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Investigating Foreign Language Anxiety: Lessons for Research into Individual Differences (Second Language Learning and Teaching)
by Katalin PinielThe introduction and a theoretical summary of language anxiety research (Chapter 1) are followed by four chapters: Chapter 2 presents a meta-analysis of the widely used Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale’s (Horwitz, et al., 1986) factorial structure; Chapter 3 reports on a validation study of the Hungarian version of MacIntyre and Gardner’s (1994) Input, Process, and Output Anxiety Scales; Chapter 4 presents the development of a skills-based anxiety questionnaire through a three-phased study consisting of an exploratory qualitative phase as well as two quantitative phases using Rasch analysis; and Chapter 5 focuses on empirical approaches available for tapping into the dynamic change of this emotion, including the idiodynamic method and quantitative analyses such as latent growth curve modeling and dynamic cluster analysis.
Guerreros de la mente: Claves para superar las amenazas de nuestro mundo interior
by Isabel Pinillos Antonio FusterQué son, cómo se originan y cómo combatir las resistencias y defensas psíquicas, desde la ansiedad y el pánico a las fobias. ¿Quién no tiene o conoce a alguien que sufra ansiedad, algún tipo de fobia, ataques de pánico, temores infundados o miedo extremo? En nuestra sociedad, este tipo de trastornos están cada vez más generalizados. Los «guerreros de la mente» nos enseñan cómo funcionan sus mecanismos y cómo luchar contra ellos. Isabel Pinillos y Antonio Fuster nos explican el significado de las defensas que creamos en nuestra psique desde nuestra infancia. Muchos de los problemas psicológicos que sufrimos tienen que ver con episodios del pasado en los que nos sentimos en peligro y tuvimos que elaborar un tipo de defensa. Con el paso del tiempo, esta sigue respondiendo reiteradamente como si estuviéramos viviendo ese riesgo una y otra vez aunque ya no exista. Estos «guerreros» nos impiden vivir satisfactoriamente, pero a través de estas páginas lograremos identificar el origen de esos mecanismos, cómo funcionan, sus disfraces y también cómo reeducarlos y ubicarlos en el lugar que les corresponde. Un libro serio y riguroso, fruto de más de veinte años de experiencia clínica de la psicóloga Isabel Pinillos y con la colaboración del periodista y estudioso de temas psicológicos Antonio Fuster. Contiene ejercicios prácticos que bien realizados son de gran para: * Eliminar fobias y miedos * Controlar las conductas compulsivas * Superar los ataques de pánico * Transformar las emociones negativas * Suprimir la ansiedad conquistando tranquilidad y calma * Afrontar el sufrimiento con éxito * Aprender de las experiencias negativas * Vencer las obsesiones
Guerreros de la mente
by Isabel Pinillos Antonio Fuster¿Quién no tiene o conoce a alguien que sufra ansiedad, algún tipo de fobia, ataques de pánico, temores infundados o miedo extremo? En nuestra sociedad, estos tipos de trastornos están cada vez más generalizados. Los guerreos de la mente nos enseña cómo funcionan sus mecanismos y cómo luchar contra ellos. Isabel Pinillos y Antonio Fuster nos explican el significado de las defensas que creamos en nuestra psique desde nuestra infancia. Muchos de los problemas psicológicos que sufrimos tienen que ver con episodios del pasado en los que nos sentimos en peligro y tuvimos que elaborar un tipo de defensa. Con el paso del tiempo, esta sigue respondiendo reiteradamente como si estuviéramos viviendo ese riesgo una y otra vez aunque ya no exista. Estos "guerreros" nos impiden vivir satisfactoriamente, pero a través de estas páginas lograremos identificar el origen de esos mecanismos, cómo funcionan, sus disfraces y también cómo reeducarlos y ubicarlos en el lugar que les corresponde. Un libro serio y riguroso, fruto de más de veinte años de experiencia clínica de la psicóloga Isabel Pinillos y con la colaboración del periodista y estudioso de temas psicológicos Antonio Fuster. Contiene ejercicios prácticos que bien realizados son de gran ayuda en personas con problemas de esta índole.
