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Read more about Psychology as a Biological Science

Psychology as a Biological Science

(11 reviews)

Robert Biswas-Diener, Portland State University

Ed Diener, Universities of Utah

Copyright Year: 2020

Publisher: Noba

Language: English

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Reviews

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Reviewed by Angela Mar, Lecturer, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on 12/14/21

The text does not provide an index nor references list. Moreover, the text is missing an integral part of biological psychology: the neuron. Students must first understand how the neuron works and the structure of the neuron to better understand... read more

Reviewed by Hilary Stebbins, Associate Professor Psychological Sciences, University of Mary Washington on 7/1/20

This text covered a number of sub-fields of biological psychology that I would want to expose students to. However, despite the fact that there was in an-depth module on hormones and behavior, the text neglected to include a module about neural... read more

Reviewed by Melanie Peffer, Research Associate, University of Colorado Boulder on 6/11/20

This text covers a wide range of interesting topics and could be useful in a wide variety of educational contexts. However, I feel that many of the topics are too advanced for an introductory psychology course. read more

Reviewed by Beth Mechlin, Associate Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience, Earlham College on 12/19/19

This textbook has some really interesting modules. There is a decent amount about biological psychology, and it may work well for an Introduction to Psychology course. However, I do not think it has enough detail for a Brain and Behavior (or... read more

Reviewed by Katherine Hebert, Assistant Professor, Colorado State University on 12/6/19

This book would provide appropriate depth for a 300-level course, but not a 400-level. There is no description of neurons, synaptic communication, long-term potentiation, etc. So essentially the book gives a good overview of the important topics,... read more

Reviewed by Casey Henley, Assistant Professor, Michigan State University on 11/18/19

This text covers a broad range of psychology topics and provides a biological aspect to each. The detail and depth provided for each topic, though, ranges considerably throughout the book. Additionally, the addition of some topics, specifically... read more

Reviewed by Chris Linn, Associate Professor, SUNO on 4/4/19

For a special topics course, this book is appropriately comprehensive. It covers everything I would expect from a course on the biological underpinnings of human behavior and is not limited to a physiological perspective. As an introductory... read more

Reviewed by Scott Bowen, Professor, Wayne State University on 12/7/18

This somewhat comprehensive textbook would be appropriate for an introduction to psychology as a biological science. While it covers a number of major areas of basic biological psychology with some in-depth discussion, there are some are some... read more

Reviewed by Chelsea McCoy Asadorian, Instructor, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University on 2/1/18

This textbook is very comprehensive in my opinion. It covers all the major areas of basic psychology and includes some in-depth discussion of examples within these. For example, within biological basis on behavior, there are discussions on both... read more

Reviewed by Patti Harrison, Lecturer, Virginia Tech on 6/20/17

I found this textbook to be quite comprehensive, including the "traditional" topics usually covered in a biopsychology text , but also adding fascinating chapters on topics such as epigenetics and aging. The coverage of the material seemed... read more

Reviewed by Richard Deyo, Professor, Winona State University on 8/21/16

If a comprehensive introduction to psychology as a biological science is expected from this 40-module open textbook, the reader will be disappointed. This is because each topic has been given unexpectedly cursory coverage. For example, recalling... read more

Table of Contents

  • Psychology as Science
  • Biological Basis of Behavior
  • Sensation and Perception
  • Learning and Memory
  • Cognition and Language
  • Development
  • Social
  • Personality
  • Emotions and Motivation
  • Psychological Disorders
  • Well-Being

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About the Book

This textbook provides standard introduction to psychology course content with a specific emphasis on biological aspects of psychology. This includes more content related to neuroscience methods, the brain and the nervous system. This book can be modified: feel free to add or remove modules to better suit your specific needs. Please note that the publisher requires you to login to access and download the PDF.

About the Contributors

Editors

Robert Biswas-Diener has written a number of books including Happiness: Unlocking the mysteries of psychological wealth and The Courage Quotient. He is senior editor for the free-textbook platform, Noba.

Ed Diener is a psychologist, professor, and author. Diener is a professor of psychology at the Universities of Utah and Virginia, and Joseph R. Smiley Distinguished Professor Emeritus from the University of Illinois as well as a senior scientist for the Gallup Organization. 

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