All About Books discussion

Come here to discuss our psychology themed group read for October & November!

Ooh - I love reading Pinker's stuff, but I don't have this one. I'm interested to read the discussion of it though.

Is this a two month read? I love Pinker. I've only read a few of his books, but I've read them many times over. This is generally the type of stuff that requires multiple reads. If y'all are going to be on this for a while I'll definitely join in come November.

Chuck it runs for October and November so jump in at any time that suits you! I'll try and get hold of a copy and will probably join in a bit later as well. Did anyone start reading already?

Sounds really interesting. Hope I can squeeze it in these two months somehow!!!

Can't wait to try this. I am usually confused by psychology books so having this discussion might help.

I'm going to read this - I ordered it from my library.

Alannah wrote: "Can't wait to try this. I am usually confused by psychology books so having this discussion might help."

You're not the only one… I've been reading The Language Instinct for ages and it's been frazzling my brain - I've really struggled to get to grips with the concepts and terminology in it.

Jenny wrote: "Chuck it runs for October and November so jump in at any time that suits you! I'll try and get hold of a copy and will probably join in a bit later as well. Did anyone start reading already?"

Great!

I've read The Language Instinct - he is saying a lot more than that both nature and nurture must be considered. I think he's aware that everyone knows that. He gives a lot of insight into discoveries about language development, and lots of specific examples from around the world. If you're interested in language development, it's a great read. He sometimes makes some sweeping statements that aren't fully backed up, and there is also a book that responds to his book and argues with some of these points: The 'Language Instinct' Debate. This is also an interesting book, although not such a fun read (and the author acknowledges this!). I am very interested in linguistics and language development, so I loved reading both sides of the debate.

Maybe try reading the introduction to get a better idea - Pinker tends to be quite clear in his intentions and letting you know what to expect and what not to expect.

If you are already of the opinion that nature and nurture both have to be considered, should one read The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature? has anyone read this one? I am curious to hear what others think of it.

I haven't read that one, Chrissie. Have you? It looks interesting.

I find in general that most people acknowledge that we are influenced by both nature and nurture, but people differ quite wildly on the extent that we are influenced by each. Particularly as there are ethical implications regarding people's responsibilities for their actions.

Did you delete your previous post asking about The Language Instinct, Chrissie, or is Goodreads gone glitchy today?

Gail, no, I didn't delete it but then when I went back didn't see it so wrote another! I was trying to be more precise. I have not read Pinker so I am trying to figure out if he is for me.

I find the nature / nurture discussion extremely interesting. Look at how one's kids are different! Look at how people living in different cultures have different behavior patterns. Some of the things I think about. So Is the Blank Slate a book I should pick up?

How bizarre - you had a post there earlier after Chuck's and before mine! If you are interested in the nature/nurture debate and how it relates to language, you'd probably find The Language Instinct interesting. I get the feeling How the Mind Works will also be looking at the whole concept of brain 'hardwiring' and how much is influenced by nature and how much by nurture. I've started reading it, and it seems to be going in that direction.

Yes, sometimes GR behaves strangely!

I still kind of think that The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature is more the book that will answer my specific questions. Thank you for your help, Gail.

You're probably right. I haven't read that one, so can't say, but it does look like it has a very specific focus on nature/nurture and the ethical implications. Hope you find it interesting.

Gail, I can go back to this group read if I find I love Pinker's writing! Thanks for understanding and thank you for your help.

You're welcome, Chrissie. I hope you enjoy his writing. I find him very readable and humorous. :-)

Sounds good.

Anyone else started reading this yet? I'm curious how others are finding it. I'm really enjoying all his literary references to various sci fi novels. I haven't read a great deal of sci fi, and didn't realise it deals with these wider philosophical and neurological questions, so now I'm wanting to read all the books he mentions.

Thanks Gail! I was thinking of skipping this one because I was worried it would be similar to some pop psychology books I'd read (that were just OK), but the sci-fi literary reference thing has really peaked my curiosity. I think I'll read it.

Hope you enjoy it, Greg. I don't find him like any pop psychology books I've read - I guess I'd classify him more as pop neuroscience. It's quite technical stuff, so that's why he makes analogies with sci fi and things people can relate to.

My only issue with it is that it was published in 1997, seventeen years ago, and so much more has been discovered about the brain since then, so some of his stuff is outdated. But he acknowledges right from the start that we don't know how the mind works, and that everything he says may well be proven wrong in the future! And his style and intelligent, logical way of analysing make me want to keep reading. And I'm really fascinated by the whole history of human speculation about artificial intelligence and how the first sci fi novels explored this. I'd like to read something more recent after reading this though.

I might try it.

I too am interested in neuroscience, but I'm getting the feeling this might not be the best book. What I'm looking for is more a layman's book on how the brain functions, chemicals that effect our moods, the different areas, etc....Anyone have any suggestions?

Editing my post to delete my recommendation - just found the book on my book case and it's probably not the sort of thing you'd want. But to clarify, do you want a text book type of thing that explains the science behind it, and the neurons and how they interact and all that? And do you specifically want it on the cognitive areas of the brain, rather than the parts that affect motor skills and the senses, or do you want it on all areas?

This one might be more up your street: The Student's Guide to Cognitive Neuroscience.

Thanks for your response Gail. You said, "But to clarify, do you want a text book type of thing that explains the science behind it, and the neurons and how they interact and all that? And do you specifically want it on the cognitive areas of the brain, rather than the parts that affect motor skills and the senses, or do you want it on all areas?"

I really want something with the general rather than detailed science. So a book more for the layman but focusing on both cognitive and motor skills. In particular, I'm interested to know how drugs effect the brain (serotonin levels, etc) and how our brains could be manipulated or fooled through drug interaction.

Ah, I'm not sure then - all the books I've read have given some detailed science. You need to know some details about how the neurons and neurotransmitters work in order to understand how the drugs work - at least, this is what I have found. And also there is so much unknown about the brain, I think it's important to know a little about how we know what we know about it, and the limits and gaps in this knowledge. Maybe someone else will be able to suggest something?

Yeah, I can't think of any way to read about psychopharmacology without first going into at least some biology and methodology and mechanics. You can always pick up a textbook in Biological Psychology or Behavioural neuroscience.

Hi Gail,

Could you give me the names of the scientific ones? I'll check them out and see if they are too above my head. It really depends on far deep down the science goes...

Many thanks!

@Genia, do you have any to recommend? Otherwise, I'll do just that.

We never really work with textbooks, just loads of PowerPoints and alphabetised lists, but doing some quick googling I came up with a lot of Intro to Biopsychologytextbooks like this one:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

I also spotted this book: Buzzed: The Straight Facts about the Most Used and Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy which seems to be more popular science-y and focuses on drug addiction.

The one by Jamie Ward that I recommended earlier (The Student's Guide to Cognitive Neuroscience) is a good starting point, and is not too long (well, compared to the huge big textbooks on neurology and neuroscience). It is just about the cognitive aspects of neuroscience rather than the motor ones, and the science doesn't go as in-depth as the big text books. It combines pyschology and science.

I also really liked this one in terms of clarity, readability, and lots of diagrams: Crash Course: Nervous System,. It's aimed at medical students, but I found it useful even though I wasn't studying medicine. It deals with both cognitive and motor aspects, and talks about drugs too - specific drugs for specific neurological conditions and how they work. You'd just have to ignore all the practice questions for medical students!

Genia and Gail, thanks for the info. Now, I've got a place to start my research. Thanks so much!

There are probably some free online courses too. MIT have some great free material: http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/brain-and-...

Great stuff Gail, taking a look at the Neuropharmacology course now....