The human amygdala and awareness: The interaction of emotion and cognition

Elizabeth A. Phelps, Department of Psychology,

New York University, NY, USA

The relation between emotion and cognition has been widely debated in psychology and philosophy. Recent evidence from neuroscience is beginning to inform this debate by identifying brain structures that are specialized for emotion, yet interact with cognitive processes. In this talk, I will review what has been learned about the interaction of emotion and cognition from studies of the human amygdala, focusing in the amygdala's role in learning, memory and attention.