Most Popular Books by Ian Robertson

From one of the world''s most respected neuroscientists, an eye-opening study of why we react to pressure in the way we do and how to be energized rather than defeated by stress. Why is it that some people react to seemingly trivial emotional upsets--like failing an unimportant exam or tackling a difficult project at work--with distress, while others power through life-changing tragedies showing barely any emotional upset whatsoever? How do some people shine brilliantly at public speaking while others stumble with their words and seem on the verge of an anxiety attack? Why do some people sink into all-consuming depression when life has dealt them a poor hand, while in others it merely increases their resilience? The difference between too much pressure and too little can result in either debilitating stress or lack of motivation in extreme situations. However, the right level of challenge and stress can help people flourish and achieve more than they ever thought possible. In THE STRESS TEST, clinical psychologist and cognitive neuroscientist Ian Robertson, armed with over four decades of research, reveals how we can shape our brain''s response to pressure and how stress actually can be a good thing. THE STRESS TEST is a revelatory study of how and why we react to pressure as we do, and how we can change our response to stress to our benefit.

* Confidence makes your brain work better and boosts your performance * Confidence acts like a mini-antidepressant, lifting your mood * Confidence is contagious * Confidence is anxiety''s greatest antidote * Confidence is a set of habits that feel fake at first but become real with practice * Confidence makes boys bullsh*t more than girls * Overconfidence can have disastrous consequences _________ ''Brilliant ... it will change how you think about confidence.'' Johann Hari ''Important for everyone but crucial for women.'' Mary Robinson ''Interesting and important.'' Steven Pinker __________ Imagine we could discover something that could make us richer, healthier, longer-living, smarter, kinder, happier, more motivated and more innovative. Ridiculous, you might say... What is this elixir? Confidence. If you have it, it can empower you to reach heights you never thought possible. But if you don''t, it can have a devastating effect on your future. Confidence lies at the core of what makes things happen. Exploring the science and neuroscience behind confidence that has emerged over the last decade, clinical psychologist and neuroscientist Professor Ian Robertson tells us how confidence plays out in our minds, our brains and indeed our bodies. He explains where it comes from and how it spreads - with extraordinary economic and political consequences. And why it''s not necessarily something you are born with, but something that can be learned. __________ ''Rich stories and change-inspiring examples for every kind of performer.'' Pippa Grange ''Appealing... ranges from neuroscience to politics.'' Nature

Listen. Can you hear an aircraft passing overhead? A dog barking? The twittering of birds? In straining to listen, you have just sent a surge of electrical activity through millions of brain cells. In choosing to do this with your mind, you have changed your brain - you have made brain cells fire, at the side of your head, above the right eye. By the time you''ve read this far, you will have changed your brain permanently. These words will leave a faint trace in the woven electricity of you. For ''you'' exists in the trembling web of connected brain cells. This web is in flux, continually remoulded, sculpted by the restless energy of the world. That energy is transformed at your senses into the utterly unique weave of brain connections that is YOU. New research has demonstrated the way in which the brain is shaped by experience and sculpted by our interactions with the world around us. As one of the world''s leading authorities on brain rehabilitation, Ian Robertson is uniquely placed to explore these ground-breaking discoveries, that free us from the currently fashionable genetically determinist view. Mind Sculpture is a singularly accessible and imaginative book which communicates the excitement and challenge of the most recent research, its consequences for how we understand the brain and how we perceive ourselves.

The way that we assess and overcome problems is an essential part of everyday life. Problem Solving provides a clear introduction to the underlying mental processes involved in solving problems. Drawing on research from cognitive psychology and neuroscience, it examines the methods and techniques used by both novices and experts in familiar and unfamiliar situations. This edition has been comprehensively updated throughout, and now features cutting-edge content on creative problem solving, insight and neuroscience. Each chapter is written in an accessible way, and contains a range of student-friendly features such as activities, chapter summaries and further reading. The book also provides clear examples of studies and approaches that help the reader fully understand important and complex concepts in greater detail. Problem Solving fully engages the reader with the difficulties and methodologies associated with problem solving. This book will be of great use to undergraduate students of cognitive psychology, education and neuroscience, as well as readers and professionals with an interest in problem solving.

