Synopses & Reviews
Emotions and affective processes are fundamentally important to our lives. They regulate our relationships and social interactions, they help us communicate with one another, and almost certainly help us maintain good health and prevent the onset and development of disease. The study of emotion has a long history in philosophy and psychology. However, until recently, emotion research has been a marginal activity in psychological science. In the behaviorist era, which dominated much of the twentieth century, emotion was often deemed unworthy of serious research because the field lacked objective ways to measure emotions and their associated feelings without resorting to introspection by subjects, which is, by definition, non-behavioral. In addition, since Plato, it is easy to discern a quiet bias in the sciences against emotions or "passions," which were often posited as inferior to the higher gifts of Reason and unworthy of serious research. This view, however, has changed radically in the past few years. With the development of sophisticated imaging tools like fMRI, researchers have uncovered the centrality of emotion to our thinking and reasoning and remembering, and evidence has demonstrated that it may be misleading to posit two separate phenomena altogether, i.e., "cognition" and "emotion." These traditional categories have been shown to be highly interdependent processes that interact with each other in a dynamic way. Our memories of the past; our decisions and plans for the future; what we attend to on a moment-to-moment basis; what we think about as we daydream: all of those cognitive operations are coloured by emotions, just as emotions themselves are influenced by cognitive processes. Therefore, in order to gain a more complete understanding of the richness of our mental life we need to more fully understand the role of emotions and how these processes interact with the traditionally defined "cognitive" processes. The Science of Emotion is the first textbook to integrate psychology and neuroscientific evidence to develop a modern understanding of emotion and the nature of the links between processes that have traditionally been considered "cognitive" and those that have traditionally been considered "emotional." While these two constructs have often been treated as separate, residing in two separate areas of the brain-the neo-cortex and the limbic system, respectively, The Science of Emotion uses the latest research to show how the two phenomena are intertwined and interdependent both at neural and psychological levels. The book contains at least one focus box per chapter that will either take an interesting question (e.g. Do we run because we are afraid, or afraid because we run?) or a more empirically-based question from everyday life (e.g. Are we more likely to remember emotional events?). There is also a further material website with links and more detailed descriptions of key experiments.
Review
“Fox's interests center on emotion, attention, and memory, and here she focuses on the cognitive neuroscience of emotion, offering a richly informative introduction to contemporary research and thinking from that perspective. What really distinguishes the book, however, are its breadth and Fox's emphasis on methodology and the necessity of being clear about levels of analysis. The book is also noteworthy for its promotion of individual differences and the study of emotional disorders as core concerns of the science of emotion.
Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals.” -CHOICE 'In this timely and significant book, Fox deftly integrates findings from cognitive psychology and from neuroscience in presenting a sophisticated and comprehensive discussion of the science of emotion. She offers important insights that sharpen our knowledge of the links among cognition, affect, personality, and neurobiology. This volume should be on the bookshelf of every scientist or student who is interested in understanding the interplay of psychological and biological aspects of emotion.' - Professor Ian Gotlib, Stanford University
'Elaine Fox's book presents a comprehensive review of recent research linking mind, brain and body. It provides a unique perspective on the cognitive, neurobiological and genetic foundations of emotion, with clear summaries of the competing models, and indicates how they can be integrated. Its breadth of coverage makes it valuable to students first encountering this field as well as researchers. Each chapter tackles a key area, making apparent the development of ideas from early theorists, allowing current research findings to be understood in a historical perspective. The links between theory driven research and clinical application are especially welcome, and will enrich the research agenda in this dynamic and expanding field.' Professor Jon May, University of Plymouth
Review
Fox's interests center on emotion, attention, and memory, and here she focuses on the cognitive neuroscience of emotion, offering a richly informative introduction to contemporary research and thinking from that perspective. What really distinguishes the book, however, are its breadth and Fox's emphasis on methodology and the necessity of being clear about levels of analysis. The book is also noteworthy for its promotion of individual differences and the study of emotional disorders as core concerns of the science of emotion.
Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals.” -CHOICE 'In this timely and significant book, Fox deftly integrates findings from cognitive psychology and from neuroscience in presenting a sophisticated and comprehensive discussion of the science of emotion. She offers important insights that sharpen our knowledge of the links among cognition, affect, personality, and neurobiology. This volume should be on the bookshelf of every scientist or student who is interested in understanding the interplay of psychological and biological aspects of emotion.' - Professor Ian Gotlib, Stanford University
'Elaine Fox's book presents a comprehensive review of recent research linking mind, brain and body. It provides a unique perspective on the cognitive, neurobiological and genetic foundations of emotion, with clear summaries of the competing models, and indicates how they can be integrated. Its breadth of coverage makes it valuable to students first encountering this field as well as researchers. Each chapter tackles a key area, making apparent the development of ideas from early theorists, allowing current research findings to be understood in a historical perspective. The links between theory driven research and clinical application are especially welcome, and will enrich the research agenda in this dynamic and expanding field.' Professor Jon May, University of Plymouth
Synopsis
Research into emotion has exploded over the last decade and for the first time in a single book, Elaine Fox draws together the vast array of cognitive and neuroscientific research, exploring the interaction between cognitive and emotional processes. Thisinsightful overview is an ideal core textbook for courses on cognition and emotion."
Synopsis
Shortlisted for the 2011 BPS Book Award
Emotion Science is a state-of-the-art introduction to the study of emotion. Drawing on a wide array of research from psychology and neuroscience, the author presents an integrated picture of our current understanding of normal as well as disordered emotions such as anxiety and depression. The author draws a clear distinction between emotions, moods and feelings, and suggests how they can be understood within an integrated model. The book is ideal for undergraduate and graduate courses in psychology and related areas, and will be a useful reference for active researchers.
Synopsis
Emotion Science is a state-of-the-art introduction to the study of emotion. Drawing on an extraordinarily wide array of research from psychology and neuroscience, the author presents an integrated picture of our current understanding of normal as well as disordered emotions such as anxiety and depression. Theory and evidence are deftly interwoven, and key studies are critically evaluated on the basis of the experimental methods that were used, and assessed for their overall contribution to the broader field. The author draws a clear distinction between emotions, moods and feelings, and suggests how they can be understood within an integrated model.
The book is ideal for undergraduate and graduate courses in psychology, cognitive neuroscience and related areas as well as a reference for active researchers.
About the Author
Elaine Fox is Professor of Experimental Psychology and Head of the Department of Psychology at the University of Essex. She has published widely in emotion science and cognitive psychology and is an Associate Editor of the APA journal Emotion.
Table of Contents
Introduction to Emotion Science
The Nature of Measurement of Emotions, Moods and Feelings
Individual Differences in Emotional Reactivity and Regulation: Temperament, Personality and Affective Style
Categorical Approaches to the Structure of Affect
Dimensional Approaches to the Structure of Affect
Affect-Cognition Relations: Perception, Attention and Judgement
Affect-Cognition Relations: Memory
Individual Differences in Emotional Processing
Determinants of Emotional Disorders
Determinants of Resiliance and Well-Being
Theoretical Overview Introduction to Emotion Science
The Nature of Measurement of Emotions, Moods and Feelings
Individual Differences in Emotional Reactivity and Regulation: Temperament, Personality and Affective Style
Categorical Approaches to the Structure of Affect
Dimensional Approaches to the Structure of Affect
Affect-Cognition Relations: Perception, Attention and Judgement
Affect-Cognition Relations: Memory
Individual Differences in Emotional Processing
Determinants of Emotional Disorders
Determinants of Resiliance and Well-Being
Theoretical Overview