Cognitive Theory

Toward a Cognitive Theory of Narrative Acts brings together in one volume cutting-edge research that turns to recent findings in cognitive and neurobiological sciences, psychology, linguistics, philosophy, and evolutionary biology, among other disciplines, to explore and understand more deeply various cultural phenomena, including art, music, literature, and film. The essays fulfilling this task for the general listener as well as the specialist are written by renowned authors.

This audiobook will seek to define cognitive dissonance as it relates to narcissists, toxic people, psychopaths, and other mentally ill or personality-disordered individuals. It will also define the cognitive dissonance that causes victims to stay with their narcissistic spouse or partner. The purpose of toxic and narcissistic people is seemingly to harm and take advantage of others. We look at them as being the "evil" side of humanity, but we often don't realize why they chose the "dark" side.

Why do we want to justify our decisions, even if they appear to be irrational? The answer lies in cognitive dissonance, the mental discomfort we experience when we hold two contradictory beliefs at the same time. In A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance, first published in 1957, American social psychologist Leon Festinger investigates the problem. Festinger puts forward the idea that we have developed mechanisms to try to deal with the stress brought on by cognitive dissonance.

In Hidden Games, MIT economists Moshe Hoffman and Erez Yoeli find a surprising middle ground between the hyperrationality of classical economics and the hyper-irrationality of behavioural economics. They call it hidden games. Reviving game theory, Hoffman and Yoeli use it to explain our most puzzling behaviour, from the mechanics of Stockholm syndrome and internalised misogyny to why we help strangers and have a sense of fairness.

Drawing on decades of research into decision-making under uncertainty, Gerd Gigerenzer makes a compelling case for the enduring importance of human discernment in an automated world that we are told can - and will - replace our efforts. Filled with practical examples and cutting-edge research, How to Stay Smart in a Smart World examines the growing role of AI at all levels of daily life with refreshing clarity. This book is a life raft in a sea of information and an urgent invitation to actively shape the digital world in which we want to live.

In 1994, Reviving Ophelia was published, and it shone a much-needed spotlight on the problems faced by adolescent girls. The approach Pipher and Gilliam take in this new edition is just what it was in the original: a timely, listenable combination of insightful research and real-world examples that illuminate the challenges young women face and the ways to address them. This updated Reviving Ophelia looks at 21st century adolescent girls through fresh eyes, with insights and ideas that will help new generations of listeners.

Why are many readers drawn to stories that texture ethnic experiences and identities other than their own? How do authors such as Salman Rushdie and Maxine Hong Kingston, or filmmakers in Bollywood or Mexico City produce complex fiction that satisfies audiences worldwide? In Analyzing World Fiction, 15 renowned luminaries use tools of narratology and insights from cognitive science and neurobiology to provide answers to these questions and more.

Cognitive psychology is at the heart of the human experience and helps explain why we perceive the world as we do. In this book, Shona Saul draws on the latest scientific research to present this hugely important subject in a new and exciting manner and brings the subject to life for the general listener.

Consciousness and Shamanism is the result of the author's Ayahuasca voyage in 2004 to Ecuador, where he was drinking the sacred brew in the presence of an experienced Shuar shaman. He puts up the hypothesis that when the traditional Ayahuasca brew is ingested, it is not, or not directly, the plant's DMT that causes the spiritual voyage as it is assumed in the overwhelming part of the literature on shamanism and entheogens. It is the shaman's super-consciousness impacting directly upon the consciousness of the shaman's client, the seeker of truth who comes to drink the brew.

Coscienza e Sciamanesimo: Esperienze Cognitive nella Trance Ayahuasca e Teorie della Loro Causa è il risultato del viaggio ayahuasca dell’autore nel 2004 in Ecuador, dove stava bevendo la sacra bevanda alla presenza di un esperto sciamano Shuar.

What does it mean to "know" something? While the answer to this question has been traditionally defined by the content of an individual's mind, artificial intelligence technology, or AI, has the potential to completely redefine the notion. In no context are discussions of "what it means to know" more relevant than in those surrounding individuals with cognitive disabilities - unique individuals who struggle with knowing daily.