Human Thinking: The Basics provides an essential introduction into how we develop thoughts, the types of reasoning we engage in, and how our thinking can be tailored by subconscious processing. Beginning with the fundamentals, the book examines the mental processes that shape our thoughts, the trajectory of how thought evolved within the animal kingdom and the stages of development of thinking throughout childhood. Robertson insightfully explains the effectiveness of political slogans and advertisements in engaging shallow information processing and the effortful, analytical processing required in critical thinking. Delving into fascinating topics such as magical thinking in the form of religion and superstition, fake news, and motivated ignorance, the book explains the discrepancy between reality and our internal mental representations, the influence of semantics on deductive reasoning and the error-prone, yet adaptive nature of biases. Containing student-friendly features including end of chapter summaries, demonstrative puzzles, simple figures, and further reading lists, this book will be essential reading for all students of thinking and reasoning.

Spatial neglect is a profound clinical problem as well as intriguing scientific problem. In the last ten years, there has been an explosion of interest in this disorder, which as a result is no longer viewed as a single entity, but rather as a number of different disorders. This book is an attempt to bring the reader up to date with the latest advances in understanding neglect, at least insofar as this contributes to better clinical assessment, management and treatment. This is not a book for the specialist researcher in the neuropsychology of neglect and attention. Rather, it is a book aimed at clinicians - student and trained - from all disciplines involved in the assessment, management and treatment of neglect. The book begins with the description of four cases manifesting different types of unilateral neglect. The reader is introduced to different aspects of neglect through these patients. These distinctions include those between personal and extrapersonal neglect, motor versus sensory neglect and many others. The reader is also introduced to other phenomena that are closely related to neglect, including ansognosia and impaired sustained attention. The latest methodes of assessment of neglect are also described, as are methods of treatment, again with reference to the four introductory specimen cases.

This book consists of ten case histories that cover a wide range of themes from obesity to depression. One woman is trying to come to grips with past memories, another cannot escape from a passionate love with no future, an adolescent immigrant is trying to overcome a persistent stammer, a fifty-year-old man decides to separate from the love of his life rather than compromise with his principles. Writing in the first person, the dramatherapist describes her reactions to and interaction with the client as well as some of the techniques used in the therapeutic process. The stories are based on real cases, but in order to conform to the story-telling genre they contain a beginning, middle and end, which is not always the case in real life.

Ian Robertson has always been fascinated by how the mind makes images, for that awesome power directly and deeply affects our lives. All of us "visualize" the world differently, and how we do so dictates the way we feel, remember, and think--and therefore our health, memory, and creativity. In this lively, accessible and fascinating book, Robertson explains that most of us employ language as a basis for visualization. In effect, we think in words more than in images. The result is an imbalance between the logical and the intuitive, between imagery-based thought and language-based thought. Opening the Mind''s Eye is both an enlightening and stimulating explanation of how we "see," and a compelling argument for extending the mind''s powers to improve the quality of our lives. Like Daniel Goleman''s Emotional Intelligence, it combines insight and application.

This is a collection of all the key data, facts, practical guidance and circuit design basics needed by a spectrum of students, electronics enthusiasts, technicians and circuit designers. It provides explanations and practical guidance.

This concise, elegantly written paperback volume on the essential elements of sociology is perfect as the sole textbook for a brief introductory course or as a core text to be supplemented with other readings.

The Winged Way presents Ian Robertson Duncan''s first book of poems. In these ballads, incantations, sonnets and haiku, Duncan explores a metaphysics of body and world in a form called the wordsong.

"This comprehensive introduction to sociology, known for its captivating writing, cross-cultural examples, and careful applications of theory, has long been a classroom favorite for both students and professors. Centered on the unifying theme of the U.S. as an emerging postindustrial society, it provides a framework for exploring family life, religion, sexuality, gender roles, deviance, religion, and the economy. The sociology of art-as a recurring subtheme-is woven into the text and emphasized through numerous paintings and photographs. Specific chapters focus on medicine, technology and the environment, and war and peace."

