Biological psychology free ebook

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 The coverage of the material seemed ideally appropriate for a or level course for psychology and biology majors, including higher level concepts that required understanding from other areas of science, not just biology and chemistry.

I did notice one glaring absence - a chapter covering the neuron and how it fires, as well as the function of glial cells - also something I could easily provdie myself, but unusual to be missing from a biopsychology text. While many higher-order concepts were covered, it is highly unusual to find any physiological psychology text that does not discuss the neuron because it is the basic unit of the nervous system and understadning its physiology is essential to such areas as sensroy function and psychopharmacology.

The index at the end of the book was quite thorough. However the glossaries were placed at the end of each chapter, and, as with the content of the chapters, varied in thoroughness - also a very easily corrected problem for any adaptations of the text. Given the rate at which information changes in the field of neuroscience, I was impressed with its accuracy and inclusiveness. I found this book to contain coverage of topics that are currently on the front line of investigation, such as entrainment and the psychophysiology of emotion, with a high degree of accuracy.

As I previously mentioned, the very basic concepts of cell firing and maintaining the resting potential of the neuron were completely absent from discussion anywhere int his text. I found the chapter on psychopharmacology to be particularly short, offering only the most simplistic introduction to the topic, whereas it is central to the field of psychology, particularly clinical psychology. Almost all clients are on psychoactive medications and the therapist should have a slightly better than average understanding of how these drugs work.

This text will provide only an introductory psychology level perspective on that area. The writing was very engaging, something to be treasured in the STEM fields, where emphasis is usually more on the information being presented than on the style in which it is being presented.

Since each chapter had a different author s , this varied, but only slightly across chapters. The consistency across chapters is poor.

Some writers are clearly masters of their fields and provide extremely well-written and detailed accounts of their field, while others write short, concise introductions to their area, but leave the reader with little "meat to chew on.

The book's modularity is what contributes to the ease of which one could address its omissions. Modules were complete and did not rely on other modules in order to fit well into the scheme of things.

I would find this book easy to adapt to my own purposes, supplementing when I thought necessary and omitting topics that I did not consider particularly relevant to the course, without taking away from the "book" quality of the text. The overall flow of the book was good. Chapters were organized in such a way that the topics seemed to flow logically from one to the next. There was some duplication in coverage, but this makes omitting certain chapters easier if the instructor wants to include other material without losing all of the material from any particular chapter.

I accessed the book as a pdf requiring Adobe Acrobat and printed selected topics for closer inspection. Both methods permitted me to find exactly what I wanted when I wanted it. It ws very easy to move throughout the book by just sliding my mouse. Between the table of contents and the index, I had no trouble locating particular terms or concepts. The grammar was excellent - and I am a grammar gestapo, according to my students.

These folks do not only write well, but they write in grammatically correct English - a rare finding in my opinion. Given the biological nature of the book, I did not find it to be biased toward any particular culture. I very much enjoyed reading this text and will probably adopt it for my physiological psychology text the next time I teach the course. If a comprehensive introduction to psychology as a biological science is expected from this module open textbook, the reader will be disappointed.

This is because each topic has been given unexpectedly cursory coverage. For example, recalling Comprehensiveness rating: 1 see less. For example, recalling that the title of the book promises to inform students about psychology as a biological science, the glossary contains no definitions for the terms neuron, nerve cell, or glial cell.

Unfortunately, there really is very little about this book that would appeal to a professor wishing to take the neuroscience approach to the teaching of an Introductory Psychology course. The lack of depth extends to most topics. For example, the discussion of research methods fails to include a discussion of the different types of research designs or their interpretation, nor is there even a discussion of independent or dependent variables despite the reference to those undefined terms in a later chapter.

The figures and graphics in this text are largely ineffective as tools for clarifying concepts. For example, there is no detailed diagram of how a neuron works, or even an image of how one looks, but there are two different photographs of a finger with a string tied around it page and page The student is not provided with adequate information to understand difficult concepts such as neurotransmission, but is treated to numerous appealing images of babies, families, and puppies.

The material that was included was generally accurate. However there were a few minor inaccuracies in the discussion of the brain that were mainly due to oversimplification. This book is no more vulnerable to longevity issues than any other. It will need to be updated annually. I did use the search feature on the PDF reader to check out the age of the sources and it appears that the chapters are largely updated thru the end of with three sources from So a revision will be needed at the end of to keep current.

The lack of depth in many of the early chapters creates serious issues with clarity in later chapters. For example, the failure to define and discuss research designs creates a problem in later chapters that refer to experimental designs e. The authors of later chapters appear to assume that the students have a working knowledge that is probably not there unless it has been covered in supplemental materials outside of this book.

This work needed a strong editor. Some chapters were very shallow and other chapters were assuming a depth of knowledge that was at a much higher level. The book reads as if it were aimed at two different groups of students. The book is clearly organized into independent modules. The problem, however, is that the content in any one module is inadequate to cover that topic without extensive use of outside materials.

Said another way the modules themselves fail to give the students adequate content to come prepared to discuss in lecture. The free PDF version was cumbersome to navigate. The images and figures that are included with one or two exceptions are clear and can be enlarged without too much distortion. The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way. It is inclusive of diverse races, ethnicities, and backgrounds.