Te mereces ser feliz: Aprende a construir tu felicidad en 12 semanas
by Isabel Pinillos Antonio FusterNo hay ningún libro, por mágico que sea, que pueda cambiar la vida de nadie. Éste tampoco. Pero lo que sí puede hacer, si cae en manos receptivas, es ayudar a cambiar algunos aspectos de la vida; mejorar facetas desfavorables de la personalidad o del comportamiento, y acompañar en la adaptación a una sociedad como la nuestra, en muchas ocasiones difícil de entender y de sobrellevar.A través de 84 aforismos, los autores te ofrecen la información necesaria para que seas capaz de enfrentarte a las dificultades que la vida te plantea y responsabilizarte de ti mismo. Para ello, cuentan con la ayuda de algunos ejemplos y las explicaciones posteriores que nos ofrece la psicología moderna.En este programa de 12 semanas, aprenderás sobre conducta (por el poder que tiene para sacar adelante numerosas facetas del ser humano), sobre el propio cuerpo (repleto de recursos útiles y utilizables), sobre tus emociones (como reacciones psicofisiológicas que te ayudan a la adaptación a ciertos estímulos); sobre pensamientos (con los que te obsequia tu mente, sobre habilidades (para hacer y deshacer entuertos), sobre relaciones (que puedes mantener y que juegan un papel esencial en tu crecimiento como ser humano), y finalmente sobre el desarrollo personal (que no es otra cosa que la respuesta que debes dar al hecho de ser una persona, de estar vivo).Vivir felizmente no es tan difícil como nos puede parecer, solo se necesitan 10 minutos al día y nuestro compromiso.
The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward
by Daniel H. PinkNamed a Must Read of 2022 by Forbes and Goodreads From the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of When and Drive, a new book about the transforming power of our most misunderstood yet potentially most valuable emotion: regret. <p><p> Everybody has regrets, Daniel H. Pink explains in The Power of Regret. They’re a universal and healthy part of being human. And understanding how regret works can help us make smarter decisions, perform better at work and school, and bring greater meaning to our lives. <p><p> Drawing on research in social psychology, neuroscience, and biology, Pink debunks the myth of the “no regrets” philosophy of life. And using the largest sampling of American attitudes about regret ever conducted as well as his own World Regret Survey—which has collected regrets from more than 15,000 people in 105 countries—he lays out the four core regrets that each of us has. These deep regrets offer compelling insights into how we live and how we can find a better path forward. <p><p> As he did in his bestsellers Drive, When, and A Whole New Mind, Pink lays out a dynamic new way of thinking about regret and frames his ideas in ways that are clear, accessible, and pragmatic. Packed with true stories of people's regrets as well as practical takeaways for reimagining regret as a positive force, The Power of Regret shows how we can live richer, more engaged lives.
To Sell Is Human
by Daniel H. Pink#1 New York Times Business Bestseller #1 Wall Street Journal Business Bestseller#1 Washington Post bestsellerFrom the bestselling author of Drive and A Whole New Mind comes a surprising--and surprisingly useful--new book that explores the power of selling in our lives.According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, one in nine Americans works in sales. Every day more than fifteen million people earn their keep by persuading someone else to make a purchase.But dig deeper and a startling truth emerges:Yes, one in nine Americans works in sales. But so do the other eight.Whether we're employees pitching colleagues on a new idea, entrepreneurs enticing funders to invest, or parents and teachers cajoling children to study, we spend our days trying to move others. Like it or not, we're all in sales now.To Sell Is Human offers a fresh look at the art and science of selling. As he did in Drive and A Whole New Mind, Daniel H. Pink draws on a rich trove of social science for his counterintuitive insights. He reveals the new ABCs of moving others (it's no longer "Always Be Closing"), explains why extraverts don't make the best salespeople, and shows how giving people an "off-ramp" for their actions can matter more than actually changing their minds.Along the way, Pink describes the six successors to the elevator pitch, the three rules for understanding another's perspective, the five frames that can make your message clearer and more persuasive, and much more. The result is a perceptive and practical book--one that will change how you see the world and transform what you do at work, at school, and at home.
