Action Mind and Brain: An Introduction

About this book

An engaging and accessible introduction to the psychology and neuroscience of physical action. This engaging and accessible book offers the first introductory text on the psychology and neuroscience of physical action. Written by a leading researcher in the field it covers the interplay of action mind and brain showing that many core concepts in philosophy psychology neuroscience and technology grew out of questions about the control of everyday physical actions. It explains action not as a one-way street from stimuli to response but as a continual perception-action cycle. The informal writing style invites students to think through the evidence step by step helping them develop general thinking stills as well as learn specific facts. Special emphasis is placed on the role of underrepresented groups. The book discusses the intellectual background of the field from Plato to Kant Dewey and others; applications and methods; and the physical substrates of actionbones tendons ligaments muscles and nerves. It considers the control of actions in space; learning and the roles of nature and nurture; feedback; feedforward or anticipated feedback; and degrees of freedomthe multiple ways of getting things done and three methods for narrowing the alternatives. The book is generously illustrated including many images of thinkers who contributed to the field.