and techniques (more limited) are offered to the reader. The book's style is that of a report. Topics are numbered and flagged in bold print for your attention. The subsequent text expands on the issues at hand. A valuable component of the book is the number of case studies it references, and one presumes these have been carefully selected. Overall as a review of 'learning sciecne' I found this a most impressive work. My major quibble with it is that the chapter of Brain and Mind sticks out like a sore thumb, and personally I didn't take it to bring anything to the debate in the rest of the book.

Practice what they preach
The book starts at a place appropriate for someone who never taught before, and presents convincing arguments from the beginning, to the very end. Whenever they introduce important concepts and ideas, they describe studies that really make them come to life. In fact, it would have sounded like a liberal opinion piece had they not provided an extensive bibliography for their findings. Theoretical ideas are weaved into practical advice to create an excellent introduction for an aspiring teacher.

Great book for teachers!!
As a student reading this book, I found several different aspects of learning that would be beneficial to teachers and those reinforcing learning skills. The main focus of the book was directed toward having children use their prior knowledge and apply new information to already formed concepts. This idea encourages teachers to develop a student's understanding by first constructing a general knowledge base of the concrete conceptual information and later giving detailed information to reinforce and develop in depth knowledge. This book also touched upon the importance of technology in the classroom today. With where the world is headed, it is very important for children to have a classroom experience that is enriched with computers, internet connections, and introductions to programs such as power point and the like. Technology not only promotes learning, but it can bring the real-world into the classrooms through the use of videos, simulations, videos, and internet assignments. Overall, this is a great book for teachers! It gives several examples of how these ideas are acted out in the classroom and gives specific topic outlines and descriptions for easy reading.

Excellent book on cognitive learning
As a Deaf person and an educator, as well as having two degrees in Neuroscience, I found this book extremely helpful in elucidating what has been done in understanding how we learn. Perhaps even more important is the questions that the authors, contributors and editors raise concerning what more needs to be done, to adequately help all students reach their highest potential. The book is concise and knowledgeable without being needlessly wordy. It is written so that everybody can understand and make use of it to help educators and researchers to further their goals and those of their students. I've had this book less than six months and yet I've quoted it several times in papers, and refer to it constantly. Thanks to the editors for doing such a great job. Karen L. Sadler Science Education University of Pittsburgh ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Not like the other Arco books
I bought this book ... when I received word from my dad that GM was taking referals for Industrial Mechanics and he turned my name in. I needed to quickly brush up on my mathematical and mechanical skills before taking the pre-employment exam. This book really let me down.

First - It didn't cover anything about how to do any of the shop mathematics until after you (the reader) had taken the practice exams. NO formulas, equations, NOTHING! And they DID explain it at the end of the exams, but not well enough to understand where you the reader screwed up.

Second - There were so many errors I lost count and closed the book never to read it again. Several of their answers were wrong; there were many typos and miscalculations. I don't buy a preparation guide for errors all it will do is confuse you as to if you are correct or forgot how to do arithmetic. I checked several of their calculations with a TI-90 calculator and the answers I received were not the same as theirs. ...

Good Book
It has a lot of useful information, but for the mechanically inclined test takers, you don't need this book.

I took the AFOQT and I used all of my practical knowledge and experience to answer the mechanical comprehension questions.

This book is useful for those who have no idea what a lugnut is, or why Ford puts a differential in the rear of RWD cars.

Mechanical Aptitude and Spatial Relations Tests
This book is a perfect tool for anyone wishing to prepare for any basic mechanical aptitude test. These tests are common screening tools for companies who hire mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation craft personnel. It includes basic lessons for each area, such as pattern analysis, cube counting, etc. and then is followed by sample tests. It contains many test-taking tips and tricks, which can be extremely useful. It is simple, well organized and easy to understand. A must for anyone with a mechanical aptitude test in their future. ... Read more

Book Description

Solidly rooted in current cognitive psychology and motivationresearch, this book applies the findings of such research directlyto classroom teaching and students' learning. Discernable throughout the book is the authors' belief that a solid understanding of the cognitive psychologyperspective enhances a teacher's ability to understand educational goals, educational processes, and the overall educational system.After an introduction to the basic principles of cognitive psychology and its position in education, the book explains cognitive processes, explores the importance of beliefs and motivations in the process of cognition, and, finally,examines the ways cognitive psychology informs teaching and learning in specific content areas. Devotes an entire chapter to sensory, short-term, and working memory, presenting the modal memory model. ... Read more

Book Description

1989 Winner of the Cyril O. Houle World Award for Literature in Adult Education

This award-winning book offers a practical, straightforward guide to helping adults develop their critical thinking skills in four key arenas of adult life: in their personal relationships, in their workplaces, in their political involvements, and in their responses to the media. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Necessary Andragogy Supplement
Brookfield makes clear how critical thinking is a necessary part of adult education. It is necessary for the adult educator to develop the skills necessary to be cognizant of the critical thinking process, through practice and developing the ability to articulate the concept and process to students while assisting them into putting the critical thinking process into practice.

Brookfield outlines in this book how critical thinking is necessary in decipering media coverage, developing political positions, negotiating family vacations, and even in building and maintaining intimate relationships. Further, Brookfield advises that the critical thinking process affords students the ability to recognize perspectives other than their own held beliefs. Finally, through the epilogue, the educator is given some clear direction in implemeting and incorporating critical thinking dialouge and questioning in the classroom.

Excellent supplement to any andragogy focused course or to improve the quality and efficacy of adult education.

Poor treatment of important topic
Stephen Brookfield writes 254 pages on one of the most important topic in our world and basically says nothing useful. His style is very "touchy / feely, and he writes very superfluous statements that provide little, if any enlightenment to the reader. On his primary topic on how to teach critical thinking I found no practical application. This book reminds me of a college student's attempt to write intelligently on an important topic, but it was way over his head.

A valuable read except for two things
As an organizational psychologist, I found this book very well-written and informative. For those who are not educators or counselors, Dr Brookfield's thorough discussion in Part One of just what constitutes critical thinking, how to recognize it and learning to think critically as adults is well worth the read. Parts Two and Three deal in-depth with developing critical thinking in adults, particularly college students. There are only two things I feel distract from the book. First, almost all of Dr Brookfield's examples employ very politically liberal themes. I'm afraid Dr Brookfield, as a member of the Academy, is so steeped in this persuasion that he didn't consider that more moderate examples might appeal to a wider audience. The second weakness, ironically, involves an attempt to appeal to a wider audience. Someone (probably his editor or a Jossey-Bass marketeer) prevailed on the author to periodically insert references to the workplace, political institutions and the media. At the end of the book, Part Three contains whole chapters dedicated to these areas, and the back cover suggests that the book should be placed in either the Higher Education or Management sections of the bookstore. Unfortunately, I found his references to business and the workplace to be rather superficial and, well, forced. At the end of the day, however, I found the book interesting and well-written and a valuable find particularly for educators.

Phill1SPHR@aol.com, Dallas, TX, April 13, 2000
If you are looking for a practical and, yet, profound work that allows you to develop critical thinking skills Stephen D. Brookfield has written what you are seeking. Brookfield defines critical thinking and articulates a method to help you recognize it in action. He proposes that to be critically analytical concerning the assumptions underlying our actions and those of others is organizationally and culturally beneficial as well as personally liberating. I have utilized the critical debate method that he recommends as a means to help others examine their assumptions as part of a diversity exercise within an organizational setting. The lessons learned were tremendous. The participants had to select a position (for or against) regarding a topic on which they held strong opinions. An example topic would be "physician assisted suicide". I then asked for ten volunteers who said they were for physician assisted suicide to form a debate team. Next, I asked for volunteers who said they were against physician assisted suicide to form a debate team. Then, I asked the debate teams to prepare an argument that was counter to their position. The debate team that was composed of people for the position had to develop an argument against it. The debate team that was composed of people against the position had to develop an argument for it. They had to present their final arguments in a debate format to approximately sixty observers. The observers were paired during the debate teams' preparation time and they had to discuss with their partner how they would argue a counter position to their original belief. The participants were able to experience in real time that they could "try on" a perspective which they had not held and be able to effectively support it. In doing so, they had to allow themselves the opportunity to take in new data which required them to place their original position on hold. In many cases, they learned that they were not as informed as they should have been about their original position. The dynamics within the group and effect of the presentations on the observers were also interesting. The diversity exercise was a means for the group to begin to understand the need for us to challenge the underlying assumptions that we have about people. Brookfield provided an excellent and fun method for this exploration. You must read the book to get further information about methods Brookfield proposes to help develop alternative ways of thinking. It was said by Albert Einstein that the significant problems that we face can not be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them. I am convinced that the root cause of many of the issues we face organizationally and personally can be traced to unchallenged and, perhaps, faulty assumptions. This is a classic work that should be required reading at appropriate levels within our school system. I also highly recommend that serious Organizational Development consultants and trainers who are interested in transforming people and organizations read this book. BRAVO Stephen D. Brookfield! ... Read more

Book Description

Accessible and engaging, this unique book offers strategies for critical and creative thinking and includes many opportunities for practicing these fundamental skills.This book introduces readers to the principles and techniques of critical thinking, taking them step–by–step through the problem–solving process.Emphasizing creative and active thought processes, the author asserts that good thinking isn't merely knowing what not to do; it is knowing what to do.Discussions of how to evaluate ideas and how to question long–held assumptions or biases help readers look at concepts critically.Brief guides to composing, speaking, and logic show readers how to apply the skills that enable them to become clear and creative thinkers. Individuals interested in sharpening their creative and critical thinking skills. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Useful textbook; Popular with students
I have been using Mr. Ruggiero's text, The Art of Thinking, in college writing classes for several years. It has been very useful in introducing ideas about thinking and organization to my students. I use the text and provide several exercises based on readings and real life situations. Many students have told me at the end of the semester that this book is a "keeper." In other words they were not going to sell the book back to the bookstore, but instead were going to keep it for further use in their lives. They particularly liked the section on the creative process as an organizational process, and the section on habits that hinder thinking. They said they found these sections helpful both in their college tasks and in their own personal lives. I plan to continue using this fine book.

The Best Critical Thinking Book Ever Written
I first read this marvelous book while doing the research for my book "Why Didn't I Think of That? - Think the Unthinkable and Achieve Creative Greatness." Anyone serious about improving their thinking capacities simply must read Ruggiero's book. Used as the primary text in many college level critical and creative thinking courses, "The Art of Thinking" covers both basic and advanced concepts using well designed examples and artfully crafted exercises helping readers to learn both easily and completely. At signing events, and after speaking engagements, when readers of my book ask me to recommend other related works, I always place Ruggiero's book at the top of the list.

Great Insights on How "Thinking" Works
This title was the first text book I used in my first ever philosophy class at college some 20 years ago. It really inspired me to start "thinking" about how people think. The flow of the topics and the content successfully aroused my mind and the book actually helped me a lot on ways of thinking even until now. I just want to let everyone know that this title is an excellent read for teenagers to adults alike.

The Art of Thinking: A Guide to Critical and Creative Though
Ruggiero's text is about thinking and writing. For me as a composition instructor in community college, its three major strengths are its promotion of critical reading, its promotion of reflection, and its emphasis on learning by doing.

It makes me think of a saying I copied down so long ago I've forgotten its origin: "Better writers make better thinkers." Actually, I think this text is more about "better thinkers make better writers."

The book is conversational, respectful, helpful, and kind. I like the scenarios presented as examples of thinking principles at the beginning of each chapter. In addition to providing concrete examples of the principles presented in the chapter, they illustrate the principle "Show, don't tell," providing a useful model of effective writing for the students. The sample problems and issues elsewhere in the text are realistic, believable and engaging. They encourage students to think for themselves.

The book attempts to move readers from passive thinking to reflective critical thinking. Its neutral, distant but kindly voice works well to invite students into a world of academic discourse without intimidating them.