To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others
by Daniel H. Pink#1 New York Times Business Bestseller #1 Wall Street Journal Business Bestseller#1 Washington Post bestsellerFrom the bestselling author of Drive and A Whole New Mind comes a surprising--and surprisingly useful--new book that explores the power of selling in our lives.According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, one in nine Americans works in sales. Every day more than fifteen million people earn their keep by persuading someone else to make a purchase.But dig deeper and a startling truth emerges:Yes, one in nine Americans works in sales. But so do the other eight.Whether we’re employees pitching colleagues on a new idea, entrepreneurs enticing funders to invest, or parents and teachers cajoling children to study, we spend our days trying to move others. Like it or not, we’re all in sales now.To Sell Is Human offers a fresh look at the art and science of selling. As he did in Drive and A Whole New Mind, Daniel H. Pink draws on a rich trove of social science for his counterintuitive insights. He reveals the new ABCs of moving others (it's no longer "Always Be Closing"), explains why extraverts don't make the best salespeople, and shows how giving people an "off-ramp" for their actions can matter more than actually changing their minds.Along the way, Pink describes the six successors to the elevator pitch, the three rules for understanding another's perspective, the five frames that can make your message clearer and more persuasive, and much more. The result is a perceptive and practical book--one that will change how you see the world and transform what you do at work, at school, and at home.
To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth about Moving Others
by Daniel H. Pink#1 New York Times Business Bestseller, #1 Wall Street Journal Business Bestseller, #1 Washington Post bestseller. From the bestselling author of Drive and A Whole New Mind comes a surprising--and surprisingly useful--new book that explores the power of selling in our lives. According to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, one in nine Americans works in sales. Every day more than fifteen million people earn their keep by persuading someone else to make a purchase. But dig deeper and a startling truth emerges: Yes, one in nine Americans works in sales. But so do the other eight. Whether we're employees pitching colleagues on a new idea, entrepreneurs enticing funders to invest, or parents and teachers cajoling children to study, we spend our days trying to move others. Like it or not, we're all in sales now. To Sell Is Human offers a fresh look at the art and science of selling. As he did in Drive and A Whole New Mind, Daniel H. Pink draws on a rich trove of social science for his counterintuitive insights. He reveals the new ABCs of moving others (it's no longer "Always Be Closing"), explains why extroverts don't make the best salespeople, and shows how giving people an "off-ramp" for their actions can matter more than actually changing their minds. Along the way, Pink describes the six successors to the elevator pitch, the three rules for understanding another's perspective, the five frames that can make your message clearer and more persuasive, and much more. The result is a perceptive and practical book--one that will change how you see the world and transform what you do at work, at school, and at home.
To Sell Is Human
by Daniel H. Pink#1 New York Times Business Bestseller #1 Wall Street Journal Business Bestseller #1 Washington Post bestseller From the bestselling author of Drive and A Whole New Mind comes a surprising--and surprisingly useful--new book that explores the power of selling in our lives. According to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, one in nine Americans works in sales. Every day more than fifteen million people earn their keep by persuading someone else to make a purchase. But dig deeper and a startling truth emerges: Yes, one in nine Americans works in sales. B ut so do the other eight. Whether we’re employees pitching colleagues on a new idea, entrepreneurs enticing funders to invest, or parents and teachers cajoling children to study, we spend our days trying to move others. Like it or not, we’re all in sales now. To Sell Is Human offers a fresh look at the art and science of selling. As he did in Drive and A Whole New Mind, Daniel H. Pink draws on a rich trove of social science for his counterintuitive insights. He reveals the new ABCs of moving others (it's no longer "Always Be Closing"), explains why extraverts don't make the best salespeople, and shows how giving people an "off-ramp" for their actions can matter more than actually changing their minds. Along the way, Pink describes the six successors to the elevator pitch, the three rules for understanding another's perspective, the five frames that can make your message clearer and more persuasive, and much more. The result is a perceptive and practical book--one that will change how you see the world and transform what you do at work, at school, and at home. .
