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by Clifford. J. F. Morris

The Cambridge Handbook of Thinking and Reasoning by Keith J. Holyoak and Robert G. Morrison (Eds.), New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005, XIV + 858, $120 (cloth), $60 (paper).

Author Posting. (c) Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2008.
Following is the author's version of the work.  It is posted here by permission of Routledge Taylor and Francis Group for personal use, not for redistribution.  The definitive version was published in Mind, Culture, and Activity, Volume 15 Issue 1, January -- March 2008.
doi:10.1080/10749030701801021 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10749030701801021)

Author:  Clifford Morris
DOI: 10.1080/10749030701801021
Publication Frequency:  4 issues per year
Published by:  Routledge Taylor & Francis in: Mind, Culture, and Activity, Volume 15, Issue 1 January -- March 2008 , pages 75 - 79.

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The time may now be ripe to review the research behind thinking and reasoning -- two vital processes driving our brains, our many minds, and our intelligences. Editors Keith Holyoak and Robert Morrison feel that the area of cognitive research has been regularly neglected and overlooked as a fundamental research topic. Hence, their timely (2005) publication of The Cambridge Handbook of Thinking and Reasoning, a brilliant but bulky book chock-full of specialized chapters covering leading-edge themes in thinking and reasoning with scholarly mastery and insight. This tome, with its encyclopedic coverage of 858 pages, represents a definitive Handbook on both fields of cognitive inquiry. Holyoak and Morrison wanted more than a typical cognitive psychology textbook with chapters on categorization, thinking, and reasoning; they felt that such a definitive handbook did not exist. It is their hope that this Handbook fills that void. In my opinion, they have succeeded!

STRUCTURE

Largely, the editors have done a first-rate job of providing the reader with seven informative, well-researched, and thought-provoking themes: The Nature of Human Concepts; Reasoning; Judgment, and Decision Making; Problem Solving and Complex Learning; Cognitive and Neural Constraints on Human Thought; Ontology, Phylogeny, Language and Culture; and Thinking in Practice. The Handbook is well integrated for an edited volume. Each theme includes between three to six chapters. All chapters say something unique and yet relate back to the main theme of the Handbook: comprehending the higher cognitive processes involved when thinking and reasoning.

In the preface, the editors state that their intent for producing the Handbook was to overcome the shortcomings of traditional publications on thinking and reasoning, namely, the failure to account for an accurate handbook for the field of thinking and reasoning. In chapter 1, they introduce us to the contents of the subsequent 31 chapters. Part 1 deals with foundational matters related to the Nature of Human Concepts. Part 2 details the varieties of the core topic of reasoning. The editors make use of Part 3, Judgment and Decision Making, to comment on how the cognitive structures that we utilize to process social information are activated and used. Throughout chapters 11, 12, and 13, they introduce us to models of heuristic thinking (or educated guesses), especially how motivation and emotion influence our decision-making process. The heart of the Handbook lies in Part 4, chapters 14 to 18, which comment on how we learn in problem-solving situations. A review of the research in Part 5, Cognitive and Neural Constraints on Human Thought, suggests that human thinking cannot be fully understood in isolation from fundamental cognitive processes and their neural substrates. In Part 6, Ontogeny, Phylogeny, Language, and Culture, the reader is exposed to six chapters whereby researchers discuss developmental, comparative, and cultural research on reasoning and thinking. Finally, in Part 7, Thinking in Practice, nine authors bring together variations in thinking and reasoning across fields and across individuals within a culture.

STRENGTHS

As to its major-league strengths, this book has many . . . but couched with minor-league hesitations here and there. Here are the positives, making the Handbook an important read. First, the key and most appealing word in the book's title is Handbook, in that this volume is truly one. Holyoak and Morrison bring together a stellar group of researchers who provide excellent overviews of the historical development of research on a wide range of topics related to thinking and reasoning, update the literature by providing state-of-the-art insights, identify and clarify key unresolved issues in the field, and offer a wealth of ideas for future research. All of the chapters are directly related to thinking or reasoning. The chapter authors have well integrated their contents into a coherent whole and are fully aware of the contributions of the other chapter authors. The fact that this volume does not put forth an oversimplified prescription for treating thinking and reasoning research is perhaps one of its major strengths.