Art of Thinking
I am much taken with the approach to thinking as an activity with its own structure, a structure which once articulated can be effectively mapped onto its expressions in writing and speech. One of the things that concerns me very deeply about students, and it's perhaps just a cultural moment (but a long one, with no end in sight) is a presumption of determinism concerning their own ways of thinking. It's visible in the grammatical structures they use to describe current practices: "I'm not much of a reader;" "I need to be entertained to find a book worthwhile" -- they even extend it to the legibility of their handwriting. Ruggiero's assumption that one can modify the nature of one's thinking by a process of examination, insight and will, is bound to be liberating. In fact, it's a time honored principle of western intellectual and spiritual traditions, but not well suited to social constructivist models of cognition and composition in their cruder forms. The advice to "be creative" would be spectacularly useless without the quite accessible, though not at all reductive, inquiry into certain definable features of thought-processes which result in things we generally regard as pretty good creative thinking. The approach of the book overall has both conservative and innovative aspects, and as a totality it gains my respect. It assumes a reasonable tone of authority, and validates the claim by proceeding intelligibly through a jargon-free but theoretically sound account of the various processes we designate by "thinking," and distinguishing purposeful thinking from other kinds of mental activity. With the exception of a few unfortunate tics that have a certain unpleasant, 19th century tang to them ("bad habits" is not a phrase consistent with the overall tone of Ruggiero's book), the text communicates high expectations, and makes the attainment of them attractive to students.

On the whole, the exercises provide a pedagogically useful range for leading students through issues in which their own interests are directly and obviously involved, through analogy and homology to issues of wider cultural import, where the need for their own policy input may seem less urgent, and their own interests less directly involved. A sort of school for citizenship, if it works, and that is certainly among the explicit objectives of my own writing pedagogy. It's a good book for students who need to become comfortable with the idea of themselves as intellectuals, and who are overcoming the sociology of high school, which tends to assign intellectual ambitions to authority and its lackeys, and to have a fairly muddy- headed notion that purposeless consumption is a kind of political expression. I think the book will work best with bright students who have been underchallenged in the past.

The ethos of the book is competent, analytical (but not cold or sterile), not given to a lot of self-discourse. There are hints here and there that the author feels that the language of affect has come to overshadow patterns of reasoning in recent rhetorical history. The order of presentation is not inevitable -- nor does it claim to be -- but rational, and adaptable to a number of pedagogical purposes. It's not meant to be all things for all courses, and some instructors may find that they need compositional matters more explicitly and consistently frontloaded -- but then, they'll want a full-scale reader with a handbook of grammar and usage as well. Since this is the 6th edition, there must be a great many teaches who find this book useful, but I suppose I'm (pleasantly) surprised that a text this challenging finds a consistent niche. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

Essential companion to workbook
What makes this book so useful is that it assists the therapist in effectively guiding the client as s/he follows the workbook in dealing with his/her mood disorder. It shows how best to employ the workbook in therapy, help the client set goals, and individualize the exercises. It demonstrates its application not only to individuals but also to groups, brief therapy, and inpatient settings. Under each situational category, it provides a session by session description of the book's integration with therapy. What many therapists may find a boon are sample client-therapist dialogues, tips on engaging clients and maintaining collaboration, troubleshooting guides, and assignment reminders. Because of its flexibility, this cognitive program can be tailored to a range of diagnoses. ... Read more

Book Description

Measuring Behaviour is a guide to the principles and methods of quantitative studies of behavior, with an emphasis on techniques of direct observation, recording, and analysis. In the new edition, all sections have been updated and revised, particularly those dealing with the technology of recording behavior, and there are new sections on regression and multivariate statistics.As with the first edition, the authors strive for brevity and clarity of presentation. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Concise, clear reference
This is a fantastic book for anyone interested in the study of human or non-human behavior in lab or field settings. The authors pack nothing but the vital basics in this guide. They cover topics such as research design (sample sizes) and data analysis (parametric vs. nonparametric stats). Reading this book is a great use of your time if you're considering research on animal behavior.

A perfect introduction
This book is a perfect introduction to the field of behavioral data collection. I purchased this book for my first behavioral study of captive primates and it was extremely helpful. If you have never conducted research in this area, this book is a must have. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent overview of current theory and empirical evidence
This is a concise review of the aging and cognition literature. Topics are relevant to a wide range of interests and pull together a vast amount of information into 13 meaningful chapters. ... Read more

Book Description

In this accessible text, David Morgan explains the fundamental principals of learning and cognition while employing the central organizing theme that the notion of learning and cognition are best conceptualized as processes that allow animals, including humans, to adapt to complex environments over time. ... Read more

Book Description

Judgment pervades human experience.Do I have a strong enough case to go to trial?Will the Fed change interest rates?Can I trust this person? This book examines how people answer such questions.How do people cope with the complexities of the world economy, the uncertain behavior of friends and adversaries, or their own changing tastes and personalities?When are people's judgments prone to bias, and what is responsible for their biases?This book compiles psychologists' best attempts to answer these important questions. ... Read more

Book Description

Step-by-step guidelines to applying empirically supported cognitive behavior therapies

Cognitive Behavior Therapy brings together all the techniques of cognitive behavior therapy into one comprehensive volume. In more than sixty chapters, an international group of contributors offer complete information on the details of implementing empirically supported therapeutic techniques to treat a wide range of presenting problems, including smoking cessation, stress management, habit reversal, pain management, and many others.

