Biological Psychology [Revised Edition]

Reviewed by Jeremy Loebach, Associate Professor, St. Olaf College on 1/18/26

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This is a really nice open version of standard Biopsychology textbooks. I find it to be comprehensive but not overly dense. There is sufficient detail to help students get the general concepts prior to lecture, without having so much text that it bogs them down in the reading and note taking processes prior to class. No single textbook can cover everything given that the field is so broad, but I find this text to be comprehensive but short enough to supplement with primary literature or video clips without overburdening the students.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

All of the material here is accurate and well cited and supported by the scientific literature.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

I think that the text is pretty good in this regard. They do include treatment of more recent techniques (optogenetics) and AI, but there is always room for expansion. I do find the text to be sufficient in this regard to allow me to supplement readings.

Clarity rating: 4

The writing is very clear and concise. The figures and diagrams are pretty effective in getting the main ideas across to students, but not so overly detailed that I feel the need to include them directly in my lecture overheads. That is to say, I feel fully comfortable in using them to develop a basic student understanding to the point that I can present new figures and graphics to expand on that basis.

Consistency rating: 4

I found some sections to be more detailed than others, but this works effectively here. Some for profit textbooks that I have used are overly detailed seemingly for the sake of balance, but that this is not always helpful to the students. I think this book avoids those traps, and allows me to supplement as I see the need.

Modularity rating: 5

The chapters are well contained and fit easily into my course structure. I find them to be well structured topically, which will make integration into the course quite seamless and easy.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Old habits die hard, and I have been teaching this course with a similar structure and presentation since the early 2000's. That said, this book deviates a little from that structure, but that does not mean that my structure is right or the books structure is wrong. The modularity of the chapters allow me to easily shuffle things around which makes the organization adaptable to individual professor needs.

Interface rating: 5

Easy navigation and effective links. I found no issues with any of this.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

Well written and edited. I did not find any glaring issues at all.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

I think this book does a nice job with the cultural references and representations. No book I have used nails this piece, so I would rank this text as comparable to the better textbooks. There images and examples are appropriate and sufficiently broad and representative to be effective.

Having used a number of for profit books over the years, I found this text to be quite refreshing in its scope and coverage as well as in its balance of length and breadth. I have chosen to adopt it for my Biopsychology courses this upcoming semester and would recommend anyone considering using an open text for their courses to give this one a look.

Reviewed by Jay Schwartz, Assistant Professor, Western Oregon University on 6/25/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

It is impossible to adequately cover all areas of biopsychology in a single text, and some key areas such as comparative psychology are missing. However, the text recognizes this, and the authors justifiably limit the scope of the text mostly to physiological psychology. Notably lacking are cognitive neuroscience as well as sensation and perception.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The text is accurate including recognizing where nuance and uncertainty exist.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The text mostly focuses on classic findings which are supported by converging sources of evidence and are very unlikely to be overturned. The chapter on research methods is likely to eventually become outdated, but should remain relevant for the foreseeable future barring major revolutions in technology. Inevitably the text includes statements that certain processes or phenomena are currently not well understood (especially in the later chapters), which may require in some cases extensive revisions as the field progresses.

Clarity rating: 3

Each chapter covers its topic with a lot of detail, but little (note: not zero) explanation or scaffolding. As a result, throughout the text, a student reader might be left overwhelmed or confused about the material, and/or wondering why a given bit of information matters or how it relates to a broader concept. Some chapters (like the chapter on genes) seemed better suited to intro-level students while others (like the chapter on hormones and behavior) included more jargon with less context.

Consistency rating: 5

The text consistently adopts a biological framework in which psychological phenomena are understood as underpinned by physiological activity. It does a good job of conveying this lens to students.

Modularity rating: 4

Subsections are generally brief and easy to assign specific ones based on the instructor’s needs. Chapter sections vary widely in length, with some spanning only 1-2 pages and stating that a particular field of research exists rather than reviewing it.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The early chapters cover foundational knowledge such as brain anatomy and basic neurophysiology, while the middle and later chapters cover higher-level and applied topics.

Interface rating: 5

I did notice any interface issues.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not notice any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

The first chapter contains a section explaining the value of diversity in the discipline.

As mentioned above, due to the density of detail in some areas and the lack of scaffolding, students might be left overwhelmed or confused about the material. On the other hand, its brevity makes it easy to get through, and a first exposure to these concepts can help students even if it doesn’t make complete sense to them on a first pass. But if I were using this as the primary text in a course, I would think of lecture as the main avenue for student learning. I could also see this text being very useful as a reference to someone who has already learned this material.