Second, the Handbook has an added application as a research guidebook. Sometimes, books that fail predominantly as main textbooks still have significant value as reference books or guidebooks for exclusive topics. This volume addresses that possibility, as it is a worthwhile read cover to cover for all practicing cognitive scientists, graduate students in neuroscience, and university instructors. Even though both editors limn the Handbook as a textbook, I feel that their volume is of equal value as a sourcebook for those who already have some basic understanding of the research associated with thinking and reasoning skills but who also want to address specific gaps in their research knowledge base.

Here are only a few of many possible examples. Chapter 21 (Cognitive and Neuroscience Aspects of Thought Disorder) could be assigned in an abnormal psychology class, chapter 22 (Development of Thinking) and chapter 24 (Effects of Aging on Reasoning) in a developmental psychology course, chapter 27 (Paradigms of Cultural Thought) in a cross-cultural psychology course, chapter 29 (Scientific Thinking and Reasoning) in a research methods course, and finally chapter 30 (Thinking and Reasoning in Medicine) could be quite useful in a health psychology program.

A third strong point is that all of the chapters of the Handbook are self-contained. That is, the chapters neither are organized in a progressive order nor rely on each other for comprehension. Major concepts dealt with in multiple chapters are noted by chapter authors to ease cross-referencing between chapters. Apart from the book's first chapter, chapter lengths vary between 13 and 27 pages, save the references. The average chapter length is 20 pages, again excluding references. The number of references per chapter fluctuates between 33 and 219, with a mean of about 125 references per chapter. The final 56 pages of the volume contain both an extensive author and subject index.

Throughout the well-written and well-referenced chapters, 53 contributors provide the reader with a wealth of material from which to answer the following questions: What is reasoning? What is thinking? How do these mental models change developmentally across cultures? How do these cerebral capacities change developmentally across the course of history? How do these cognitive competencies change developmentally during the course of one's life span? How do such logical capabilities differ from other constructs, for example, from expertise and intelligences? Is there a relationship between reasoning and thinking skills, and if so, what is the affiliation? Can interventions be designed to increase the development of our thinking and reasoning skills? A major key to the cognitive science researcher is that these chapters are not only comprehensive but succinct. Effective use of subtitling also increases the ease with which information can be found within chapters.

A fourth strength is the authors' presentation of conflicting results when available. Readers are thus exposed to both confirmatory and contradictory research evidence. Moreover, the conversational and personal tones of the narratives engage the reader.

A fifth and final plus is that all of the contributors present their area of expertise while making it clear why current research on reasoning/thinking is important to their area. To cite just one situation from numerous examples displayed throughout the book, while discussing the psychological construct "Intelligence," Sternberg (chapter 31) successfully argues that many highly competent individuals are deemed incompetent because they are doing well in areas not assessed by typical measures of success.

WEAKNESSES

I have yet to read a first edition handbook that is comprehensive, and this volume is no exception. But to be fair to the editors and authors, in a book that covers as much information as this one does, it is always possible to find minor things to quibble about. Although the book is rather thick and comprehensive, it contains its share of minor caveats that could have made the volume better. Because of space limitations, here are just a few of the weaknesses that I detected.

First, purists may take issue with the degree of overlap between three of the six chapters in Part 2 (Reasoning). Inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning are first examined in chapter 5 (The Problem of Induction), then in chapter 8 (Deductive Reasoning), and again in chapter 9 (Mental Models and Thought), making these three chapters, to some extent, cyclical. Although duplication is present here, the true extent is minimal in comparison with many other edited tomes and is easily tolerated here because of the substantive subject matter.

Second, this tome fails to include a series of chapter appendixes or glossaries of key terms. These do not appear in this volume, and their absences are not explained. Descriptions of research in a complex field such as cognitive psychology/cognitive science/cognitive neuroscience can easily result in jargon overload for the novice reader. A glossary of major terms would be welcomed at the end of the Handbook and might go a long way to assist that mythical intelligent but nonprofessional reader. As well, a series of appendixes for the more interested reader who would like to develop deeper insight into the research within the fields of thinking and reasoning would add to the value of the Handbook. Other possible appendixes could include snail mail addresses, related books, contact numbers, Web (URL) and e-mail addresses, and short summaries of a host of agencies and organizations focused on ongoing research on thinking and reasoning.

My third remark is not so much a critique of the Handbook as it is a suggestion for inclusion into the next edition or printing of the Handbook. My comment stems from reading three recently published books: Michael Cole, Karl Levitin, and Alexander Luria's (2005) The Autobiography of Alexander Luria: A Dialogue with The Making of Mind; Jay Friedenberg and Gordon Silverman's (2006) Cognitive Science: An Introduction to the Study of the Mind; and Andy Field's (2005) Discovering Statistics Using SPSS (2nd ed.). All three books include numerous ancillaries to promote their more effective usage.

