Brain research is much in the news, but what is its relevance in the classroom? Are there ways to take what brain researchers are discovering about learning and memory and apply it to the situations that educators face every day? Practicing teacher and author Marilee Sprenger tells how to do just that in this book. Sprenger has spent years studying neurological research and training other educators in brain‐compatible teaching methods. This background, combined with her long career as a classroom teacher, has given her priceless knowledge of what works in a multitude of classroom situations. Current brain research is as amazing as it can be confusing. This book discusses in plain terms the structure, function, and development of the human brain. The author describes the five "memory lanes"--semantic, episodic, procedural, automatic, and emotional--and tells how they function in learning and memory. She offers dozens of practical suggestions for teaching and assessing in brain-compatible ways. Bridging the gap between theory and practice, the book offers valid, usable, "What you can do on Monday" ideas to incorporate into the classroom. This is an approach to brain research that educators at all levels can apply in their daily work. Note: This product listing is for the Adobe Acrobat (PDF) version of the book.

'Working Memory, Thought, and Action' is the magnum opus of one of the most influential cognitive psychologists of the past 50 years. This new volume on the model he created (with Graham Hitch) discusses the developments that have occurred within the model in the past twenty years, and places it within a broader context. Working memory is a temporary storage system that underpins our capacity for coherent thought. Some 30 years ago, Baddeley and Hitch proposed a way of thinking about working memory that has proved to be both valuable and influential in its application to practical problems. This book updates the theory, discussing both the evidence in its favour, and alternative approaches. In addition, it discusses the implications of the model for understanding social and emotional behaviour, concluding with an attempt to place working memory in a broader biological and philosophical context. Inside are chapters on the phonological loop, the visuo-spatial sketchpad, the central executive and the episodic buffer. There are also chapters on the relevance to working memory of studies of the recency effect, of work based on individual differences, and of neuroimaging research. The broader implications of the concept of working memory are discussed in the chapters on social psychology, anxiety, depression, consciousness and on the control of action. Finally, Baddeley discusses the relevance of a concept of working memory to the classic problems of consciousness and free will. This new volume from one of the pioneers in memory research will doubtless emulate the success of its predecessor, and be a major publication within the psychological literature.

The book presents in eight chapters our actual knowledge on memory for actions and it gives room to the proponents of the opposing models to develop their view for explaining action memory. In Chapter one, Hubert Zimmer and Ronald Cohen summarize the results of laboratory research on action, i. e. memory for self-performed actions. In Chapter two, Melissa Guynn, Mark McDaniel and Gilles Einstein extend this field on memory for intended actions. They present their view on the prospective memory of actions, and they demonstrate the importance of automatic retrieval in prospective memory. In the following chapter, Johannes Engelkamp presents his motor oriented explanation of action memory. He claims that output processes strongly contribute to memory for performed actions, and that the information which is critical for memory is closely related to the information used in the motor control of overt performance. Reza Kormi-Nouri and Lars-Göran Nilsson (Chapter four) completely disagree with this position. They argue that performing actions may cause specific processes, but that nevertheless action memory is part of a unique episodic memory which stores all types of episodes in a similar way. In the following chapter, Mary Ann Foley and Hilary Ratner put action memory in the broader context of activity memory. Everyday actions are usually performed in social contexts and they are goal-oriented. This aspect is seldom relevant in laboratory research, but the authors show that it is of importance for everyday memory. Then two brief chapters follow in which Nilsson and Kormi-Nouri on the one hand, and Engelkamp on the other hand mutually comment on each others position. In the closing chapter, Hubert Zimmer discusses the presented different attempts in parallel. He is doing this by taking into account the different processes and brain modules which are necessary for a successful control of actions.

Memory is a fundamental aspect of being and becoming, intimately entwined with space, time, place, landscape, emotion, imagination and identity. Memory studies is a burgeoning field of enquiry drawing from a range of social science, arts and humanities disciplines including human geography, sociology, cultural studies, media studies, heritage and museum studies, psychology and history. This book is a critically theorised practical exposition of how media and technology are used to make memories for museums, archives, social movements and community projects, looking at specific cases in the UK and Brazil where the authors have put these theories into practice. The authors define the protocol they present as social memory technology. Critically, this book is about learning to deal with our pasts and learning new methods of connecting our pasts across cultures toward a shared understanding and application of memory technologies.

The brain ... There is no other part of the human anatomy that is so intriguing. How does it develop and function and why does it sometimes, tragically, degenerate? The answers are complex. In Discovering the Brain, science writer Sandra Ackerman cuts through the complexity to bring this vital topic to the public. The 1990s were declared the "Decade of the Brain" by former President Bush, and the neuroscience community responded with a host of new investigations and conferences. Discovering the Brain is based on the Institute of Medicine conference, Decade of the Brain: Frontiers in Neuroscience and Brain Research. Discovering the Brain is a "field guide" to the brainâ€"an easy-to-read discussion of the brain's physical structure and where functions such as language and music appreciation lie. Ackerman examines: How electrical and chemical signals are conveyed in the brain. The mechanisms by which we see, hear, think, and pay attentionâ€"and how a "gut feeling" actually originates in the brain. Learning and memory retention, including parallels to computer memory and what they might tell us about our own mental capacity. Development of the brain throughout the life span, with a look at the aging brain. Ackerman provides an enlightening chapter on the connection between the brain's physical condition and various mental disorders and notes what progress can realistically be made toward the prevention and treatment of stroke and other ailments. Finally, she explores the potential for major advances during the "Decade of the Brain," with a look at medical imaging techniquesâ€"what various technologies can and cannot tell usâ€"and how the public and private sectors can contribute to continued advances in neuroscience. This highly readable volume will provide the public and policymakersâ€"and many scientists as wellâ€"with a helpful guide to understanding the many discoveries that are sure to be announced throughout the "Decade of the Brain."

These essays tackle some of the central issues in visual cognition, presenting experimental techniques from cognitive psychology, new ways of modeling cognitive processes on computers from artificial intelligence, and new ways of studying brain organization from neuropsychology, to address such questions as: How do we recognize objects in front of us? How do we reason about objects when they are absent and only in memory? How do we conceptualize the three dimensions of space? Do different people do these things in different ways? And where are these abilities located in the brain? While this research, which appeared as a special issue of the journal Cognition, is at the cutting edge of cognitive science, it does not assume a highly technical background on the part of readers. The book begins with a tutorial introduction by the editor, making it suitable for specialists and nonspecialists alike.

While there are many books on retrospective memory, or remembering past events, Prospective Memory: An Overview and Synthesis of an Emerging Field is the first authored text to provide a straightforward and integrated foundation to the scientific study of memory for actions to be performed in the future. Authors Mark A. McDaniel and Gilles O. Einstein present an accessible overview and synthesis of the theoretical and empirical work in this emerging field. Key Features: Focuses on students rather than researchers: While there are many edited works on prospective memory, this is the first authored text written in an accessible style geared toward students. Provides a general approach for the controlled, laboratory study of prospective memory: The authors place issues and research on prospective memory within the context of general contemporary themes in psychology, such as the issue of the degree to which human behavior is mediated by controlled versus automatic processes. Investigates the cognitive processes that underlie prospective remembering: Examples are provided of event-based, time-based, and activity-based prospective memory tasks while subjects are engaged in ongoing activities to parallel day-to-day life. Suggests fruitful directions for further advancement: In addition to integrating what is now a fairly loosely connected theoretical and empirical field, this book goes beyond current work to encourage new theoretical insights. Intended Audience: This relatively brief book is an excellent supplemental text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses such as Memory, Human Memory, and Learning & Memory in the departments of psychology and cognitive science.