The ability to read minds has long been a fascination of science fiction, but revolutionary new brain-imaging methods are bringing it closer to scientific reality. The New Mind Readers provides a compelling look at the origins, development, and future of these extraordinary tools, revealing how they are increasingly being used to decode our thoughts and experiences—and how this raises sometimes troubling questions about their application in domains such as marketing, politics, and the law.
Russell Poldrack takes readers on a journey of scientific discovery, telling the stories of the visionaries behind these breakthroughs. Along the way, he gives an insider’s perspective on what is perhaps the single most important technology in cognitive neuroscience today—functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, which is providing astonishing new insights into the contents and workings of the mind. He highlights both the amazing power and major limitations of these techniques and describes how applications outside the lab often exceed the bounds of responsible science. Poldrack also details the unique and sometimes disorienting experience of having his own brain scanned more than a hundred times as part of a landmark study of how human brain function changes over time.
Written by one of the world’s leading pioneers in the field, The New Mind Readers cuts through the hype and misperceptions surrounding these emerging new methods, offering needed perspective on what they can and cannot do—and demonstrating how they can provide new answers to age-old questions about the nature of consciousness and what it means to be human.
"The New Mind Readers will teach you some things about the brain. More important, it may also teach you how to use one."—Matthew Hutson, Wall Street Journal
"In his book The New Mind Readers, Russell Poldrack . . . present[s] a clear and engaging overview of what neuroimaging can and cannot tell us about a person’s thoughts, perceptions, and intentions. Going beyond basic mechanisms, Poldrack tackles a number of fundamental questions about the research process, data interpretation, and applications for everyday life."—Daphne A. Robinson, Science
"Poldrack is an ideal guide [to fMRI methods]. . . . His enthusiasm for them is clear, as is his frustration at how their data have been misinterpreted and abused."—Chris Baker, Nature
"This is a useful book."—George Shortess, Leonardo Review
“With both broad and deep expertise, Poldrack has written a page-turner about the sense and nonsense of modern brain imaging research. Thirty years of studies are made comprehensible and downright inspiring. A fantastic book for both the novice and the professional!”—Michael S. Gazzaniga, author of The Consciousness Instinct: Unraveling the Mystery of How the Brain Makes the Mind
“Poldrack has written a clear and informative road map for understanding how scientists use functional magnetic resonance imaging to peer into thinking and feeling brains. He sketches the fault lines of several major debates in the field and equips readers to decide for themselves. This book is a must-read for lawyers, economists, educators, and anyone interested in translating this exciting research into real-world uses.”—Lisa Feldman Barrett, author of How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain
“This book is fantastic. It’s concise and detailed at the same time, and easily understandable for all. It will serve as a great resource for student researchers, for established scientists who are outside the field, and for the interested layperson.”—Daniel J. Levitin, author of Weaponized Lies: How to Think Critically in the Post-Truth Era
“Poldrack takes us on an electrifying journey, giving us the insider’s skinny on how brain scans work, what they can reveal when used skillfully, and their limitations both now and in the future. All this makes for a compelling and easy read even for the neuro-novice. The New Mind Readers is bound to be a classic.”—Patricia S. Churchland, author of Braintrust: What Neuroscience Tells Us about Morality
“Poldrack tells a highly accessible and engaging story about the modern history of fMRI and how it has revolutionized how we think about human brains and their relation to behavior. He leaves the reader with a very balanced perspective on the strengths—but also the limitations—of the methodology. The New Mind Readers is a pleasure to read.”—Joseph T. Devlin, University College London
“The New Mind Readers is going to do more to shape the general public’s view of brain imaging than anything that has come before it. This is an important book.”—Kenneth Norman, Princeton University
