Cognitive psychology book co-authored by Anglia Ruskin University pro vice chancellor Laurie Butler
The pro vice chancellor of Anglia Ruskin University, Laurie Butler, has co-authored a new textbook demonstrating how the evolving discipline of cognitive psychology lies at the height of understanding the biggest issues facing us today.
Published by Routledge, Cognitive Psychology in a Changing World explores topics such as creativity, problem-solving, reasoning, rationality and language within the context of modern 21st-century life.
Cognitive psychology seeks to explain the processes by which people think, shape and make sense of the world and understand it can aid better decision-making.
Prof Butler, who is also dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at ARU in Cambridge, said: “The discipline of cognitive psychology has never been so important, helping us to understand the 21st century and how we shape our surroundings through our behaviour and actions.
“We live in an ever faster, more inter-connected and changing world, where there are now more mobile phones than people. It’s an era when a split-second decision could trigger a global financial crisis, man-made climate change threatens our planet, and a global pandemic can bring the world to a near standstill.
“This textbook presents a new way of studying cognitive psychology that truly brings this subject to life and we are delighted that the British Psychological Society has chosen it as the first in their flagship textbook program, the BPS Core Textbooks Series.”
Dr Helen St Clair-Thompson, reader in psychology at Newcastle University, Dr Susan Sherman, reader in psychology at Keele University, and Prof Linden Ball, professor of cognitive psychology at the University of Central Lancashire.
They examine why some people are seemingly more creative than others and why human behaviour can be so difficult to predict.
Prof David Shanks, deputy dean of the Faculty of Brain Sciences at UCL, said: “Our fundamental understanding of how the mind works has grown exponentially over the past few decades, but what does basic research on perception, memory, attention, and reasoning tell us about human behaviour in the real world? How can it guide us as we confront such challenges as quantifying risks, coping with climate change and pandemics, and adapting to new technology?
“Cognitive Psychology in a Changing World makes a compelling and highly readable case that cognitive psychology provides an essential tool for understanding why people act as they do.”
