Unsolved Mysteries of the Mind

This textbook is for use in tutorials and seminars by psychology, neuroscience and cognitive science undergraduates studying cognition. The book complements standard course texts in cognition by providing a series of articles which emphasize particularly what we do not understand, rather than what we think we do. It considers a selection of problems and phenomena that remain mysterious despite years, decades or centuries of enquiry, and evaluates different approaches to these problems.; The topics discussed range from specific optical illusions to the nature of consciousness. Some of these unsolved problems provide a vehicle for reviewing different paradigms and shifts in the field over the 20th century. Each chapter also poses some of the remaining unanswered questions, suggesting directions for future enquiry.