Biological Psychology

Biological psychology can be dated back to Avicenna (980-1037 C.E.), a physician who   recognized physiological psychology in the treatment of illnesses involving emotions, and developed a system for associating changes in the pulse rate with inner feelings. Biological psychology as a scientific discipline later emerged from a variety of scientific and philosophical traditions in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In philosophy, the first issue is how to approach what is known as the "mind-body problem. Descartes was the first to clearly identify the mind with consciousness and self-awareness, and to distinguish this from the brain, which was the seat of intelligence.
Biological psychology is also called physiological psychology or behavioral neuroscience, and is the study of the physiological bases of behavior. Biological psychology is concerned primarily with the relationship between psychological processes and the underlying physiological events, or in other words, the mind-body phenomenon. Its focus is the function of the brain and the rest of the nervous system in activities, thinking, learning, feeling, sensing, and perceiving.
The comprehensive nature of the field and the diversity of professionals encompassed by the arch of its umbrella pose a particular challenge, however, in the drafting of a textbook that not only can be appreciated, but easily understood, by the representative populace of biological psychologists as well as the students desiring to acquire an understanding of this area of study. The third edition of Biological Psychology serves as an excellent source for bridging the gap between the multitudes of specialties that constitute this discipline. The text consists of 18 chapters divided into five primary sections. A short introductory chapter, which provides a basic overview of the field, is followed by a section focusing on the biological foundations for behavior. Chapters in this section, which provide the requisite foundation for... [continues]

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