Subject: New Book: See What I'm Saying From: Lawrence Rosenblum <rosenblu@xxxxxxxx> Date: Thu, 27 May 2010 12:19:33 -0400 List-Archive:<http://lists.mcgill.ca/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=AUDITORY>Hi Auditory Friends- Just wanted to let folks know about my new trade book on our 'hidden' perceptual skills: See What I'm Saying: The Extraordinary Powers of Our Five Senses (W.W. Norton & Co., 2010). While the book covers all the senses, there are multiple chapters dedicated to auditory perception and multisensory perception. The book also presents current hot-topic issues including neuroplasticity, mirror neuron systems, and the primacy of multisensory perception. While written for the layperson, auditory list members might be interested in using the book for teaching, and as a way to update their knowledge on some of the most exciting findings in the smell, taste, touch and sight literatures. Below is a description along with relevant links. Thanks, Larry R. See What I'm Saying: The Extraordinary Powers of Our Five Senses In this revealing romp through the mysteries of human perception, University of California psychologist and researcher Lawrence Rosenblum explores the astonishing abilities of the five senses—skills of which most of us are remarkably unaware. Drawing on groundbreaking insights into the brain’s plasticity and integrative powers, including findings from his own research, Rosenblum examines how our brains use the subtlest information to perceive the world. A blind person, for example, can “see” through batlike echolocation; a Master Sommelier can actually taste the grape variety, region, and vintage of an obscure wine; and pheromones can subliminally signal a lover’s compatibility. To illustrate these implicit perceptual skills, Rosenblum takes us from the “beep” baseball fields where blind players swing at beeping balls, to a pitch-black restaurant where diners experience taste without the aid of sight. We accompany him on a visit to an Oscar-winning animator who explains how the public’s expertise in perceiving faces has made his job so difficult; and a visit with a supermodel to discuss why beautiful faces are irresistible. New studies have shed light on the surprising power and reach of our senses. It turns out that our brains use entire forms of perceptual information of which we are largely unaware. We can hear things that don’t make sounds, feel things without touching them, see things with no form, and smell things that have no discernible odor. Throughout the book, Rosenblum not only illuminates the fascinating science behind our hidden perceptual powers, but demonstrates how increased awareness of these abilities can actually lead us to enhance how we use them. Hardcover: 350 pages Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co. Language: English ISBN-10: 0393067602 ISBN-13: 978-0393067606 Book website: http://www.lawrencerosenblum.com Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/See-What-Im-Saying- Extraordinary/dp/0393067602/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1