Reisberg - Cognition : Exploring the Science of the Mind (9780393877403)

I began writing the first edition of this book in 1994almost three decades ago. Working on the book, I soon found, was a glorious intellectual adventure. I had to examine my field, asking myself which claims, and which findings, were solid enough, and important enough, so that they deserved some space on the pages. I had to find ways to make the linkages clear among the various strands of research. I had to work through the challenge of finding a presentation that was orderly and persuasive. And as an extra pleasure, I wanted to find ways that (I hoped) would make the material as interesting for readers as it is for me.

Now, in 2021, were about to release the Eighth Edition, and I have to say: Working on the book, for all the same reasons, is still a pleasure. In addition, Ive now gained the further reward of watching my field evolve and advance, with new findings and new conceptualizations. But Ive also been gratified to see how many of the fields claims have remained solidly in placea strong indication of the power of our science. And, of course, Ive also been gratified by the fact that my colleagues have enough respect for the book so that theyve sustained it across these many editions.

But maybe I should begin with the real start of this journey: I was a college sophomore when I took my first course in cognitive psychology, and, remarkably, I decided almost immediately that I wanted to spend the rest of my professional life working in this domain. What was it that caught me from the very beginning? Part of the answer lies in the fact that I could see that cognitive psychologists were pursuing fabulous questions, questions that have intrigued humanity for thousands of years: Why do we think the things we think? Why do we believe the things we believe? What is knowledge, and how secure (how complete, how accurate) is our knowledge of the world around us?

But alongside of these lofty questions, I also saw that cognitive psychologists were simultaneously pursuing more immediate, personal issues: How can I help myself to remember more of the material that Im studying in my classes? Is there some better way to solve the problems I encounter? Why is it that my roommate can study with music on, but I cant?

And there was morebecause cognitive psychologists were also asking questions with powerful implications for society. For example, when eyewitnesses report what they saw at a crime, should we trust them? If a newspaper raises questions about a candidates integrity, how will voters react?

Of course, as a college student and even more so now, I wanted more than interesting questionsI also wanted answers to these questions, and this was another reason I found cognitive psychology so exciting. Indeed, now looking back over the last years, its plain that the field has made extraordinary progress, providing us with a rich understanding of the nature of memory, the processes of thought, and the content of knowledge. There are of course many things still to be discoveredthats part of the fun. Even so, cognitive psychology has a lot to say about all of the questions just posed and many more as well. We can speak to the specific questions and to the general, to the theoretical issues and to the practical. Our research has uncovered principles useful for improving the process of education, and we have made discoveries of considerable importance for the legal system. What Ive learned as a cognitive psychologist has changed how I think about my own memory; its changed how I make decisions; its changed how I draw conclusions when Im thinking about events in my life.

On top of all this, Ive always been excited about the connections that cognitive psychology makes possible. In the academic world, intellectual disciplines are often isolated from one another, sometimes working on closely related problems without even realizing it. In the last decades, though, cognitive psychology has forged rich connections with its neighboring disciplines, and in this book well touch on topics in philosophy, neuroscience, law, economics, linguistics, politics, computer science, and medicine. These connections bring obvious benefits, since insights and information can be traded back and forth between the domains. But these connections also highlight the importance of the material well be examining, since the connections make it clear that the issues before us are of interest to a wide range of scholars. This provides a strong signal that were working on questions of considerable power and scope.