This book assists you in properly and successfully delivering a large number of effective treatment techniques. The broad array of empirically supported techniques, thoroughly covered by leading experts in each discipline, provides a unique resource for thorough and proper administration of effective therapies for a wide range of clinical problems. A range of basic to more complex methods in cognitive behavior therapy is identified, including standard behavior therapy and cognitive therapy techniques, as well as up-to-date procedures such as acceptance strategies and mindfulness.

Complete with helpful tables clearly explaining, step by step, the implementation of each therapeutic technique, Cognitive Behavior Therapy is an essential tool for mental health practitioners and researchers working with these specialized therapies. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A very useful for clinical practice
This volume is one of the most complete and useful tools available for the application of cognitive-behavioral interventions. Instead of a dry academic text that is difficult to apply or a poorly grounded and loose set of guidelines, you get a scientifically grounded and precise set of interventions for a variety of different problems.

Any cognitve-behavioral clinician who does not have this volume will be missing something which may help them solve some of their most difficult problems.

As a clinical psychology professor, I use this with my students.

A good reference on CBT skills
The book serves a good reference for essential CBT skills, with easy-to-understand format and step-by-step illustrations. For experienced clinican with solid theortical background, it can serve as a quick reference and reminder for good tools available in our hands. ... Read more

Book Description

This guide to the WAIS-III and WMS-III tests is written to help clinical practitioners achieve efficient and accurate interpretations of test results. The only interpretive guide to be based on data obtained while standardizing the tests, this reference source provides new models for interpreting results, as well as practical information on the diagnostic validity, demographically corrected norms, and accuracy of the tests in measuring intelligence and memory.

The focus of information is to allow clinicians to reduce variance in the interpretations of scores, indicating how best to factor in socio-economic status of respondents, interpreting meaningful change in serial assessments, and scoring with alternate or omitted sub-tests. Also included in the book are chapters on accommodating clients with disabilities. The final chapter discusses frequently asked questions (with answers) on the use and interpretation of the tests, as well as practical issues to help make scoring time-efficient and accurate.

KEY FEATURES
* Only guide to be based on data obtained in the standardization of the tests
* Practical examples given to help guide interpretation of scores
* Focuses on information to make faster, more accurate scoring interpretations ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Arsenal For Attacking Flawed Presentations
A presentor is usually happy when people pose questions, as long as they are not critical questions. Most of the time the audience doesn't pose any questions because they simply don't know what questions to ask or how to formulate those questions.

The prinicipal points of this book:

Establishing the issue and the conclusion.
- Knowing and agreeing with the counterpart on the issue prevents us from veering off away from the subject of discussion. People like chaning the issue when they feel trapped.
- Listening to the person's conclusion about the mentioned issue which will indicate the person's opinion.

What are the reasons for their arguments on a certain suject?
- Reasoning takes many roads but often we don't know how to counter weak reasoning. Key words that give way to faulty reasoning with no substance to back up the argument.

Finding words that are ambiguous
- Counterparts discussing a subject, saying the same thing with several key words but some words have many meanings. Make sure you are talking about the same thing.

What are the value conflicts and assumptions?
- Value conflicts are explosive because of different political, religous and moral beliefs. A speaker who is devoutly religious will try and bring biblical arguments in to reasoning which for someobdy who is an athiest, would mean absolutely nothing.

How good is the evidence: Appeals to authority and testamonials.
- Probably one of the most abused factors in supporting an argument. How often have you heard, "Experts on the subject state 70% of medical doctors say x,y and z habits are great for your health". Don't forget to ask who the authority is. The more general authority and testamonials are the weaker the argument. The authors of many surveys make them biased. e.g. If scientific study has proven that smoking is good for your health and the author of the article is a lobbyist for the tobbaco industry, could it be possible that the author has something to gain from the study? If so ask what other authors or experts say about the subject. The so called industry specific gurus who give their testamonials are in most cases biased, because they have something to gain with the report.