When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing
by Daniel H. Pink<P>Daniel H. Pink, the #1 bestselling author of Drive and To Sell Is Human, unlocks the scientific secrets to good timing to help you flourish at work, at school, and at home. <P>Everyone knows that timing is everything. But we don't know much about timing itself. Our lives are a never-ending stream of "when" decisions: when to start a business, schedule a class, get serious about a person. Yet we make those decisions based on intuition and guesswork. <P>Timing, it's often assumed, is an art. In When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, Pink shows that timing is really a science. <P>Drawing on a rich trove of research from psychology, biology, and economics, Pink reveals how best to live, work, and succeed. How can we use the hidden patterns of the day to build the ideal schedule? Why do certain breaks dramatically improve student test scores? How can we turn a stumbling beginning into a fresh start? Why should we avoid going to the hospital in the afternoon? Why is singing in time with other people as good for you as exercise? And what is the ideal time to quit a job, switch careers, or get married? <P>In When, Pink distills cutting-edge research and data on timing and synthesizes them into a fascinating, readable narrative packed with irresistible stories and practical takeaways that give readers compelling insights into how we can live richer, more engaged lives. <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
A Whole New Mind
by Daniel H. PinkThe future belongs to a different kind of person with a different kind of mind: artists, inventors, storytellers-creative and holistic "right-brain" thinkers whose abilities mark the fault line between who gets ahead and who doesn't.Drawing on research from around the world, Pink (author of To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Motivating Others) outlines the six fundamentally human abilities that are absolute essentials for professional success and personal fulfillment--and reveals how to master them. A Whole New Mind takes readers to a daring new place, and a provocative and necessary new way of thinking about a future that's already here.
A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule The Future
by Daniel H. PinkLawyers. Accountants. Radiologists. Software engineers. That's what our parents encouraged us to become when we grew up. But Mom and Dad were wrong. The future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind. The era of "left brain" dominance, and the Information Age that it engendered, are giving way to a new world in which "right brain" qualities-inventiveness, empathy, meaning-predominate. That's the argument at the center of this provocative and original book, which uses the two sides of our brains as a metaphor for understanding the contours of our times. In the tradition of Emotional Intelligence and Now, Discover Your Strengths, Daniel H. Pink offers a fresh look at what it takes to excel. A Whole New Mind reveals the six essential aptitudes on which professional success and personal fulfillment now depend, and includes a series of hands-on exercises culled from experts around the world to help readers sharpen the necessary abilities. This book will change not only how we see the world but how we experience it as well.
Dirty Laundry: Why Adults with ADHD Are So Ashamed and What We Can Do to Help
by Richard Pink Roxanne EmeryAn empowering and witty guide to banishing shame and living your fullest life with ADHD—plus tips for loved ones on helping them navigate this world, too—from viral duo ADHD_Love. What if you stopped feeling ashamed of constantly being late or of getting so hyperfocused on a task that you drop everything else you had to do? How can you as a partner, parent, or friend better understand your neurodivergent loved one&’s way of moving through the world? In Dirty Laundry, life partners Rich Pink and Rox Emery unapologetically guide you through the ups and downs of life with ADHD. Every chapter starts with a common symptom of ADHD, like impulsivity or struggles with finances, and an earnest moment from their own lives to show you how they navigate the symptom together. Rox reminds you to be kind to yourself and love yourself for who you are; Rich offers tips on how he uses compassion and honesty instead of jumping to conclusions. Whether it's helping your ADHDer with friendly time-checks before an appointment or reminding yourself to take breaks during hours spent hyperfocusing on a new project, Rox and Rich give you the tools to destigmatize and normalize life with ADHD.