Ian Robertson joined the BBC during the golden age of radio broadcasting and was given a crash course in the art of sports commentary from some of the greatest names ever to sit behind a microphone: Cliff Morgan and Peter Bromley, Bryon Butler and John Arlott. Almost half a century after being introduced to the rugby airwaves by his inspiring mentor Bill McLaren, the former Scotland fly-half looks back on the most eventful of careers, during which he covered nine British and Irish Lions tours and eight World Cups, including the 2003 tournament that saw England life the Webb Ellis Trophy and "Robbo" pick up awards for his spine-tingling description of Jonny Wilkinson''s decisive drop goal. He reflects on his playing days, his role in guiding Cambridge University to a long spell of Varsity Match supremacy and his relationships with some of the union code''s most celebrated figures, including Sir Clive Woodward and Jonah Lomu. He also writes vividly and hilariously of his experiences as a horse racing enthusiast, his meetings with some of the world''s legendary golfers and his dealings with a stellar cast of sporting outsiders, from Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor to Nelson Mandela. It is a hugely entertaining story that begins in a bygone rugby age, yet has much to say about the game in the here and now.

Originally published in 1981 and revised in 1983, Controlled Drinking was the first scholarly review of the literature on a controversial but increasingly practiced approach to the treatment of alcoholism. Nick Heather and Ian Robertson analyse all the pertinent questions that controlled drinking raises, starting with the need to examine the ‘disease conception’ of alcoholism and ‘total abstinence’ treatment. They look at the evidence indicating that some people, previously diagnosed as alcoholics, are able to return to normal, controlled patterns of drinking, and discuss therapies where controlled drinking is the treatment goal, fully reviewing the evidence for their success and failure. Concluding with a discussion of the theoretical and policy implications of controlled drinking, the authors recommend that the disease view of alcoholism be finally abandoned. For the revised paperback edition, as well as correcting and updating the text and references, the authors included an important postscript on the charges of falsification of evidence and their subsequent refutation which made up the Sobell affair. The wealth of other material presented in Controlled Drinking supports the authors’ conclusions even if the Sobells’ work were ignored. However, this revised edition was made more useful for student and professional readers by the postscript’s discussion of the controversy surrounding the most widely known and quoted controlled drinking trial at the time.

In Six Thousand Years up the Garden Path, a seasoned horticulturalist takes others on a light-hearted and magical journey through the history of gardens. Ian Robertson has spent a lifetime working in the world of plants and design and relies on his experience as an international garden designer to narrate a fascinating history of gardening. Beginning with Sumerians learning to garden between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Robertson transports others through the Fertile Crescent to western Europe, forward to the British Isles, and onward to the New World all while describing the beauty of the gardens of Andrew Jackson Downing, Wolfgang Oehme, Frederick Law Olmstead, and many others. Included in his story of the foliage and blossoms that surrounded kings, princes, queens, and mistresses, Robertson shares a timeline, glossary, and roadside stopovers that make the journey up the garden path even more delightful. Tailored for the enjoyment of either experienced or novice gardeners immersed in the second fastest growing hobby in America, Robertson provides insights into the people, events, and plants that have vibrantly colored the landscape of the world for thousands of years.

The key to success in City & Guilds courses in electronic and electrical servicing Electronic and Electrical Servicing provides a thorough grounding in the electronics and electrical principles required by service engineers servicing home entertainment equipment such as TVs, CD and DVD machines, as well as commercial equipment including PCs. In the printed book, this new edition covers all the core units of the Level 2 Progression Award in Electrical and Electronics Servicing (Consumer/Commercial Electronics) from City & Guilds (C&G 6958), plus two of the option units. For those students who wish to progress to Level 3, a further set of chapters covering all the core units at this level is available as a free download from the book''s companion website or as a print-on-demand book with ISBN 978-0-7506-8732-4. The book and website material also offer a fully up-to-date course text for the City & Guilds 1687 NVQs at Levels 2 and 3. The book contains numerous worked examples to help students grasp the principles. Each chapter ends with review questions, for which answers are provided at the end of the book, so that students can check their learning. Level 2 units covered in the book: Unit 1 - d.c. technology, components and circuits Unit 2 - a.c. technology and electronic components Unit 3 - Electronic devices and testing Unit 4 - Electronic systems Unit 5 - Digital electronics Unit 6 - Radio and television systems technology Unit 8 - PC technology Ian Sinclair has been an author of market-leading books for electronic servicing courses for over 20 years, helping many thousands of students through their college course and NVQs into successful careers. Now with a new co-author, John Dunton, the new edition has been brought fully up-to-date to reflect the most recent technical advances and developments within the service engineering industry, in particular with regard to television and PC servicing and technology. Level 3 units covered in free downloads at http://books.elsevier.com/companions/9780750669887: Unit 1 - Electronic principles; Unit 2 - Test and measurement; Unit 3 - Analogue electronics; Unit 4 - Digital electronics

