Attention is a key psychological construct in the understanding of human cognition, and the target of enormous efforts to elucidate its physiological mechanisms, as the wealth of literature—both primary and secondary—attests (for recent compilations see Itti, Rees, & Tsotsos, 2005; Paletta & Rome, 2008; Posner, 2004). But in addition to asking what attention actually is, decomposing and analyzing its varieties, or delimiting its neurobiological mechanisms and effects, in this volume we want to explore attention somewhat differently. We believe that a full-fledged theory of attention must consider its workings in the context of motivated, goal-directed, and environmentally constrained organisms. That attention is related to goal-directed behavior is not news. What the contri- tions to this volume do suggest, however, is the existence of fundamental links between attention and two key processes that are crucial for adapted conduct: go- directed behavior and cognitive control. Importantly, they show that these relations can be explored at multiple levels, including neurodynamical, neurochemical, evo- tionary, and clinical aspects, and that in doing so multiple methodological challenges arise that are worth considering and pursuing. The reader will find here, therefore, a selection of contributions that range from basic mechanisms of attention at the n- ronal level to developmental aspects of cognitive control and its impairments. Another trend that will become evident is that, in different ways, the authors stress the need to understand these issues as they unfold in natural behavior (both healthy and pathological), thus arguing for a more ecological approach to these questions.

Goal-Directed Decision Making: Computations and Neural Circuits examines the role of goal-directed choice. It begins with an examination of the computations performed by associated circuits, but then moves on to in-depth examinations on how goal-directed learning interacts with other forms of choice and response selection. This is the only book that embraces the multidisciplinary nature of this area of decision-making, integrating our knowledge of goal-directed decision-making from basic, computational, clinical, and ethology research into a single resource that is invaluable for neuroscientists, psychologists and computer scientists alike. The book presents discussions on the broader field of decision-making and how it has expanded to incorporate ideas related to flexible behaviors, such as cognitive control, economic choice, and Bayesian inference, as well as the influences that motivation, context and cues have on behavior and decision-making. - Details the neural circuits functionally involved in goal-directed decision-making and the computations these circuits perform - Discusses changes in goal-directed decision-making spurred by development and disorders, and within real-world applications, including social contexts and addiction - Synthesizes neuroscience, psychology and computer science research to offer a unique perspective on the central and emerging issues in goal-directed decision-making

This volume presents chapters from internationally renowned scholars in the area of goals and social behavior. The book is organized around a series of topics that are of critical importance to understanding the social-cognitive aspects of goal-directed behavior. In each chapter, the authors offer an introduction to past research on a specific topic and combine this with a presentation of their own empirical work to provide an integrated overview of the topic at hand. As a whole, this volume is designed to provide a broad portrait of goal research as it has been and is currently being conducted in the social psychological literature. It serves as an introduction to essential issues, while at the same time offering a sampling of cutting-edge research on core topics in the study of goal-directed behavior, such as how goals are represented, where goals come from, and what goals do in the process of regulation.

Flexible and Focused: Teaching Executive Function Skills to Individuals with Autism and Attention Disorders is a manual written for individuals who work with learners who struggle with executive function deficits. The manual takes the perspective that executive function skills can be improved through effective intervention, just like any other skills. This how-to manual provides practical strategies for teaching learners to be focused, organized, flexible, and able to effectively manage themselves. Ready-to-use lessons, data sheets, worksheets, and other tools for practitioners, educators, and parents are provided to help them tackle common problems associated with executive function deficits in learners of any diagnosis, ages 5 to adult. The principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), which form the foundation of this manual, are translated into simple, easy-to-use procedures. Lessons for improving executive function skills in real-life everyday situations are provided in the following areas: - Self-awareness - Inhibition and impulse control - Self-management - Attention - Organization - Problem solving - Time management - Planning - Working memory - Emotional self-regulation - Flexibility - Provides an overview of what constitutes executive function skills - Outlines how techniques based on applied behavior analysis can be used to teach skills - Presents step-by-step lessons for practitioners, educators, and parents to implement with individuals with executive function deficits - Includes data sheets, task analyses, worksheets, and visual aids

Hope has long been a topic of interest for psychologists, philosophers, educators, and physicians. In the past few decades, researchers from various disciplines and from around the world have studied how hope relates to superior academic performance, improved outcomes in the workplace, and improved psychological and physical health in individuals of all ages. Edited by Matthew W. Gallagher and the late Shane J. Lopez, The Oxford Handbook of Hope provides readers with a thorough and comprehensive update on the past 25 years of hope research while simultaneously providing an outline of what leading hope researchers believe the future of this line of research to be. In this extraordinary volume, Gallagher, Lopez, and their expert team of contributors discuss such topics as how best to define hope, how hope is distinguished from related philosophical and psychological constructs, what the current best practices are for measuring and quantifying hope, interventions and strategies for promoting hope across a variety of settings, the impact it has on physical and mental health, and the ways in which hope promotes positive functioning. Throughout its pages, these experts review what is currently known about hope and identify the topics and questions that will help guide the next decade of research ahead.

