Biology of Cognition

Reviews the book, Biological Studies of Mental Processes edited by David Caplan (1980). This volume is based on a conference held in 1978 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The author has organized the 15 chapters comprising the book into three sections based on the major themes of the conference. Each section begins with introductory comments that provide a thoughtful, well-written framework, and not simply a summary, of what is to follow. The volume conveys the intellectual excitement of work on the frontier of a major area of inquiry. It is in the first one-third of the volume that the book's title finds its generality. The book as a whole is unique in its scope and its emphasis on common themes. The conference that gave rise to this volume must have been a stimulating one indeed; it is fortunate that the participants chose to share some of that excitement with a wider audience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)