Written by a team of experts and specialist contributors this comprehensive guide has proved to be an invaluable resource for professional designers and service engineers. Each chapter is written by a leading author, including Don Aldous, John Borwick, Dave Berriman and John Linsley Hood, which provides as wide a perspective as possible on high-quality sound reproduction as well as a wealth of expertise. This third edition has been fully updated to include modern valve amplifier designs, Nicam and satellite radio, and including a new section on servicing. Ian Sinclair has written over 140 books on aspects of electronics and computing and has been a regular contributor to the electronics and computing press. New chapters on valve amplifiers, in-car audio, NICAM and satellite radio, and servicing Contributors include world experts like John Linsley Hood, Nick Beer, Don Aldous, Fred Mornington-West A wide ranging guide for professionals and hobbyists alike

This forth and last edition by the present of Blue Guide Portugal has been considerably revised and several routes rearranged and entirely rewritten. In general it follows the successful pattern set by the previous editions, the demand for which confirmed the revival in interest in the country. Younger, democratised generations, now integrated into the European Union, have already done much to bring about this revival.

The secrets of Scotland''s Rosslyn Chapel have remained hidden for hundreds of years. After a decade of extensive research, two Scottish historians have pieced together the real story of Rosslyn and reveal all in this book.

This book describes a full range of contemporary techniques for the design of transmitters and receivers for communications systems operating in the range from 1 through to 300 GHz. In this frequency range there is a wide range of technologies that need to be employed, with silicon ICs at the core but, compared with other electronics systems, a much greater use of more specialist devices and components for high performance – for example, high Q-factor/low loss and good power efficiency. Many text books do, of course, cover these topics but what makes this book timely is the rapid adoption of millimetre-waves (frequencies from 30 to 300 GHz) for a wide range of consumer applications such as wireless high definition TV, ''5G'' Gigabit mobile internet systems and automotive radars. It has taken many years to develop low-cost technologies for suitable transmitters and receivers, so previously these frequencies have been employed only in expensive military and space applications. The book will cover these modern technologies, with the follow topics covered; transmitters and receivers, lumped element filters, tranmission lines and S-parameters, RF MEMS, RFICs and MMICs, and many others. In addition, the book includes extensive line diagrams to illustrate circuit diagrams and block diagrams of systems, including diagrams and photographs showing how circuits are implemented practically. Furthermore, case studies are also included to explain the salient features of a range of important wireless communications systems. The book is accompanied with suitable design examples and exercises based on the Advanced Design System – the industry leading CAD tool for wireless design. More importantly, the authors have been working with Keysight Technologies on a learning & teaching initiative which is designed to promote access to industry-standard EDA tools such as ADS. Through its University Educational Support Program, Keysight offers students the opportunity to request a student license, backed up with extensive classroom materials and support resources. This culminates with students having the chance to demonstrate their RF/MW design and measurement expertise through the Keysight RF & Microwave Industry-Ready Student Certification Program. www.keysight.com/find/eesof-university www.keysight.com/find/eesof-student-certification

It was not until the twelfth century that Portugal became a country in its own right, having been a Roman colony and then having suffered both Barbarian and Islamic invasions. Illustrated with maps and line drawings, this book contains a Historical Gazetteer cross-referenced to the main text which concentrates on the historic sites in a country.

Types of Thinking provides a basic grounding in the psychology of thinking for undergraduate students with little previous knowledge of cognitive psychology. This clear, well-structured overview explores the practical aspects and applications of everyday thinking, creative thinking, logical and scientific thinking, intelligent thinking and machine thinking. It also explores ''failures of thinking'', the biases and shortcuts that sometimes lead our thinking astray. The author tackles big ideas in an accessible manner and in an entertaining style, ensuring that Types of Thinking will be attractive not only to students but also to teachers organising and planning courses, as well as the lay reader.

The authors argue strongly that the evidence they have uncovered within folklore, legends, the guilds, and the oral traditions of secret societies in Scotland, link together with striking similarities. They further suggest that these links are not coincidence but the last visible threads of belief systems that have been at the center of the Scottish psyche for centuries. The Celtic Key makes sense of the underlying beliefs that have contributed to, motivated, and shaped a nation through the ages.

Well-known guidebook author for the series (once described as''the Elizabeth David of travel writers''.Portugal is visited by 1.8 million tourists from the UK every year