Biological Psychology - Softcover

Higgs, Suzanne; Cooper, Alison; Lee, Jonathan; Harris, Mike

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0857022628 ISBN 13: 9780857022622

Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd, 2014

Synopsis

Written to guide undergraduate students new to brain and behaviour through the key biological concepts that determine how we act, Biological Psychology provides a comprehensive introduction to the subject. It includes detailed coverage of sensation, movement, sleep, eating and emotions, with further chapters on the biological basis of psychological disorders and the effects of drug-taking.

Uniquely, the authors emphasize the importance of learning and memory as a key thread throughout and include advanced chapters on key research areas that push discussion further and encourage critical thinking, making this book appropriate for undergraduates studying biological psychology at any level.

Key features include:

• ‘Spotlights’ offering insights into key areas of research that expose the most important developing issues in the field today  
• A clear structure including roadmaps and key points for each chapter to ease navigation through the book and understanding of the links between concepts
• Full colour presentation to bring the topics to life through clear and comprehensive illustrations and diagrams
• A companion website at study.sagepub.com/higgs with a range of materials for instructors and students

About this title

About the Author:

Suzanne Higgs is a Professor in the Psychobiology of Appetite at the School of Psychology at the University of Birmingham. Suzanne has a degree in Psychology, Physiology and Philosophy from the University of Oxford. Suzanne′s PhD work was conducted at the University of Durham on the psychopharmacology of appetite. Suzanne completed post-doctoral work at University of Oxford on the neural bases of learning and memory with Nicholas Rawlins and Susan Greenfield and was then appointed to a lectureship in psychology at the University of Birmingham. Her current position is Professor in the Psychobiology of Appetite.

Dr Alison Cooper is a Senior Lecturer and the Deputy Programme Director at the Institute of Clinical Sciences at the University of Birmingham. A lifelong interest in biology resulted in Alison Cooper reading for a degree in Natural Sciences. During this a developing interest in neuroscience led to a PhD in the laboratory of Alan Crossman in the neuroanatomy department at the University of Manchester. The laboratory had a reputation for work elucidating the neuroanatomical and neurochemical basis of basal ganglia an dysfunction, particularly in relation to movement. The behavioural pharmacology aspects of the PhD required Alison to acquire skills which, at the time, were going out of fashion, but which are now recognised to be deficient in the science base, particularly in relation to drug discovery. Subsequent post doctoral positions continued with the basal ganglia focus and included work on behavioural pharmacology but with a shift in focus to the motivational functions believed to be mediated by these structures. This was followed by a period looking at the electrophysiological properties of neurones of the basal ganglia correlated with their neurochemistry. During the post doctoral phase, Alison was required to undertake some teaching and, to her initial surprise, enjoyed this and actively sought out more teaching opportunities. This led to her being appointed as a teaching fellow at Birmingham which became a lectureship followed by promotion to senior lecturer on the basis of the extent and expertise required for her diverse teaching and administrative role.
Jonathan Lee is a a Reader at the School of Psychology at the University of Birmingham. Jonathan has spent all of his formative years at the University of Cambridge. After completing his undergraduate degree in Natural Sciences (Neuroscience), he undertook a PhD in the Department of Experimental Psychology under the supervision of Professor Barry Everitt. He continued as a post-doc in Prof Everitt′s lab, before becoming a Lecturer in the Department of Experimental Psychology prior to his move to Birmingham in 2008.

Review:

The style is very clear and readable: it made me want to continue reading. I would recommend this for students who find the subject particularly difficult, and who struggle to get a firm grasp of the basics. -- Dr Laura Brown

I really like the writing style – easy to read but contains the necessary information for first- and second-year students. The spotlights are really good and make it possible for interested students to dig deeper. -- Dr Håkan Fischer

Students commencing a university course in psychology are often thought to find the presence of ‘statistics’ the most unwelcome surprise, but it could be argued that the presence of psychobiology can be just as alarming for others. For these students, getting to grips with sophisticated biological science, as well as the complex methods used to measure and assess our biological ability, can be a very challenging matter.
All this is worth mentioning because the book under review deals with such anxiety by explaining things in an admirably clear manner, furnishing excellent examples and moving from the elementary to the much more complex elements in such a way that should see it becoming one of the standard textbooks in this area. -- Deaglan Page, School of Psychology, Queen’s University Belfast, Ireland

About this edition

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0857022628
• ISBN 13: 9780857022622
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 504