The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined (Playaway Adult Nonfiction Ser.)
by Steven PinkerFaced with the ceaseless stream of news about war, crime, and terrorism, one could easily think we live in the most violent age ever seen. Yet as New York Times bestselling author Steven Pinker shows in this startling and engaging new work, just the opposite is true: violence has been diminishing for millennia and we may be living in the most peaceful time in our species's existence. For most of history, war, slavery, infanticide, child abuse, assassinations, pogroms, gruesome punishments, deadly quarrels, and genocide were ordinary features of life. But today, Pinker shows (with the help of more than a hundred graphs and maps) all these forms of violence have dwindled and are widely condemned. How has this happened?<P><P> This groundbreaking book continues Pinker's exploration of the essence of human nature, mixing psychology and history to provide a remarkable picture of an increasingly nonviolent world. The key, he explains, is to understand our intrinsic motives- the inner demons that incline us toward violence and the better angels that steer us away-and how changing circumstances have allowed our better angels to prevail. Exploding fatalist myths about humankind's inherent violence and the curse of modernity, this ambitious and provocative book is sure to be hotly debated in living rooms and the Pentagon alike, and will challenge and change the way we think about our society.<P> Chosen for Mark Zuckerberg's "A Year of Books" <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature
by Steven PinkerThe Blank Slate shows how many intellectuals have denied the existence of human nature by embracing three linked dogmas: the Blank Slate, the Noble Savage, and the Ghost in the Machine. Each dogma carries a moral burden, so their defenders have engaged in desperate tactics to discredit the scientists who are now challenging them.
Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress
by Steven Pinker<P> If you think the world is coming to an end, think again. Steven Pinker presents the big picture of human progress: people are living longer, healthier, freer, and happier lives, and while our problems are formidable, the solutions lie in the Enlightenment ideal of using reason and science.Is the world really falling apart? Is the ideal of progress obsolete? <P> In this elegant assessment of the human condition in the third millennium, cognitive scientist and public intellectual Steven Pinker urges us to step back from the gory headlines and prophecies of doom, which play to our psychological biases. <P>Instead, follow the data: In seventy-five jaw-dropping graphs, Pinker shows that life, health, prosperity, safety, peace, knowledge, and happiness are on the rise, not just in the West, but worldwide. This progress is not the result of some cosmic force. It is a gift of the Enlightenment: the conviction that reason and science can enhance human flourishing.Far from being a naïve hope, the Enlightenment, we now know, has worked. But more than ever, it needs a vigorous defense. <P>The Enlightenment project swims against currents of human nature--tribalism, authoritarianism, demonization, magical thinking--which demagogues are all too willing to exploit. Many commentators, committed to political, religious, or romantic ideologies, fight a rearguard action against it. The result is a corrosive fatalism and a willingness to wreck the precious institutions of liberal democracy and global cooperation. With intellectual depth and literary flair, Enlightenment Now makes the case for reason, science, and humanism: the ideals we need to confront our problems and continue our progress. <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
How the Mind Works
by Steven Pinker"A model of scientific writing: erudite, witty, and clear." --New York Review of Books In this Pulitzer Prize finalist and national bestseller, one of the world's leading cognitive scientists tackles the workings of the human mind. What makes us rational--and why are we so often irrational? How do we see in three dimensions? What makes us happy, afraid, angry, disgusted, or sexually aroused? Why do we fall in love? And how do we grapple with the imponderables of morality, religion, and consciousness? ?How the Mind Works? synthesizes the most satisfying explanations of our mental life from cognitive science, evolutionary biology, and other fields to explain what the mind is, how it evolved, and how it allows us to see, think, feel, laugh, interact, enjoy the arts, and contemplate the mysteries of life. This new edition of Pinker's bold and buoyant classic is updated with a new foreword by the author.
Learnability and Cognition: The Acquisition of Argument Structure (new edition)
by Steven PinkerBefore Steven Pinker wrote bestsellers on language and human nature, he wrote severaltechnical monographs on language acquisition that have become classics in cognitive science. Learnability and Cognition, first published in 1989, brought together two bigtopics: how do children learn their mother tongue, and how does the mind represent basic categoriesof meaning such as space, time, causality, agency, and goals? The stage for this synthesis was setby the fact that when children learn a language, they come to make surprisingly subtle distinctions:pour water into the glass and fill the glass with water soundnatural, but pour the glass with water and fill water into theglass sound odd. How can this happen, given that children are not reliably corrected foruttering odd sentences, and they don't just parrot back the correct ones they hear from theirparents? Pinker resolves this paradox with a theory of how children acquire the meaning and uses ofverbs, and explores that theory's implications for language, thought, and the relationship betweenthem. As Pinker writes in a new preface, "The Secret Life of Verbs," thephenomena and ideas he explored in this book inspired his 2007 bestseller The Stuff ofThought: Language as a Window into Human Nature. These technical discussions, he notes,provide insight not just into language acquisition but into literary metaphor, scientificunderstanding, political discourse, and even the conceptions of sexuality that go intoobscenity.
Learnability and Cognition, new edition: The Acquisition of Argument Structure (Learning, Development, and Conceptual Change)
by Steven PinkerA classic book about language acquisition and conceptual structure, with a new preface by the author, "The Secret Life of Verbs."Before Steven Pinker wrote bestsellers on language and human nature, he wrote several technical monographs on language acquisition that have become classics in cognitive science. Learnability and Cognition, first published in 1989, brought together two big topics: how do children learn their mother tongue, and how does the mind represent basic categories of meaning such as space, time, causality, agency, and goals? The stage for this synthesis was set by the fact that when children learn a language, they come to make surprisingly subtle distinctions: pour water into the glass and fill the glass with water sound natural, but pour the glass with water and fill water into the glass sound odd. How can this happen, given that children are not reliably corrected for uttering odd sentences, and they don't just parrot back the correct ones they hear from their parents? Pinker resolves this paradox with a theory of how children acquire the meaning and uses of verbs, and explores that theory's implications for language, thought, and the relationship between them.As Pinker writes in a new preface, "The Secret Life of Verbs," the phenomena and ideas he explored in this book inspired his 2007 bestseller The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature. These technical discussions, he notes, provide insight not just into language acquisition but into literary metaphor, scientific understanding, political discourse, and even the conceptions of sexuality that go into obscenity.
Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters
by Steven PinkerCan reading a book make you more rational? Can it help us understand why there is so much irrationality in the world? Steven Pinker, author of Enlightenment Now (Bill Gates’s "new favorite book of all time”) answers all the questions here. <p><p> Today humanity is reaching new heights of scientific understanding--and also appears to be losing its mind. How can a species that developed vaccines for Covid-19 in less than a year produce so much fake news, medical quackery, and conspiracy theorizing? Pinker rejects the cynical cliché that humans are simply irrational--cavemen out of time saddled with biases, fallacies, and illusions. After all, we discovered the laws of nature, lengthened and enriched our lives, and set out the benchmarks for rationality itself. <p><p> We actually think in ways that are sensible in the low-tech contexts in which we spend most of our lives, but fail to take advantage of the powerful tools of reasoning we’ve discovered over the millennia: logic, critical thinking, probability, correlation and causation, and optimal ways to update beliefs and commit to choices individually and with others. These tools are not a standard part of our education, and have never been presented clearly and entertainingly in a single book--until now. <p><p> Rationality also explores its opposite: how the rational pursuit of self-interest, sectarian solidarity, and uplifting mythology can add up to crippling irrationality in a society. Collective rationality depends on norms that are explicitly designed to promote objectivity and truth. Rationality matters. It leads to better choices in our lives and in the public sphere, and is the ultimate driver of social justice and moral progress. Brimming with Pinker’s customary insight and humor, Rationality will enlighten, inspire, and empower.