Deceptive statistics are also factors that need to be examined closely. When a presentor starts talking about averages and percentages, ask which average and how large the sampeling was on people who took the survey. You would be surprised about how many presentors do not know anything about the facts they are presenting.

The author does not only wirte about critical thinking but has included many exercises to acitvate the reader to look for faulty reasoning and how to build up questions to counter evidence being presented. It is a great introduction text to critical thinking.

If You Are Intimidated by Critical Thinking, Try This!
"Critical thinking" can seem like an intimidating task (and that is a shame, because the world would be such a better place if more people could learn to think critically!). My guess is that this book was written for people with just such fears, and so I am grateful it exists. There are very few books that can introduce a beginner to the thrill of critical thinking in a way seems fairly uncomplicated, and yet that fosters progressive competency. Just as the "user friendly" title implies, each chapter is easy to understand. Concepts are broken down into basic parts. Application of principles is invited through a wealth of interesting and brief articles within each chapter. The book's concepts can be assessed with relevant questions, and diverse exercises which incorporate various learning styles. I have utilized this text for community college instruction since the book's first edition. What I love about this book is that its simplicity allows me to readily pull in related information without disrupting the flow (so even for a teacher, the book is very user friendly, and able to accommodate creative explorations). Chapters need not be assigned in sequence in order for the book to work. Even the lay-out says to a potential student, "Come and try critical thinking; it is not scary, and you will soon become better at it than you think!" (Believe me, in contast, many critical thinking books are dense, and their lay-out can subtly add another layer of resistance for the beginning critical thinker.) Every semester with this text, students catch the thrill of thinking for themselves. They see real life applications within every chapter, and that is what hooks them. Student feedback often indicates that the class (with this text as its core) has "opened up the world." Yes, the book is an excellent launching point to a systematic way of exploration. This way, once begun, eventually leads to everything (since all knowledge is connected). I do not know what it would be like to use this book in isolation. I have used it only in a class, where critical thinking skills can be "tried out" in the context of group interactions. My guess is that practicing good thinking would be harder (and less fun) without this kind of dialogue and exchange. In saying this, I don't mean to discourage individuals from trying this book. However, if you have a chance to use this book at the same time as others are using it, that is what I would recommend.

Maybe "user-friendly" makes it average...
It took my a while to read through the book... a sign of boring content... I would say the book is good for a beginner in this field, it provides many examples, which are easy to grasp, but which I found too basic for the more advanced reader... or which even constitute common sense.
It may be well suited to be covered in High School ... not much more to add (sorry).
While I haven't looked around, I am convinced there a better titles out there.

Teaching Students to THINK!
I first utilized this excellent book in undergraduate classes about a year ago.I enjoyed using it and it received accolades from the students, (once they realized that sometimes, thinking is WORK!)

It is "user-friendly", and the segments in each chapter are short but concise. There are numerous exercises after each section so that the student can put to immediate use, their newly acquired knowledge.

But I believe the highest praise came from the students that jokingly complained, "I can't think the same way anymore!" They had become "Critical Thinkers". And we can certainly use all of those that we can get! ... Read more

Book Description

Understanding temporal integration by the brain is expected to be among the premier topics to unite systems, cellular, computational, and cognitive neuroscience over the next decade. The phenomenon has been studied in humans and animals, yet until now, there has been no publication to successfully bring together the latest information gathered from this exciting area of research. For the first time, Functional and Neural Mechanisms of Interval Timing synthesizes the current knowledge of both animal behavior and human cognition as related to both technical and theoretical approaches in the study of duration discrimination. Chapters written by the foremost experts in the field integrate the fields of time quantum and psychophysics, rhythmic performance and synchronization, as well as attentional effort and cognitive strategies through the linkage of time as information in brain and behavior. This cutting-edge scientific work promotes a concerted view of timing and time perception for those on both sides of the behavior-biology divide. With Functional and Neural Mechanisms of Interval Timing neuroscientists, ethologists, and psychologists will gain the necessary background to understand the psychophysics and neurobiology of this crucial behavior. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

State of the Art Picture
The Birth of the Mind is a really excellent book. Gary Marcus has unified data from more than 500 papers into the state of the art picture of the interactions of the genome and the brain. Well organized and clearly written, Birth leaves no doubt that genes play a crucial role in programming the development of the brain, and paints a Vermeer-like picture of the nature of the influence. In doing so he addresses head on the two main objections to this view. He explains how only 30000 genes can encode a huge and complex brain by showing how genes can have multiple roles and act in groups to perform complex functions. And he resolves the conflict between nature and nurture by showing that the genes code flexible circuits that continue to adapt in response to the environment.

