The Handbook of Multisensory Processes - Hardcover

"Martha Farah shows how a potentially impenetrable topic, visual agnosia, can be unpacked and analyzed in a captivating way. Her classic work of 15 years ago is now updated and fleshed out so thorougly that it is almost a new book. It is a must-read."--Michael S. Gazzaniga, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Dartmouth CollegePlease note: Arrived too late to appear on book jacket. "Biologically inspired computational modeling of the processes for integrating sensory data is widely seen as essential for both understanding complex neuroscientific data and constructing smarter artificial systems. The comprehensive accounts of the physiological, psychological, developmental, and functional processes associated with multisensory integration presented in this handbook will provide much of the 'biological inspiration' for future models in this area." Peter Redgrave, Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield "Wegner has written a devilishly clever, witty, and thorough book. He brings all the pieces together to tackle the problem of free will. This book will serve as the foundation for an untold number of hot debates on who is in charge of our personal destinies."--Michael S. Gazzaniga, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Dartmouth College "Since the 1980's, when the field of cognitive neuroscience was born, an explosion of studies has occurred, with most of the attention in recent years being placed on neuroimaging. Now one of the leading neuroimaging scientists, Mark D'Esposito, reminds us that the whole discipline starts with the wonder of neurologic patients. In this compelling book, the major syndromes of human brain science are presented and then dissected in modern scientific terms. It is a tour de force. Don't miss it."--Michael S. Gazzaniga, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Dartmouth College "In an age of increasing specialization, the gap between philosophy and neuroscience can be enormous. Somehow Pat Churchland manages to connect the dots, and a deeper, richer and more complete view of how the brain enables the mind emerges from her powerful new book. It is a great contribution."--Michael S. Gazzaniga, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Dartmouth College "Glimcher does extrordinary neuroscience and relates it to the most fundamental of all questions: how the brain makes decisions. His use of game theory to characterize decision making in both humans and monkeys under conditions of strategic conflict is unique. What could be more important than studying the neurobiological basis of volitional choice in earnest? The implications and applications of his work are singular."--Michael S. Gazzaniga, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Dartmouth College "Biologically inspired computational modelling of the processes for integrating sensory data is widely seen as essential for both understanding complex neuroscientific data and constructing smarter artificial systems. The comprehensive accounts of the physiological, psychological, developmental, and functional processes associated with multisensory integration presented in this handbook will provide much of the 'biological inspiration' for future models in this area."--Peter Redgrave, Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield

A reference work for the emerging field of multisensory integration, covering multidisciplinary research that goes beyond the traditional "sense-by-sense" approach and recognizes that perception is fundamentally a multisensory experience. This landmark reference work brings together for the first time in one volume the most recent research from different areas of the emerging field of multisensory integration. After many years of using a modality-specific "sense-by-sense" approach, researchers across different disciplines in neuroscience and psychology now recognize that perception is fundamentally a multisensory experience. To understand how the brain synthesizes information from the different senses, we must study not only how information from each sensory modality is decoded but also how this information interacts with the sensory processing taking place within other sensory channels. The findings cited in The Handbook of Multisensory Processes suggest that there are broad underlying principles that govern this interaction, regardless of the specific senses involved. The book is organized thematically into eight sections; each of the 55 chapters presents a state-of-the-art review of its topic by leading researchers in the field. The key themes addressed include multisensory contributions to perception in humans; whether the sensory integration involved in speech perception is fundamentally different from other kinds of multisensory integration; multisensory processing in the midbrain and cortex in model species, including rat, cat, and monkey; behavioral consequences of multisensory integration; modern neuroimaging techniques, including EEG, PET, and fMRI, now being used to reveal the many sites of multisensory processing in the brain; multisensory processes that require postnatal sensory experience to emerge, with examples from multiple species; brain specialization and possible equivalence of brain regions; and clinical studies of such breakdowns of normal sensory integration as brain damage and synesthesia.