Physiology of Behavior

by Neil R. Carlson

An up-to-date, comprehensive, and accessible overview of behavioral neuroscience
Physiology of Behavior  provides a scholarly yet accessible portrait of the dynamic interaction between biology and behavior. Lead author Neil Carlson and new co-author Melissa Birkett drew upon their experience teaching and working with students to create the new edition of this comprehensive and accessible guide for students of behavioral neuroscience. In addition to updated research, the  Twelfth Edition  offers an updated art and visual program and a more robust learning architecture that highlights key concepts, guiding students through the text.

Genres: Psychology, Textbooks, Neuroscience, Nonfiction, Science, Biology, Reference

734 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Morgan Blackledge]

Yes it took me over a year to finish this book.

It also took me over a year to finish the course I was reading it for.

It was a blood letting.

But I have to say.

Worth every excruciating minute.

Real solid text book.

I liked Kylat’s Biological Psychology better.

But this is a really good solid textbook.

[Octa]

No nonsense, dry like the Sahara, but manages a difficult exercise. In an era where social constructivism flies high, this book is a summary of the research, dry conclusion after dry conclusion, citation after citation, of how very biological factors such as hormones, physiology, prenatal exposure and such influence human behaviour. Animal studies are mentioned as well. Conclusions are sometimes contextualised which helps to understand what the stats say and don't say.

The book is however not essentialist, it leaves room where room needs to be left to consider the influence of culture, but also doesn't beat around the bush when the science is pretty clear on the influence of biology on behaviour (like gendered toy choices in children and even primates) - which is an equilibrium that's not easy to achieve.

[Charles]

I've used this book as the text in teaching my physiological psychology class ever since I started back in 1986. This is the latest edition. One of the clearest and most complete textbooks out there. Excellent work.

[Sandra]

This is a fabulous overview text. It is well laid out, has good illustrations and case studies.

[Arthur J C Vickers]

I used the 5th edition of this book when I studied Neuroscience in the 1990's. This year I bought the 12th edition and read it cover-to-cover. What a great overview of current Neuroscience research! Fantastic book! (I'm a programmer now, but I still love neuroscience. :-))

[Ali]

FINALLY. bleedin textbooks, why you take so long to read, huh?

[Chrissy]

A wonderful text! Very informative, well-written, and well organized.

[August Rackham]

Perhaps because I purchased the 13th edition that was called the "global edition" there were more errors than if I had purchased the 12th edition. The publisher's may have tried to merge two iterations of this book because sometimes halfway through a passage the person's name would change.

Aside from the obvious editing errors, the book provides the information needed to excel in my physio psych course. Of course, it's dry so credit to my professor for lecturing well.

[Karen Machin]

Good information. I used Pearson plus as they have real people reading the book which helped plus extra visual content. The writing and organization of several sections of the book could be improved to help understanding and clarity of concepts

[David Garces]

i wanna read this book' can anyone share it

[Sigurdur]

A truly excellent textbook.

[Gina Marie]

Informative but too many topics covered. Each chapter could have been its own book. I followed the information, but I don’t feel like I learned much.

[Mihrdāt]

درسته که pdf خوندن این کتاب چشمام رو از کاسه درآورد ولی واقعاً تکست‌بوک فوق‌العاده‌ و جامعی بود.

[faith]

course ended on chapter 15. lots of info but interesting.

[Lee Caterson]

Yes, its a textbook, but a pretty accessible one, but still a textbook.

[Marstormhiccup]

It was complex yet quite manageable to read. It helped me immensely to pass my psychobiology course, I can not thank Neil R. Carlson enough.

[Genevieve]

Read the 13th edition

[Zara]

the relief to be done with this textbook is huge

[cas]

i love the little quips the author makes but also this textbook is saving my ass rn so 5 stars

[Andrew]

Very well organized and a good treatment of the various topics in behavioral neuroscience.

Didn't read the entire text, since it was condensed for a course, but I may go back and read some more selected topics that I'm interested in for my career progression.

[Lisa]

I passed my exam!😊

[Paul Easton]

If you want to learn about physiological psychology this seems like the place to start. It is long and dense but readable and well organized, and seeded with interesting anecdotal topics. It didn't say enough about anatomy for my purposes but anatomy is difficult and boring so I'm sure it will be enough for most people.

[Nariyah Moonshadow]

M'he llegit la vuitena edició i m'ha encantat. Presenta una visió amplia del funcionament del Sistema Nerviós explicacions molt senzilles i fàcils d'entendre. Si us interessa endinsar-vos en el coneixement del funcionament del cervell aquest és el vostre manual.

[Kerry]

Very informative text, invaluable to students studying any aspect of Biological Psychology. Probably a bit too indepth for those starting out - but presevere and reap the satisfaction of reading one of the better books for this branch of Psychology.

[Jenna]

I found this text extremely elementary. Probably useful if you're just beginning to explore neuroscience and behaviour, however it will not take you very far. It does explain topics very clearly with good diagrams.

[Krystal]

Amazingly fascinating! Loved this textbook and learned so much. Although some of it was incredibly scientific that made it hard to comprehend it had wonderful portions that made everything understandable. Loved this textbook.

[Leigh]

Had to read this for my Psycho-pharmacology class, so I can't really say I liked it. However, it was very informative. It went into a lot of detail about neurotransmitters & specific disorders. I'll probably keep it around for quick reference.

[Diazina]

This has been my favourite textbook of all time, and the first I read cover-to-cover. Well laid-out, comprehensive, and engagingly written to the point of boasting a few laugh-out-loud moments. Excellent introduction to the interface between Physiology, Neurology, and Psychology.

[Natasha]

I'm reading this strictly for class, however, the mind is fascinating, you know? If you happen to pick up this book for some reason, do the blind spot exercise on Pg. 173. Amazing!

[Pablo Costa wegsman]

Brillante análisis de la empatía como medio para un sociedad más justa (¿Más humana?)...