The Mind and Its Education

George Herbert Betts

• Publisher: Perlego
• Year: 2006
• eBook ISBN:
  9700000020220
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education Theory & Practice

This Book Is A Study Of Mind And Its Education. It Is Easy To Understand How We May Investigate The Great World Of Material Things About Us; For We Can See Ti, Touch It, Weight It, Or Measure It. But How Are We To Discover The Nature Of Mind Or Come To Know The Processes By Which Consciousness Works? For Mind Is Intangible, We Can Not See It, Feel It Or Hand It. Mind Belongs Not To The Realm Of Matter Which Is Known To The Senses, But To The Realm Of Spirit, Which The Senses Can Never Grasp. And Yet The Mind Can Be Known And Studied As Truly And As Scientifically As Can The World Of Matter. The Subject Matter Of This Book Is Made Concrete And Practical By The Use Of Several Illustrations And Through Application To Real Problems. The Style Has Been Kept Easy And Familiar To Facilitate The Reading And Hope That The Book Would Be Of Interest And Value To Students Of All Ages And To The General Public As Well. Contents Chapter 1: The Mind Or Conscoiusness; How The Mind Is To Be Known: Personal Character Of Consciousness, Introspection The Onlt Means Of Discovering Nature Of Consciousness, How We Introspect, Studying Mental States Of Others Through Expression, Learning To Interpret Expression, The Nature Of Consciousness: Innernature Of The Mind Not Revealed By Introspection, Consciousness As A Process Or Stream, Consciousness Likened To A Field, The Piling Up Of Cocsciousness Is Attention; Content Of The Mental Stream: Why We Need Minds, Content Of Consciousness Determined By Function, Three Fundamental Phases Of Consciousness, Where Consciousness Resides: Consciousness Works Through The Nervous System, Problems In Observation And Introspection; Chapter 2: Attention; Nature Of Attention: The Nature Of Attention, Normal Consciousness Always In A State Of Attention, The Effects Of Attention: Attention Makes Its Object Clear And Definite, Attention Measures Mental Efficiency, How We Attend: Attention A Relating Activity, The Rhythms Of Attention, Points Of Failure In Attention: Lack Of Concentration, Mental Wandering, Types Of Attention: The Three Types Of Attention, Interest And Non-Voulutary Attention, The Will And Voluntary Attention, Not Really Different Kinds Of Attention, Improving The Power Of Attention, Making Different Kinds Of Attention Reinforce Each Other, The Habit Of Attention, Problems In Observation And Introspection; Chapter 3: The Brain And Nervous System; The Relation Of Mind And Brain: Interaction Of Mind And Brain, The Brain As The Mind S Machine, The Mind S Dependence On The External World: The Mind At Birth, The Work Of The Senses, Structural Elements Of The Nervous System: The Neuron, Neuron Fibers, Neuralgia, Complexity Of The Brain, Gray And White Matter, Gross Structure Of The Nervour System: Divisions Of The Nervour System, The Central System, The Cerebellum, The Cerebrum, The Cortex, The Spinal Cord, Localization Of Function In The Nervous System: Division Of Labor, Division Of Labor In The Cortex, Forms Of Sensory Stimuli: The End-Organs And Their Response To Stimuli, Dependence Of The Mind On The Senses; Chapter 4: Mental Development And Motor Training; Factors Determining The Efficiency Of The Nervous System: Development And Nutrition, Undeveloped Cells, Development Of Nerve Fibers, Development Of Nervous System Through Use: Importance Of Stimulus And Response, Effect Of Sensory Stimuli, Necessity For Motor Activity, Development Of The Association Centers, The Factors Involved In A Simple Action, Education And The Training Of The Nervous System: Education To Supply Opportunities For Stimulus And Response, Order Of Development In The Nervous System, Importance Of Health And Vigor Of The Nervours System: The Influence Of Fatigue, The Effects Of Worry, The Factors In Good Nutrition, Problems For Introspection And Observation; Chapter 5: Habit; The Nature Of Habit: The Physical Basis Of Habit, All Living Tissue Plastic, Habit A Modification Of Brain Tissue, We Must Form Habits, The Place Of Habit In The Economy Of Our Lives: Habit Increases Skill And Efficiency, Habit Saves Efforts And Fatigue, Habit Economizes Moral Effort, The Habit Of Attention, Habit Enables Us To Meet The Disagreeable, Habit The Foundatin Of Personality, Habit Saves Worry And Rebellion, The Tyranny Of Habit: Even Good Habits Need To Be Modified, The Tendency Of Ruts, Habit-Forming A Part Of Education: Youth The Time For Habit-Forming, The Habit Of Achievement, Rules For Habit-Forming: James S Three Maxims For Habit-Forming, The Preponderance Of Good Habits Over Bad, Problems In Observatin And Introspection; Chapter 6: Sensation; How We Come To Know The External World: Knowledge Through The Senses, The Unity Of Sensory Experience, The Sensory Processes To Be Explained, The Qualities Of Objects Exist In The Mind, The Three Sets Of Factors, The Nature Of Sensation: Sensation Gives Us Our World Of Qualities, The Attributes