Review by Choice Review
This massive encyclopedia's preface points out that the field of cognitive science is at a stage where many exciting developments are taking place. The publication's aim is to "convey this excitement to readers who approach it simply out of curiosity as well as to those who look to it for detailed answers to specific questions." The brief (about 20 pages) introductory article "What is Cognitive Science?" gives an excellent overview of this broad field, defining it as "the scientific study of minds and brains, be they real, artificial, human or animal." To give an idea of the encyclopedia's range, it supplies articles about backpropagation, the Chinese room argument, connectionism, David Hume, information theory, statistical pattern recognition, Turing test, and vagueness. For all these topics, entries are very informative, readable, and give guidance for further study. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. All collections; readers at all levels. R. Bharath emeritus, Northern Michigan University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
This four-volume set brings together the various disciplines that contribute to the study of minds and brains, whether human, animal, or artificial. The approximately 700 articles cover the core disciplines of psychology, philosophy, linguistics, computer science, and neuroscience, as well as related areas in education, economics, evolutionary biology, and anthropology. Suitable for undergraduates and up, the articles are written on different levels depending on the topic, ranging from introductory overviews to in-depth, technical material. The pieces are well organized and scholarly, with numerous references and suggestions for further reading. The last volume contains a 40-page glossary and an extensive subject index. Like The MIT Encyclopedia of the Cognitive Sciences, this set fills a need for a central reference source in a field that embraces so many disciplines. The two works cover similar territory, but given its size, the Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science can provide more in-depth treatment. Most libraries will want to add this set to update and expand their reference collections in this growing area. Recommended for academic libraries.-Teresa Berry, Univ. of Tennessee Libs., Knoxville (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Library Journal Review
