Biological Psychology - 9780878939275

For students, Breedlove (Michigan State U.) and Watson (Simon Fraser U., Canada) explain the biological basis of behavior in terms of descriptive, comparative/evolutionary, developmental, mechanistic, and applied/clinical perspectives. This edition adds new material, such as how scientists are imaging brain activity in two people at once, using optogenetics to exert control of neuronal activity in animals, making progress in vaccinating addicts against drug abuse, and finding instances when the brain produces its own steroid hormones. It includes new findings about the evolution of humans, abnormal microglia as a cause for mental disability, the similar impact of social rejection on the brain system as physical pain, the transplantation of photoreceptors into damaged retinas, how some parts of the brain can be asleep while others are awake, activating false memories in mice, discerning what a person is seeing from brain scans, and the patterns of connections between brain regions. It includes visual summaries and a new ending section in each chapter on cutting-edge research. The companion website features activities, quizzes, expanded topics, flashcards, outlines, animations, videos, and other tools. Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)