Neuroeconomics

The New Cognitive Neurosciences, 3rd Edition

Last week, I received my copy of the new Third Edition of The Cognitive Neurosciences, edited by Michael Gazzaniga.  For those not familar with the earlier editions of the book, it is an encyclopedia of cognitive neuroscience.  The breath of the book is simply staggering.  The individual articles give readers a very good feel for the latest work in a large variety of areas.  While these articles will not make one a expert in any of the subjects covered, this book will be helpful to those who are working in one area who want to understand the research going on in other areas of cognitive neuroscience.  Potential buyers need to know that this book not cheap, nor is it an introduction to neuroscience.  That having been said, this book needs to be on the shelves of anybody deeply interested in neuroscience.

The Brain and the Law II

As a followup, the royal society now has a web page up and running on the special issue with this title:  Go here for this link.

The Brain and the Law

If you are interested in the relationship between neuroeconomics and the law, you may want to take a look at our article "The Brain and the Law" a version of which can be accessed at http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=224472

Two good books.

A very nice introduction to cognitive neuroscience is Joseph LeDoux's book, The Synaptic Self. I particularly liked his chapters: Building the Brain, and The Mental Trilogy. The paperback edition is now under $12. Once you've read LeDoux's book Paul Glimcher's book, Decisions, Uncertainty, and the Brain: The Science of Neuroeconomics gives you a neuroscientist's view of Neuroeconomics. Both books can be read by anyone, but at the same time they don't sacrifice the science. Partly by offering a huge number of science journal references where the original science is published. Paul doesn't hold back on his criticisims of neuroscience and economics, neuroscience for leaving out cognition, and economics for leaving out the decision maker.