I read this text after completing a training webinar that had me fired up to try an open textbook. I was further encouraged by the fact that one of the contributors has written a textbook I had previously used and valued. Maybe my expectations were too high. I came in with over 25 years of experience teaching with high quality commercially edited and reviewed textbooks. This open textbook is not in any way comparable in quality to any text I have used previously. I now have a renewed appreciation for the editorial process and I guess it is true that you get what you pay for.

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. 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. Content Accuracy rating: 4 I found the text unbiased and straightforward. Clarity rating: 3 There are some modules that are too in depth and thus don't quite fit into a textbook that should be an overview of biological psychology.

Consistency rating: 4 I like how the modules fit into a framework that flows well and organized to enhance students success. Modularity rating: 4 The text is divided into major topics consisting of several modules.

Interface rating: 4 I did not come across any interface issues, but I only interacted with the onlin version of the textbook. Grammatical Errors rating: 5 I did not notice any grammatical errors within the textbook. Cultural Relevance rating: 3 I would like to see more culturally significant examples throughout the modules. Content Accuracy rating: 4 The material that is present seems accurate and I appreciate that each module is written by somebody with expertise in that field, helping to ensure a more accurate representation of the material.

Clarity rating: 3 The clarity of the information is dependent on the module that you are using. Consistency rating: 3 Despite each module being written by a different author, the overall structure is similar and it is easy to find things like learning objectives and discussion questions for each.

Modularity rating: 5 The modular organization of the text is one of its most appealing aspects, as each can easily be assigned as a stand alone component. Interface rating: 5 I found the interface to be easily navigable and was able to find relevant information quickly.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5 I did not notice any grammatical errors. Overall the writing was strong with good editing. Cultural Relevance rating: 3 This text takes a fairly western perspective, although it does attempt to include pictures of a number of cultures and backgrounds to convey its inclusivity. Content Accuracy rating: 5 Content was accurate and error-free.

Clarity rating: 3 Clarity varies depending on the section. Consistency rating: 4 Each module uses a similar framework and identifies key terms which are included in a vocabulary section. Modularity rating: 5 The course has clearly delineated modules by topic area, and each module is clearly broken up into submodules.

Interface rating: 3 Images and text displayed clearly, but there were navigation problems present on several of the pages. Grammatical Errors rating: 5 I did not note any grammatical errors. Cultural Relevance rating: 5 The images used included a variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Content Accuracy rating: 5 Content appears to be accurate.

Clarity rating: 4 Most of this textbook is clear and easy to understand. Consistency rating: 5 Most terms and general organization appear consistent throughout the book. Modularity rating: 5 This textbook is very modular. Interface rating: 5 Easy to navigate to different topics. Cultural Relevance rating: 3 I did not find this textbook to be offensive or insensitive.

Content Accuracy rating: 5 The content seems accurate and sources are cited well. Clarity rating: 5 The book is generally consistently clear throughout; I think an undergraduate would be able to follow along successfully, and the embedded videos and links would be a helpful resource.

Consistency rating: 3 There are certainly some inconsistencies from chapter to chapter, and this could potentially be jarring for students. Modularity rating: 4 This varies from chapter to chapter. Interface rating: 5 Interface was pretty clean. Grammatical Errors rating: 5 Hardly any typos. Cultural Relevance rating: 4 I did not come across anything that could be construed as offensive. Comments These chapters would be a great addition to a level course, and maybe a level course, but would not be sufficient for a level course.

Content Accuracy rating: 4 The material in this text was accurate, but the level of detail of each chapter varies quite a bit. Clarity rating: 4 The text is well written, but the variation in level of detail throughout the chapters may lead to confusion at times. Consistency rating: 3 There is variation in the level of consistency among chapters. Modularity rating: 4 The text lends itself well to modular use. Interface rating: 5 I had no issues related to the interface.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5 I found no grammatical errors. Cultural Relevance rating: 5 The text did not appear to be culturally insensitive or offensive. Peter J. Easy to Read By Isa I bought this book for my bio. It is very user friendly and offers detailed images of neurons both drawn and Product Description Dr. James W. Throughout all eleven editions, Kalat's goal has been to make biological psychology accessible to psychology students, not just to biology majors and pre-meds.

Another goal has been to convey the excitement of the search for biological explanations of behavi Ad veri latine efficiantur quo, ea vix nisl euismod explicari. Mel prima vivendum aliquando ut.

Sit suscipit tincidunt no, ei usu pertinax molestiae assentior. Justyna A short but with lovely book for fans of both authors, but also a lot of insight into freedom of speach, creativity and the importance of libraries. Some words to take to heart, some words to live by, some words to get more liberated in the pursuit of artistic endeavours.

Definitely a good thing to read. You don't know it yet, but it's likely you need this book. Emily May I was hesitant to buy Biological Psychologythis release based on some of the reviews but finally decided to pull the trigger. This book seemed like the only official publication that was going to give me that so I finally bought it.

Drews I'm pretty sure Kalat, James W. Like this duology has totally filled my creative well. I am heart eyes and my heart so so full and!!!!