In the Autobiography, authors Cole and colleagues included a DVD consisting of a series of interviews from prominent scholars who knew and worked closely with Alexander Romanovich Luria (to read about some of the contents of this DVD, the more interested reader is referred to http://www.igs.net/cmorris/review_the_making_of_mind.htm). Cole et al. also invited the reader to consult their Web site (http://luria.ucsd.edu/), especially constructed to accompany their book. In Cognitive Science, Friedenberg and Silverman also generated a companion Web site (http://www.sagepub.com/CSstudy/) featuring online student-friendly exercises, E-flash cards, interactive quizzes, an instructors' CD-ROM with a test bank, chapter outlines, Microsoft PowerPoint® slides, a sample syllabus, and ideas for student projects. In Discovering Statistics, Field included a companion CD containing a wealth of SPSS data sets from the textbook examples, answers to the end-of-chapter learning exercises (Smart Alex's Tasks), a power calculation program, and several appendixes covering more advanced topics. Field's companion Web site (http://www.sagepub.co.uk/field/) contains student resources (e-flashcards, student questions) and instructor resources (test bank, PowerPoint slides) available to those who may wish to adopt the book as a course text.

Taken together, those supplementary references greatly enhanced the overall quality and, perhaps as important, the marketability of all three books. Perchance Holyoak and Morrison might consider incorporating such similar additions into their next printing or edition.

Holyoak and Morrison state that "instructors for semester-length graduate courses in thinking and reasoning may opt to assign the entire volume as a textbook" (p. 7). Not surprisingly, authors, editors, and publishers have an interest in pitching their publications as curriculum textbooks in the hope that thousands of undergraduates will purchase their product every semester. I was equally pleased to read that both editors also wrote their book at a level equally appropriate for master's and doctoral-level students, as it is critically important for students conducting thesis and dissertation work to understand the objectives of systematic literature reviews. Fortunately, the more advanced researcher will not be disappointed either. For those with such advanced knowledge, the Handbook is a must-have book, precisely because it brings together theory and research over so much of the field of cognitive science; conversely, outsiders will be hard-pressed to follow various chapter arguments.

CONCLUSION

The Cambridge Handbook of Thinking and Reasoning is no svelte volume for neophytes who desire quick knowledge of recent research behind thinking and reasoning skills. Because the volume traverses territory from various forms of higher cognition and cognitive science to the most recent advances in cognitive neuroscience, this Handbook demands extensive background knowledge and motivation on the part of the reader. Both editors sought after a work that would bring together top researchers to generate chapters summarizing the basic concepts and findings for two major topics, sketch their histories, and provide a sense of directions in which research is currently heading. They have achieved their goal. The chapter authors are impressive - leading research experts within particular areas of specialization in the fields of thinking and reasoning. The final section of the Handbook includes works related to developmental, social, and clinical psychology; philosophy; economics; artificial intelligence; linguistics; education; law; and medicine.

Although this tome boasts a few rough edges, my paperback copy was an interesting, thought-provoking, and well-written digest. It is always arrogant to predict the future, but my speculation is that this book will make an enduring contribution to the field of cognitive science. Is the Handbook worth reading? The answer is a resounding yes! The list of 53 contributors reads like a "Who's Who" of key researchers in thinking and reasoning: Robert Jeffrey Sternberg on creativities and human intelligences, Philip Johnson-Laird on mental models, Keith Holyoak on analogies, David Perkins on the teaching of thinking skills, and so forth. Holyoak and Morrison offer a well-developed summary of the major theoretical disciplines involved with reasoning and thinking. This Handbook has much to offer to many, something that similar books in the cognitive science field do not. Its contents are well argued, wide ranging, up-to-date, and well written, and there are contributions from leading researchers in the areas of thinking and reasoning. Most notably, writings across all chapters are consistent and of high quality. The Cambridge Handbook of Thinking and Reasoning is truly a worthwhile read, and the conscientious reader will be more knowledgeable if not wiser.

REFERENCES

Cole, M.,  Levitin, K. and Luria, A. L. (2005).  The autobiography of Alexander Luria: A dialogue with the making of mind.  Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Field, A. (2005).  Discovering statistics using SPSS (2nd ed.). London: Sage.

Friedenberg, J. and Silverman, G. (2006).  Cognitive science: An introduction to the study of the mind.  Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

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