The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature
by Steven PinkerThis New York Times bestseller is an exciting and fearless investigation of language Bestselling author Steven Pinker possesses that rare combination of scientific aptitude and verbal eloquence that enables him to provide lucid explanations of deep and powerful ideas. His previous books?including the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Blank Slate?have catapulted him into the limelight as one of today?s most important popular science writers. In The Stuff of Thought, Pinker presents a fascinating look at how our words explain our nature. Considering scientific questions with examples from everyday life, The Stuff of Thought is a brilliantly crafted and highly readable work that will appeal to fans of everything from The Selfish Gene and Blink to Eats, Shoots & Leaves.
The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature
by Steven PinkerThe author explains how the mind works by examining the way we use words. Pinker takes on scientific questions - such as how language affects thought, and which of our concepts are innate - as well as questions from the headlines and everyday life.
Words and Rules: The Ingredients of Language
by Steven PinkerPinker (psychology, MIT) explains the mysteries of language, such as why languages change over time and how children learn their native language, by dissecting the idea that language comprises a mental dictionary of memorized words and a mental grammar of creative rules. Pinker connects a remarkable number of topics such as the attempts to simulate language using computers; the nature of human concepts; the peculiarities of the English language; and the theories of Noam Chomsky, through a minute dissection of the phenomenon of regular and irregular verbs. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
The Sexual Paradox: Men, Women and the Real Gender Gap
by Susan PinkerSusan Pinker, psychologist and award-winning columnist, has written a groundbreaking and controversial book that reveals why learning and behavioral gaps between boys and girls in the classroom are reversed in the workplace. Pinker examines how fundamental sex differences play out over the life span. By comparing fragile boys who succeed later with high-achieving women who opt out or plateau in their careers, Pinker turns several assumptions upside down: that women and men are biologically equivalent, that intelligence is all it takes to succeed, and that women are just versions of men, with identical interests and goals. In lively prose, Pinker guides readers through the latest findings in neuroscience and economics while addressing these questions: Are males the more fragile sex? What do men with Asperger syndrome or dyslexia tell us about more average men? Which sex is the happiest at work? Why do some male college dropouts earn more than the bright girls who sat beside them in third grade? After three decades of women's educational coups, why do men outnumber women in corporate law, engineering, physical science, and politics? The answers to these questions are the opposite of what we expect. A provocative examination of how and why learning and behavioral gaps in the nursery are reversed in the boardroom, this illuminating book reveals how sex differences influence career choices and ambition. Through the stories of real men and women, science, and examples from popular culture, Susan Pinker takes a new look at the differences between women and men.
The Village Effect
by Susan PinkerIn her surprising, entertaining and persuasive new book, award-winning author and psychologist Susan Pinker shows how face-to-face contact is crucial for learning, happiness, resilience and longevity. From birth to death, human beings are hard-wired to connect to other human beings. Face to face contact matters: tight bonds of friendship and love heal us, help children learn, extend our lives and make us happy. Looser in-person bonds matter, too, combining with our close relationships to form a personal "village" around us, one that exerts unique effects. And not just any social networks will do: we need the real, face-to-face, in-the-flesh encounters that tie human families, groups of friends and communities together. Marrying the findings of the new field of social neuroscience together with gripping human stories, Susan Pinker explores the impact of face-to-face contact from cradle to grave, from city to Sardinian mountain village, from classroom to workplace, from love to marriage to divorce. Her results are enlightening and enlivening, and they challenge our assumptions. Most of us have left the literal village behind, and don't want to give up our new technologies to go back there. But, as Pinker writes so compellingly, we need close social bonds and uninterrupted face-time with our friends and families in order to thrive--even to survive. Creating our own "village effect" can make us happier. It can also save our lives.From the Hardcover edition.