biology

The Oxford Companion to the Mind

The Oxford Companion to the Mind is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand The Oxford Companion to the Mind rather than just read about it. In short: The Oxford Companion to the Mind is a reference book on the human mind, edited by Richard L. Gregory.

Key takeaways

The Oxford Companion to the Mind belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect The Oxford Companion to the Mind to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of The Oxford Companion to the Mind from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Oxford Companion to the Mind is a reference book on the human mind, edited by Richard L. Gregory. First published in 1987, the book covers a wide range of topics relating to psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, and culture, with entries written by leading scholars in their respective fields. The book has been highly praised for its comprehensive coverage and witty definitions of common human experiences. The second edition of the book, published in 2004, includes new entries on attachment theory, caffeine, extra-terrestrial intelligence, and imagination. The book also features three "mini symposia" on consciousness, brain scanning, and artificial intelligence, with contributions from a range of specialists. In all, there are over 300 contributors from around the world. One of the key features of the book is the variety and eminence of its contributors, who range from prominent psychologists such as Skinner and Luria, to writers and artists such as Beryl Bainbridge and Patrick Moore. The editor, Richard L. Gregory, also contributes a number of entries himself, including a detailed discussion of visual illusions and a debunking of ghosts. The second edition of the book expands on the success of the first, with more entries and a broader coverage of topics.

Contents The book is organized alphabetically, with entries ranging from scientific concepts like artificial intelligence and neuroscience, to cultural phenomena like aphrodisiacs and extra-terrestrial intelligence. Many of the entries are written by prominent figures in their respective fields, and the book includes biographies of important figures in the study of the mind. One of the unique features of the book is its inclusion of entries on more unusual topics, such as astrology and levitation. While these topics are treated with skepticism, they are not dismissed outright, and the book's commitment to inclusivity is one of its strengths. In his review of the first edition, John Marshall praised the book's "breadth of coverage" and "diversity of contributors," and the second edition builds on this foundation with more entries and a greater focus on recent developments in the field.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with The Oxford Companion to the Mind

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what The Oxford Companion to the Mind claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to The Oxford Companion to the Mind before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about The Oxford Companion to the Mind ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of The Oxford Companion to the Mind

In research: The Oxford Companion to the Mind appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses The Oxford Companion to the Mind in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: The Oxford Companion to the Mind is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Neuroscience books, Oxford University Press reference books, Psychology books, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for The Oxford Companion to the Mind outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “The Oxford Companion to the Mind” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study The Oxford Companion to the Mind in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what The Oxford Companion to the Mind means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain The Oxford Companion to the Mind out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is The Oxford Companion to the Mind in simple terms?

The Oxford Companion to the Mind is a reference book on the human mind, edited by Richard L. Gregory.

Why does The Oxford Companion to the Mind matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study The Oxford Companion to the Mind?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on The Oxford Companion to the Mind.