Readers interested in The Birth of the Mind will also enjoy What is Thought?. What is Thought? looks not so much at how the brain wires up, but at the computations mind performs, seeing the genome as source code and the brain as an executable. Recent results in computer science then suggests answers to big "why" questions. What is Thought? suggests fundamental computational principles why the genome being so compact is integral to the computations the brain performs being meaningful, and why learning requires the genome to encode meaningful information into circuits that adapt, as well as why the genome encodes consciousness which has the qualities we experience.

Clearest account of the nature vs. nurture debate.
I very much enjoyed and learned from this new and innovative book, Birth of the Mind by Dr. Gary Marcus. Still, before I could write my own review I came across a professional review in one of Britain's most distinguished journals, Nature Neuroscience. I present it instead:

"About half of the estimated 30,000-odd genes in the human genome are expressed in the brain. Among these genes is hidden the explanation for our unique human cognitive abilities, and for many of the differences between individual people. Developmental neurobiology is the essential bridge for connecting genome to behavior, but despite its obvious importance, there has not yet been a popular book devoted to this subject.

"The Birth of the Mind is an ambitious attempt to fill this gap. The author, Gary Marcus, is a cognitive scientist, but he has learned a lot about developmental neurobiology and has written a concise and very readable introduction to the field. By drawing on related disciplines such as genetics, cognitive science and evolution, he provides an overview of how the interaction between genome and environment gives rise to the human brain and by extension the human mind.

"Marcus gives as clear an account as I have ever seen of the nature versus nurture 'debate' In fact, most biologists no longer regard this as a debate (genes and environment are both important), and the fact that it is still perceived as such by the public may reflect the lack of clear popular account, which this book now provides.

"He also dispels a more recent myth, namely that there is a ˜gene shortage™ that precludes genes from encoding complex behaviors. It is admittedly surprising that we have only 30,000 genes but 100 billion neurons, particularly given that the nematode C. elegans has nearly as many genes yet only 302 neurons. But as Marcus makes clear, genes are complex individually and give rise to even greater complexity by acting in combination; moreover, the truth is that we have no basis for surprise, absent a theory to explain how many genes are needed for a given degree of biological complexity"

"Einstein famously advised that everything should be made as simple as
possible, but no simpler. Marcus takes this to heart, and his book contains
many simplifications but few misrepresentations.

"... enjoyable to read [and written] with a light touch .... I have no
hesitation recommending it to students, scientists from other disciplines, or lay readers wanting to learn something about this fascinating and fast-developing field."

[Nature Neuroscience, April 2004, at p. 117, by Charles Jennings, Executive
Editor of the Nature Research Journals.]

Science writing at its best!
This is an extraordinary book. It brings the reader up to speed on the fascinating and important research that is uncovering how genes and the environment conspire to build brains of extraordinary complexity. The writing is crystal clear, the style is engaging, and Marcus makes the cutting edge science he's discussing accessible to any intelligent reader. This is science writing at its best. If you enjoy reading other great science writers like Pinker and Dawkins, you'll find this a great read!

Building plans and specifications for your mind?
If you are among those still arguing the "nature versus nurture" debate has been resolved, visit an English Lit class. The humanities continue skirting the notion that genes play a role in our mental life. It challenges our ideal of "free will". Marcus, in this matchless survey, argues that "what's good for the body is good for the mind". And few dispute that genes build bodies. The mind, like the body, has deep evolutionary roots. Even the simple organisms inhabiting the planet with us today show how brains develop. Increased complexity of body is reflected in brain structure. And the mind, he reminds us, resides in the brain.