The world is a dangerous place and recent events have served to make it less safe. There are many arenas of conflict and even combat across the world. Such situations are the quintessential expression of stress; you stand in imminent danger and live with the knowledge that you may be attacked, injured or even killed at any moment. How do people perform under these conditions? How do they keep a heightened level of vigilance when nothing may happen in their immediate location for weeks or even months? What happens when the bullets actually start flying? How is it you distinguish friend from foe, and each from innocent bystanders when in immediate peril of your life? Can we design technology to help people make good decisions in these ultimately hazardous situations? To what degree does your membership in a team act to dissipate these particular effects? Can we generate sufficiently stressful field exercises to simulate these conditions and can we train and/or select those most able to withstand such adverse conditions? How will the next generation of servicemen deal with these inherent problems? These are the sorts of questions that Performance Under Stress addresses. This book is derived largely from a multiple-year, multiple university initiative (MURI) on stress and soldier performance on the modern, electronic battlefield. It involved leading researchers from many institutions who have brought their individual expertise to bear on these crucial, contemporary concerns. United by a common research framework, these groups attacked the issue from different methodological and conceptual approaches, ranging from traditional laboratory modeling and experimentation, to realistic simulations; from involved field exercises to personal experiences of actual combat conditions. The insights generated have been distilled and presented as a benchmark of current understanding and provide future directions for research in this arena. Although this work focuses on soldier stress and soldier performance, the principles that are derived extend well beyond this single application. Their findings can be applied to people facing the demands of the business world or research as much as to those who meet life or death situations, such as homeland security, first responders, and law enforcement personnel.

The Psychology of Learning and Motivation series features empirical and theoretical contributions in cognitive and experimental psychology, ranging from classical and instrumental conditioning, to complex learning and problem-solving. - Presents the latest information in the highly regarded Psychology of Learning and Motivation series - Provides an essential reference for researchers and academics in cognitive science - Contains information relevant to both applied concerns and basic research

First Published in 2012. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Vision and Goal-Directed Movement: Neurobehavioral Perspectives is also available as an e-book. The e-book is available at a reduced price and allows readers to highlight and take notes throughout the text. When purchased through the Human Kinetics Web site, access to the e-book is immediately granted when the order is received. To interact with the environment, an individual must code, store, and translate spatial information into the appropriate motor commands for achieving an outcome. Working from this premise, Vision and Goal-Directed Movement: Neurobehavioral Perspectives discusses how visual perception, attention, and memory are linked to the processes of movement preparation and execution. With contributions from active researchers in movement science, Vision and Goal-Directed Movement presents the latest theories on the utilization of vision in goal-directed movement control. As a resource for motor control and motor learning researchers, students, educators, and clinicians, Vision and Goal-Directed Movement offers the following: • Comprehensive coverage of current behavior-based literature on the visual control of goal-directed movement • A systematic explication of the sensory and physiological processes and systems responsible for fast, accurate, and efficient performance • A solid foundation for further study of the sensory and neural systems responsible for precise goal-directed behavior • A discussion of how current research on vision and goal-directed movement can assist in creating efficient and safe work environments Using research informed by neural imaging and magnetic brain stimulation, this text provides readers with a better understanding of the neural foundations for goal-directed movement, illustrates the flexibility of the human visuomotor system, and discusses how regulation of movements depends on the learning and developmental history of the performer. It begins by reviewing the works of R.S. Woodworth and the influence of his theories on current research. The majority of the chapters in the first section of the book take a behavioral and process-oriented approach to exploring goal-directed movement. The text then explores the sensory and neural foundations for goal-directed action, including issues related to both pursuit and saccadic eye movements as well as discussion of the specialization of various cortical systems for the regulation of movement. Especially relevant to professionals and scientists concerned with skill instruction and rehabilitation, the final part of the text provides a review of recent research on how and why limb control changes occur with practice and development. In addition, Vision and Goal-Directed Movement considers how the research presented can maximize precision, efficiency, and safety in workspace design. Vision and Goal-Directed Movement: Neurobehavioral Perspectives adds a unique offering to the literature base for motor behavior, demonstrating how advances in both behavioral and neurophysiological methods can inform theories related to the biological systems contributing to skilled performance.

A cutting-edge reference source for the interdisciplinary field of computational cognitive modeling.