BRAINWORKS: THE MIND-BENDING SCIENCE OF YOU SEE, WHAT YOU...
By: Sweeney, Michael S.
Admit it. When you hear the word "neuroscience," you expect something
abstract and remote, very complex, of little practical value. But this
time...it's personal. In a highly anticipated, three-part series airing on the
National Geographic Channel in Fall 2011, National Geographic's Brainworks makes
YOU the test subject in an array of astonishing challenges and experiments. Your
brain will be stimulated, fooled, and ultimately amazed, as scientists and other
experts show you how this three-pound blob of gray matter effectively makes you,
you. The television program brings together a crack team of scientists and
researchers from a wide range of fields, including neurology, psychology, and
opthamology. Awareness expert Dan Simons and memory expert Elizabeth Loftus are
just two of the notables who lend their considerable brainpower to this
unprecedented project. The program also draws on the know-how of those who
traffic in brain tricks-illusionists such as David Copperfield and Apollo
Robbins and artists such as color expert Beau Lotto-to bring each mind-bending
illusion to life. The captivating companion book further messes with your head
through the visual illusions discovered and perfected by masters of fine art as
well as through deceptively simple illustrations that are finely crafted by
psychologists to highlight the way we take in and process the world around us.
In three sections-"Seeing," "Thinking," and "Being"-you'll see for yourself why
these visual illusions and experiments hoodwink the brain. You'll find out how
the structure of the eye influences what you see. And you'll think of events
that may not have actually happened, in order to learn how the mind can create a
false memory. Rather than simply displaying a collection of puzzlers or visual
illusions, each chapter guides you through a series of perceptual and thought
experiments firsthand and then walks you through your brain's reaction in clear,
user-friendly language-providing every reader with a compelling personal
interest in finding out why his or her mind acts the way it does. Smart,
exciting, and deeply engaging, Brainworks pulls you in, manipulates your mind,
and leaves you with a better understanding-as well as a richer appreciation-of
the mental marvels that we take for granted. TitlePeek
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