Fundamentals of Cognition

Citation

Eysenck, M. W., & Brysbaert, M. (2024). Fundamentals of Cognition (4th ed.). Routledge.

Chapter Summary

The fourth edition has eleven chapters and 632 pages, with 170 colour illustrations. Routledge describes it as a basic, reader-friendly introduction to the cognitive processes people use to deal with the world: attention, perception, learning, memory, language, problem solving, thinking and reasoning. The publisher lists what is new in this edition: updated references, checks that earlier statements still hold in light of replication issues, extended research activities and "In the Real World" case studies, real-world topics such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, why magic tricks work and why the Apple logo is hard to recall accurately, a set of "Key term" definitions, and student and instructor resources with multiple-choice questions, flashcards and simulations of key experiments.

Chapter 1: What is cognitive psychology?

The opening chapter introduces the field and sets the frame for the ten chapters that follow.

Chapter 2: Visual perception

The first topic chapter is on visual perception, the entry point to the book's treatment of how people make sense of what they see.

Chapter 3: Attention and performance

Attention is paired with performance in one chapter. The publisher lists attention among the abilities needed to cope with everyday life.

Chapter 4: Short-term and working memory

This chapter addresses short-term and working memory, the first of four consecutive chapters on memory and knowledge (Chapters 4 to 7).

Chapter 5: Learning and long-term memory

The fifth chapter turns to learning and long-term memory, extending the preceding discussion of short-term memory.

Chapter 6: Knowledge in semantic memory

Chapter 6 covers semantic memory, the organisation of knowledge.

Chapter 7: Everyday memory

The seventh chapter is on memory in daily life.

Chapter 8: Language

Language gets a chapter of its own.

Chapter 9: Problem solving

The ninth chapter introduces problem solving, the first of two chapters on higher-level thought.

Chapter 10: Judgement, decision making, and reasoning

Chapter 10 treats judgement, decision making and reasoning together.

Chapter 11: Cognition and emotion

The book closes with cognition and emotion. This echoes a question on the publisher's page: how does emotion influence the way we think?

Key Concepts

Chapters 1–3: Field, vision and attention

• Cognitive psychology: the study of mental processes, defined in Chapter 1.
• Visual perception: Chapter 2.
• Attention and performance: Chapter 3.

Chapters 4–7: Memory and knowledge

• Short-term and working memory: Chapter 4.
• Learning and long-term memory: Chapter 5.
• Semantic memory: how knowledge is held, Chapter 6.
• Everyday memory: Chapter 7.

Chapters 8–11: Language, thought and emotion

• Language: Chapter 8.
• Problem solving: Chapter 9.
• Judgement, decision making and reasoning: Chapter 10.
• Cognition and emotion: Chapter 11.

Critical Analysis

Strengths

• Pedagogical features are documented. The publisher lists learning-oriented additions: key-term definitions, extended research activities and "In the Real World" case studies. Valérie Camos, quoted on the publisher's page, notes clear learning objectives at the start of each chapter and definitions of the most important concepts; Jan Theeuwes, also quoted there, singles out the "In The Real World" section as the feature that shows how findings are used in everyday life.
• Complete coverage of the introductory topics. The eleven chapters run from vision and attention through four chapters on memory and knowledge, to language, problem solving, reasoning and emotion, so a cognition module can be covered with a single book.
• Updated with attention to reliability. The publisher says earlier statements were checked against recent findings on replication issues, a relevant concern for a field built on experiments.
• Online support. Student and instructor resources with multiple-choice questions, flashcards and simulations of key experiments are listed.
• Balance of approaches. The publisher describes a balance between traditional approaches to cognition and cognitive neuroscience and cognitive neuropsychology. Robert Logie, quoted by the publisher, praises breadth of coverage combined with depth of scholarship without over-simplifying.

Limitations

• Length for an introduction. At 632 pages the book is a full textbook, not a short primer; readers who want a quick overview are better served by a briefer volume.
• Endorsements are publisher-selected. The praise quoted on the product page comes from academics chosen by the publisher, so the claims about accessibility and balance should be tested against a sample chapter.
• Cognition-first scope. The contents list has no chapter on consciousness or on cognitive development, and brain evidence is treated as one strand within topic chapters, not in a chapter of its own.

Where It Fits in the Course

This is the longer of the two beginner books in the course. Taylor and Workman's Cognitive Psychology: The Basics has nine chapters and about 306 pages and suits a quick first look, while Eysenck and Brysbaert's book gives textbook-length coverage with study features and online resources. Michael Eysenck is also an author of Cognitive Psychology: A Student's Handbook, a comprehensive text with fuller coverage of the research literature; the usual route is to use Fundamentals of Cognition first and the Handbook as the next step.

Reisberg's Cognition: Exploring the Science of the Mind is a mid-length undergraduate alternative. Readers who want the brain-based account of the same processes can follow with Cognitive Neuroscience: The Biology of the Mind, and those who want formal models can go on to the graduate text Bayesian Models of Cognition.

How to Use This Book

The book is for students meeting cognitive psychology for the first time. No prior cognitive psychology is required; an introductory psychology course helps but is not essential.

A practical plan:

• Follow the order for a full module: Chapter 1 first, then vision and attention (2–3), memory and knowledge (4–7), then language (8), thinking (9–10) and emotion (11). Each block can be read as a unit.
• Use the built-in features: read the learning objectives before each chapter, test yourself on the key terms afterward, and do the research activities rather than skipping them.
• Use the online materials: flashcards and multiple-choice questions suit revision, and the simulations of key experiments give a sense of how the findings were obtained.
• Choose by need: a student preparing for a memory module can concentrate on Chapters 4 to 7; one interested in decisions can start from Chapters 9 and 10 after a quick read of Chapter 1.
• Next step: move to a more detailed text once the vocabulary is secure.