Beyond the brain [electronic resource] : how body and environment shape animal and human minds / Louise Barrett.
2011
QL933 .B27 2011eb
Linked e-resources
Linked Resource
Online Access
Details
Title
Beyond the brain [electronic resource] : how body and environment shape animal and human minds / Louise Barrett.
Author
Barrett, Louise.
ISBN
9781400838349 (electronic book)
9780691126449
9780691126449
Imprint
Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, 2011.
Language
English
Description
1 online resource (x, 270 p.)
Call Number
QL933 .B27 2011eb
Dewey Decimal Classification
591.5
Summary
When a chimpanzee stockpiles rocks as weapons or when a frog sends out mating calls, we might easily assume these animals know their own motivations--that they use the same psychological mechanisms that we do. But as Beyond the Brain indicates, this is a dangerous assumption because animals have different evolutionary trajectories, ecological niches, and physical attributes. How do these differences influence animal thinking and behavior? Removing our human-centered spectacles, Louise Barrett investigates the mind and brain and offers an alternative approach for understanding animal and human cognition. Drawing on examples from animal behavior, comparative psychology, robotics, artificial life, developmental psychology, and cognitive science, Barrett provides remarkable new insights into how animals and humans depend on their bodies and environment--not just their brains--to behave intelligently. Barrett begins with an overview of human cognitive adaptations and how these color our views of other species, brains, and minds. Considering when it is worth having a big brain--or indeed having a brain at all--she investigates exactly what brains are good at. Showing that the brain's evolutionary function guides action in the world, she looks at how physical structure contributes to cognitive processes, and she demonstrates how these processes employ materials and resources in specific environments. Arguing that thinking and behavior constitute a property of the whole organism, not just the brain, Beyond the Brain illustrates how the body, brain, and cognition are tied to the wider world"-- Provided by publisher.
"This book illustrates how the intelligent behaviour of animals doesn't necessarily depend on having a big brain; having the right kind of body and exploiting the right kinds of environmental resources can be equally important"-- Provided by publisher.
"This book illustrates how the intelligent behaviour of animals doesn't necessarily depend on having a big brain; having the right kind of body and exploiting the right kinds of environmental resources can be equally important"-- Provided by publisher.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Access Note
Access limited to authorized users.
Source of Description
Description based on print version record.
Available in Other Form
Beyond the brain.
Linked Resources
Online Access
Record Appears in
Online Resources > Ebooks
All Resources
All Resources
Table of Contents
Removing ourselves from the picture
The anthropomorphic animal
Small brains, smart behavior
The implausible nature of Portia
When do you need a big brain?
The ecology of psychology
Metaphorical mind fields
There is no such thing as a naked brain
World in action
Babies and bodies
Wider than the sky.
The anthropomorphic animal
Small brains, smart behavior
The implausible nature of Portia
When do you need a big brain?
The ecology of psychology
Metaphorical mind fields
There is no such thing as a naked brain
World in action
Babies and bodies
Wider than the sky.