Of Sensation, Sensory Qualities And Their End Organs: Sight, Hearing, Taste, Smell, Various Sensations From The Skin, The Kinesthetic Senses, The Organic Senses, Problems In Observation And Retrospection; Chapter 7: Perception; The Function Of Perception: Need Of Knowing The Material World, The Problem Which Confronts The Child, The Nature Of Perception: How A Percept Is Formed, The Percept Involves All Relations Of The Object, The Content Of The Percept, The Accuracy Of Percepts Depends On Experience, Not Definitions, But First-Hand Contact, The Perception Of Space: The Perceiving Of Distance, The Perceiving Of Direction, The Perception Of Time: Nature Of The Time Sense, No Perception Of Empty Time, The Training Of Perception: Perception Needs To Be Trained, School Training In Perception, Problems In Observation And Introspection; Chapter 8: Mental Images And Ideas; The Part Played By Past Experience: Present Thinking Depends On Past Experience, The Present Interpreted By The Past, The Future Also Depends On The Past, Rank Determined By Ability To Utilize Past Experience, How Past Experience Is Conserved: Past Experience Conserved In Both Mental And Physical Terms, The Image And The Idea, All Our Past Experience Potentially At Our Command, Individually Differences In Imagery: Images To Be Viewed By Introspection, The Varies Imagery Suggested By One S Dining Table, Power Of Imagery Varies In Different People, Imagery Types, The Function Of Images: Images Supply Material For Imagination And Memory, Imagery In The Thought Processes, The Use Of Imagery In Literature, Points Where Images Are Of Greatest Service, The Cultivation Of Imagery: Images Depend On Sensory Stimuli, The Influence Of Frequent Recall, The Reconstruction Of Our Images, Problems In Introspection And Observation; Chapter 9: Imagination; The Place Of Imaginatin In Mental Economy: Practical Nature Of Imagination, Imagination In The Interpretation Of History, Literature And Art, Imagination And Science, Everyday Uses Of Imaginatin, The Building Of Ideals And Plans, Imagination And Conduct, Imagination And Thinking, The Material Used By Imagination: Images The Stuff Of Imagination, The Two Factors In Imaginatin, Imagination Limited By Stock Of Images, Limited Also By Our Constructive Ability, The Need Of A Purpose, Types Of Imagination: Reproductive Imagination, Creative Imagination, Training The Imagination: Gathering Of Material For Imagination, We Must Not Fail To Build, We Should Carry Our Ideals Into Action, Problems For Observation And Introspection; Chapter 10: Assocation; The Nature Of Association: The Neural Basis Of Association, Association The Basis Of Memory, Factors Determining Direction Of Recall, Association In Thinking, Association And Action, The Tupes Of Association: Fundamental Law Of Association, Association By Contiguity, At The Mercy Of Our Associations, Association By Similarity And Contrast, Partial Or Selective, Association, The Remedy, Training In Association: The Pleasure-Pain Motive In Association, Interest As A Basis Of Assocation, Association And Methods Of Learning, Problems In Observation And Introspection; Chapter 11: Memory; The Nature Of Memory: What Is Retained, The Physical Basis Of Memory, How We Remember, Dependence Of Memory On Brain Quality, The Four Factors Involved In Memory: Registration, Tetention, Recall, Recognition, The Stuff Of Memory: Images As The Material Of Memory, Images Vary As To Type, Other Memory Material, Laws Underlying Memory: The Law Of Association, The Law Of Repetition, The Law Of Decency, The Law Of Vividness, Rules For Using The Memory: Wholes Versus Parts, Rate Of Forgetting, Divided Practice, Forcing The Memory To Act, Not A Memory, But Memories, What Constitutes A Good Memory: A Good Memory Selects Its Material, A Good Memory Requires Good Thinking, Memory Must Be Specialized, Memory Devices: The Effects Of Cramming, Remembering Isolated Facts, Mnemonic Devices, Problems In Observation And Introspection; Chapter 12: Thinking; Different Types Of Thinking: Chance Or Idle Thinking, Uncritical Belief, Assimilative Thinking, Deliberative Thinking, The Function Of Thinking: Meaning Depends On Relations, The Function Of Thinking Is To Discover Relations, Near And Remote Relations, Child And Adult Thinking, The Mechanism Of Thinking: Sensation And Percepts As Elements In Thinking, The Concept: The Concepts Serve To Group And Classify, Growth Of A Concept, Definition Of Concept, Language And The Concept, The Necessity For Growing Concepts, Judgment: Natue Of Judgment, Judgment Used In Percepts And Concepts, Judgment Leads To General Truths, The Validity Of Judgements, Reasoning: Nature Of Reasoning, How Judgements Function In Reasoning, Deductin And The Syllogism, Induction, The Necessity For Broad Induction, The Interrelation Of Induction And Deduction, Problems In Observation And Introspection; Chapter 13: Instinct; The Nature Of Instinct: The Baber S Dependence On Instinct, Definition Of Instinct, Instincts Are Racial Habits, Unmodified Instinct Is Blind, Law Of The Appearance