Biology Brains And Behavior

This volume examines the connections between the evolution of the human brain and behaviour.

In the past few decades, sources of inspiration in the multidisciplinary field of cognitive science have widened. In addition to ongoing vital work in cognitive and affective neuroscience, important new work is being conducted at the intersection of psychology and the biological sciences in general. This volume offers an overview of the cross-disciplinary integration of evolutionary and developmental approaches to cognition in light of these exciting new contributions from the life sciences. This research has explored many cognitive abilities in a wide range of organisms and developmental stages, and results have revealed the nature and origin of many instances of the cognitive life of organisms. Each section of this book deals with a key domain of cognition: spatial cognition; the relationships among attention, perception, and learning, representations of numbers and economic values; and social cognition. Contributors discuss each topic from the perspectives of psychology and neuroscience, brain theory and modeling, evolutionary theory, ecology, genetics, and developmental science.

The book introduces a radically new way of thinking about information and the important role it plays in living systems. It opens up new avenues for exploring how cells and organisms change and adapt, since the ability to detect and respond to meaningful information is the key that enables them to receive their genetic heritage, regulate their internal milieu, and respond to changes in their environment. It also provides a way of resolving Descartes’ dilemma by explaining the workings of the brain in non-mechanical terms that are not tainted by spiritual or metaphysical beliefs. The types of meaningful information that different species and different cell types are able to detect are finely matched to the ecosystem in which they live, for natural selection has shaped what they need to know to function effectively in those circumstances. Biological detection and response systems range from the chemical configurations that govern genes and cell life to the relatively simple tropisms that guide single-cell organisms, the rudimentary nervous systems of invertebrates, and the complex neuronal structures of mammals and primates. The scope of meaningful information that can be detected and responded to reaches its peak in our own species, as exemplified by our special abilities in language, cognition, emotion, and consciousness, all of which are explored within this new framework.

The author adopts a reader-friendly writing style and excellent use of examples to present daunting material in a way students will find exciting instead of burdensome. The text focuses attention on behavior (in preference to physiological mechanisms) and practical human implications, which are reinforced with frequent examples and case studies that keep students engaged in the learning process. Technical details are limited where possible and retained with careful explanations where they enhance understanding. Topics often presented separately are now integrated with other subjects to provide for more meaningful and more interesting discussions. Integration of subjects include language with audition, taste with hunger, olfaction with sexual behavior, and (aspects of) pain with emotion. The more interesting psychological applications (e.g. drugs, sex, emotion) are introduced earlier than in other textbooks to engage the students before plunging into the more technical aspects of the subject. BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR: AN INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY comes packaged with a FREE BioPsych CD that allows students to connect directly to the Wadsworth Psychology Resource Center, work through the quiz items, and explore relevant Web links.

“An engaging and complex examination of the development of the human brain throughout its evolutionary history” (Publishers Weekly). After several million years of jostling for ecological space, only one survivor from a host of hominid species remains standing: us. Human beings are extraordinary creatures, and it is the unprecedented human brain that makes them so. In this delightfully accessible book, the authors present the first full, step-by-step account of the evolution of the brain and nervous system. Tapping the very latest findings in evolutionary biology, neuroscience, and molecular biology, Rob DeSalle and Ian Tattersall explain how the cognitive gulf that separates us from all other living creatures could have occurred. They discuss • The development and uniqueness of human consciousness • How human and nonhuman brains work • The roles of different nerve cells • The importance of memory and language in brain functions, and much more Our brains, they conclude, are the product of a lengthy and supremely untidy history—an evolutionary process of many zigs and zags—that has accidentally resulted in a splendidly eccentric and creative product.

A unique synthesis of breakthrough research, this landmark book shatters myths about the causes of aggression, maintaining that the roots of violent behavior lie in the way the brain works.

New York Times bestseller • Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize • One of the Washington Post's 10 Best Books of the Year “It’s no exaggeration to say that Behave is one of the best nonfiction books I’ve ever read.” —David P. Barash, The Wall Street Journal "It has my vote for science book of the year.” —Parul Sehgal, The New York Times "Immensely readable, often hilarious...Hands-down one of the best books I’ve read in years. I loved it." —Dina Temple-Raston, The Washington Post From the bestselling author of A Primate's Memoir and the forthcoming Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will comes a landmark, genre-defining examination of human behavior and an answer to the question: Why do we do the things we do? Behave is one of the most dazzling tours d’horizon of the science of human behavior ever attempted. Moving across a range of disciplines, Sapolsky—a neuroscientist and primatologist—uncovers the hidden story of our actions. Undertaking some of our thorniest questions relating to tribalism and xenophobia, hierarchy and competition, and war and peace, Behave is a towering achievement—a majestic synthesis of cutting-edge research and a heroic exploration of why we ultimately do the things we do . . . for good and for ill.

Ignite your excitement about behavioral neuroscience with Brain & Behavior: An Introduction to Behavioral Neuroscience, Fifth Edition by best-selling author Bob Garrett and new co-author Gerald Hough. Garrett and Hough make the field accessible by inviting readers to explore key theories and scientific discoveries using detailed illustrations and immersive examples as their guide. Spotlights on case studies, current events, and research findings help readers make connections between the material and their own lives. A study guide, revised artwork, new animations, and an accompanying interactive eBook stimulate deep learning and critical thinking.

Offering a summary of the current state of knowledge in autism research, Defining Autism looks at the different genetic, neurological and environmental causes of, and contributory factors to autism. It takes a wide-ranging view of developmental and genetic factors, and considers autism's relationship with other conditions such as epilepsy. Shedding light on the vast number of autism-related syndromes which are all too often denied adequate attention, it shows how, whilst autism refers to a single syndrome, it can be understood as many different conditions, with the common factors being biological, rather than behavioral.

A pioneering neuroscientist argues that we are more than our brains To many, the brain is the seat of personal identity and autonomy. But the way we talk about the brain is often rooted more in mystical conceptions of the soul than in scientific fact. This blinds us to the physical realities of mental function. We ignore bodily influences on our psychology, from chemicals in the blood to bacteria in the gut, and overlook the ways that the environment affects our behavior, via factors varying from subconscious sights and sounds to the weather. As a result, we alternately overestimate our capacity for free will or equate brains to inorganic machines like computers. But a brain is neither a soul nor an electrical network: it is a bodily organ, and it cannot be separated from its surroundings. Our selves aren't just inside our heads -- they're spread throughout our bodies and beyond. Only once we come to terms with this can we grasp the true nature of our humanity.