Marcus explains his notion with a wealth of research, most of it very recent. He explains how similar our brain structure is to that of other animals and what that implies for behaviour. The mechanism of building brains is common to all animal life, even when the final product varies. Genes transmit signals - "recipes" - of structure and function for all parts of the body. Brains, he continually reminds us, are not that different from livers. Neurons proceed from points of origin, finding appropriate areas to reside and assume functional duties. From origin to operation they show flexibility and adaptability. In this, Marcus argues, it's clear the brain is no different than any other organ.

It is our brain's interaction with the rest of the body that sets us somewhat apart from the other animals. Language, the element we hold so dear in protecting our unique status, is given a thorough examination in this book. There are no "language genes", Marcus stresses, but there are identified genes, notably FOXP2, known to impact speech ability. He explains that looking for "genes for" something is futile. Genes interact in too convoluted a manner to expect simple associations between a few nucleotides and something as complicated as speech.

Marcus offers a novel term to counter those railing against the strawman "genetic determinism". Having explained how evolution has led to building brains, he declares them "prewired" but not "hardwired". "Prewired" means that basic functions are spelled out biologically, but don't limit our interaction with our environments. All brains permit flexibility by neurons interacting with each other as conditions vary. We can learn because we are prewired to learn. However, we've only begun the research where our brains are concerned.

Marcus presents this trove of information with amazing clarity. His topics aren't simple mechanisms or ideas, yet he conveys it all with graceful logic. He avoids "dumbing down" the science, yet nothing is lost in his presentation. His theme and supporting examples, buttressed by a glossary and extensive bibliography, are expressed in delightfully accessible prose. Some explanatory graphics depict various elements and mechanisms in furthering the reader's understanding. The underlying concept is "universality" and it's easy to see how his ideas apply to all animal life.

This is a valuable book, easily absorbed by students, professionals in many fields, including, in the final chapter, lawyers. The general public should be the primary market for this book since Marcus makes clear what has been learned may be applied in various ways, from "gene therapy" to "designer children". He doesn't avoid the hard issues in showing how recent science has closed off many myths while opening as many new options. Further research is needed, he argues, to avoid foolish mistakes. Those failing to read this book may make or allow those errors. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

The 'gosh, golly' guide to genes, brains and minds.
This book is reasonably enjoyable and informative. The topic is a difficult one, and I think the author is successful in providing a comprehensible overview of a large, complex, and incompletely understood scientific project.

My main criticism is that the author seems to be uncertain about the audience for whom he is writing. At times he is glib and humorous, using colloquialisms and expressions which will quickly date. At other times, understanding the text requires expert knowledge. For example you might quess in Figure 5.3 that Pcx and Ncx stand for Paleocortex and Neocortex, but can you be confident in Figure 7.2 that the orthogonal axes labelled 'M' and 'R' are actually medial and rostral? Having decided to copy illustrations from other sources, the author should have edited them fully, or left the explanatory codes untouched. ... Read more

Book Description

With over four hundred new citations, Cognitive Neuroscience, Second Edition, embraces the latest findings in this cutting-edge field. A revised chapter two, "The Cellular and Molecular Basis of Cognition," introduces new analysis of the chemical systems that support cognition, outlines the modulation of neuronal transmission during development and disease, and increases coverage of the function of membrane receptors in neurochemistry. An entirely new chapter three, "Gross and Functional Anatomy of Cognition," provides a foundation for working through the functional analysis of cognitive systems in subsequent chapters. The Second Edition also includes extensive coverage of computational modeling, highlighting the ways in which modeling demonstrates the neural mechanisms of cognition. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Not an Introductory Text
I am currently studying this text in an introductory class. It seems to be a source of frustration to most of the course's students.

The text's overall organization is to compare studies of animals and humans, discuss how they differ from or support one another, and show how they may reveal underlying mechanisms for behavior. However, this structure is never made clear. To the beginning psych student, the text comes across as a jumbled mess of conflicting data and jargon. There is no glossary supplied, and as if that weren't enough, the index is not thorough.

Most of the faults with this book arise from poor editing rather than writing. It's clear that the authors are experts in their field; however, as experts, their writing is at too high of a level for the beginning student. If this book is intended for an introductory class, the editors should be more careful about clearly defining difficult terms and removing as much cognitive neuroscience lingo as possible. Further, although th