Bad Moves

How decision making goes wrong, and the ethics of smart drugs

Nonfiction, Health & Well Being, Medical, Specialties, Internal Medicine, Neuroscience, Science & Nature, Science
Cover of the book Bad Moves by Barbara Sahakian, Jamie Nicole LaBuzetta, OUP Oxford
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Barbara Sahakian, Jamie Nicole LaBuzetta ISBN: 9780191645532
Publisher: OUP Oxford Publication: April 25, 2013
Imprint: OUP Oxford Language: English
Author: Barbara Sahakian, Jamie Nicole LaBuzetta
ISBN: 9780191645532
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Publication: April 25, 2013
Imprint: OUP Oxford
Language: English

Making decisions is such a regular activity that it is mostly taken for granted. However, damage or abnormality in the areas of the brain involved in decision-making can severely affect personality and the ability to manage even simple tasks. Here, Barbara Sahakian and Jamie Nicole LaBuzetta discuss the process of normal decision making - our strategies for making decisions, biases that affect us, and influential factors - and then describe the abnormal patterns found in patients with conditions such as severe depression, Alzheimer's, and accidental brain damage. Using striking examples and case studies from their own research to show the impact of abnormal decision making, they introduce the concept of 'hot' and 'cold' decision making based on the level of emotions involved, showing that in various psychiatric conditions extreme emotions alter the pattern of decision making. Looking at the ways in which the brain can be manipulated to improve cognitive function in these patients, they consider the use of 'smart drugs' that alleviate these problems. The realization that smart drugs can improve cognitive abilities in healthy people has led to growing general use, with drugs easily available via the Internet. They raise ethical questions about the availability of these drugs for cognitive enhancement, in the hope of informing public debate about an increasingly important issue.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Making decisions is such a regular activity that it is mostly taken for granted. However, damage or abnormality in the areas of the brain involved in decision-making can severely affect personality and the ability to manage even simple tasks. Here, Barbara Sahakian and Jamie Nicole LaBuzetta discuss the process of normal decision making - our strategies for making decisions, biases that affect us, and influential factors - and then describe the abnormal patterns found in patients with conditions such as severe depression, Alzheimer's, and accidental brain damage. Using striking examples and case studies from their own research to show the impact of abnormal decision making, they introduce the concept of 'hot' and 'cold' decision making based on the level of emotions involved, showing that in various psychiatric conditions extreme emotions alter the pattern of decision making. Looking at the ways in which the brain can be manipulated to improve cognitive function in these patients, they consider the use of 'smart drugs' that alleviate these problems. The realization that smart drugs can improve cognitive abilities in healthy people has led to growing general use, with drugs easily available via the Internet. They raise ethical questions about the availability of these drugs for cognitive enhancement, in the hope of informing public debate about an increasingly important issue.

More books from OUP Oxford

Cover of the book Chesterton and the Romance of Orthodoxy by Barbara Sahakian, Jamie Nicole LaBuzetta
Cover of the book Terrorism: A Very Short Introduction by Barbara Sahakian, Jamie Nicole LaBuzetta
Cover of the book Nazism by Barbara Sahakian, Jamie Nicole LaBuzetta
Cover of the book Risk and the Regulation of Uncertainty in International Law by Barbara Sahakian, Jamie Nicole LaBuzetta
Cover of the book Accounting: A Very Short Introduction by Barbara Sahakian, Jamie Nicole LaBuzetta
Cover of the book Cash and Dash by Barbara Sahakian, Jamie Nicole LaBuzetta
Cover of the book Unjust Enrichment by Barbara Sahakian, Jamie Nicole LaBuzetta
Cover of the book Portraits from Life by Barbara Sahakian, Jamie Nicole LaBuzetta
Cover of the book Holocene Extinctions by Barbara Sahakian, Jamie Nicole LaBuzetta
Cover of the book Backgazing: Reverse Time in Modernist Culture by Barbara Sahakian, Jamie Nicole LaBuzetta
Cover of the book Naturalism, interpretation, and mental disorder by Barbara Sahakian, Jamie Nicole LaBuzetta
Cover of the book Inflammatory Bowel Disease by Barbara Sahakian, Jamie Nicole LaBuzetta
Cover of the book The Letters of Psellos by Barbara Sahakian, Jamie Nicole LaBuzetta
Cover of the book China's Growth by Barbara Sahakian, Jamie Nicole LaBuzetta
Cover of the book The Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses (Batten Disease) by Barbara Sahakian, Jamie Nicole LaBuzetta
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy