Biopsychology (Hardcover)

by John P. J. Pinel (Author)
Key Phrases: human obesity, synaptic transmission, neuropsychological diseases, United States, Biopsychology of Emotion, Mechanisms of Perception (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Excerpt from a letter to the author (used with permission):

Dr. Pinel,  OUTSTANDING!!!!!

 

I am a student at Walden University in the PhD Psychology program, I live in Michigan.  I must admit, when I first heard that I would have to take Biopsychology I was not happy as I gasped for breath.  I had already made up in my mind that it would prove to be a difficult course and I would probably have to drop the course.  However, surprisingly, I found that your ease of writing in talking with the student proved me wrong.  I actually LOVED the textbook.  It was as if you were talking right to me in a manner in which I could easily comprehend.  I never thought of learning about the human brain before taking the class, but must admit, it has to this point in my program been one of my favorites. 

 

I wanted to say thank you, thank you, thank you.  You opened up a new world to me.  I just started teaching at a local college this year and I tell you, having taken Biopsychology has truly prepared me to teach general psychology and other classes within the counseling cohort.  I am still amazed at how much information I have retained due to the colorful illustrations and ease of reading.  Though I am in a doctorate program, and the program is truly rigourous, having read your text was a breath of fresh air.  Top quality education with all of the learning tools needed for todays adult learners.  Continued success to you on your endeavors.  By the way, thanks for all of the stories including yours that you shared.

 

Sincerely grateful,"

- Michelle Brown, Ph.D. candidate at Walden University

 

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Excerpt from a letter to the author (used with permission):

"I am currently a 2nd year Psychology student at the University of Western Ontario and I am taking a Biopsychology class...I have to say what an amazing text this is...  

 

I recently switched majors from physiology/medical sciences to psychology and I was confused for a while about what I liked more: biological sciences or psychology. I didn't know I could combine them until I read your textbook. Your book was inspirational for me and I now have a clearer, more defined idea of what I would like to do with my degree and future endeavours. Thank you very much for writing such an interesting textbook that was so clearly aimed to help students understand and appreciate biopsychology. I honestly attribute my new-found interest in biopsychology to the amazing work you put in to this text. Too bad I am several provinces away from B.C, I would have loved to be in one of your classes! Thank you again and I hope to read more of your work in the future."

  -  Tannis, student at University of Western Ontario

 

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Excerpt from a letter to the author (used with permission):
"I am doing a Graduate Diploma in Psychology in Brisbane, Australia and just wanted to say that your textbook is particularly interesting and stimulating.  I can see that there is passion and clarity in every chapter and your own experiences with the tumour as relayed in Chapter 10 was fascinating.  It’s good to know that some texts can have that “human” factor, and this really makes an impact on the reader. "

 - Simon, student at Brisbane, Australia

 

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Excerpt from a letter to the author (used with permission):

"Dr. Pinel:

 

I just completed a Physiological Psychology class at Chapman University College.  Your Biopsychology text was required for the class.  It was the BEST textbook I have ever used.  I'm 51 years old and have taken many classes in my life so that's saying a heck of lot!!!  Believe me, I have certainly never written to the author to complement him on the text. You made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion. 

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you for making a tough class enjoyable."

- Eileen, student at Chapman University

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Excerpt from a letter to the author (used with permission):

"I have just finished reading your book and wanted to thank you for writing it. I like the way you presented the information as if you were "chatting" with me. It was very easy to understand and a fun read. I especially liked all the vignettes and diagrams. They helped me to visualize and understand the topic you were discussing. I also reviewed the CD after every chapter I read and found it to be a helpful tool in preparing for my exams. Before taking this class I was very nervous and unsure of whether or not I would be able to grasp the information. Now class is almost over and I have a 95% in my class. I am taking my final exam tomorrow and I am confident I will do well. I feel that my understanding of the information in your book was due to the way it was written. It was very relaxed and personal, a goal you strived for in writing this book. So again, thanks for sharing your knowledge with me."

 - Priscilla, student at Chapman University

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Excerpt from a letter to the author (used with permission):

"Dr. Pinel,

 

I am a student who has just completed a Biopsychology course designed around your textbook (6th ed.) at Birmingham-Southern College.  To confess my initial thoughts, I largely began this course because it is one of the requirements of my Psychology major and I gazed rather unexcitedly upon the cover of your textbook, assuming it to be like some of the other repetitive, over-written books I had become accustomed to during my three years at this college.  However, as I delved a little deeper into the subject matter, exploring topics from sex and hormones to sleep cycles to neuroplasticity, I began to realize that your textbook is unlike any I had ever used.  Not only is the research you include very pertinent to the subject and thought-provoking, but you seem to take the time to include personal notes, stories, and anecdotes that truly set your work apart from other texts.  I can tell that Psychology is a field that really excites you, and in turn, I am more excited about my major.  I just wanted to send you this small token of my graditude and a thanks for changing my mind about Psychology.

 

- Jeff Tullis, Birmingham-Southern College 2008"

 

 

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description
This revised edition presents comprehensive coverage of this discipline, with a strong research base and a student-oriented approach. Difficult technical topics such as neuroanatomy, neuropsychology and genetics have been simplified in this edition, and anecdotes, metaphors and case studies are included. 500 new references have been added, and the chapter on emotion, stress and mental illness has been thoroughly revised. These three topics have now been closely interwoven, emphasizing the health consequences of stress and its related emotional states.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 570 pages
• Publisher: Allyn & Bacon; 3 edition (May 3, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0205184456
• ISBN-13: 978-0205184453
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,204,363 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes, finally a textbook that is fun and interesting to read!, January 9, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Biopsychology (4th Edition) (Hardcover)

I loved John P.J. Pinel's Biopsychology textbook. I'm a college student and I find most textbooks boring and difficult to read. I just loved this textbook! The scientific explanations were clearly, understandable. This book really drew me in on how the human brain works. The illustations were awesome! The narratives on behavior were great and lots of fun to read. This book was not wordy either, a problem that I have had with many of the textbooks I've read in the past. I looked forward to reading this book. I wish more textbooks were like these!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars CD is self-congratulatory and virtually content-free , February 18, 2006

By	Robin McMullen "Scholar" (Monterey Bay) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Biopsychology with "Beyond the Brain and Behavior" CD-ROM (5th Edition) (Hardcover)

While I agree with other reviewers that the text is good and the graphics in the text are outstanding, the CD that accompanies the book is a shocking waste of time.

Pinel has videotaped himself awkwardly addressing his imagined readers and foists these segments on the user at odd points throughout the CD. Each chapter contains a set of flash cards, a single multiple choice quiz, and a list of supplemental readings. The flash cards are of some use, the quiz doesn't provide correct answers for missed questions and yields only a superficial evaluation of the student's performance, and the list of readings is short (three or four citations) and without Web links.

One has the impression that the CD was included because it's de rigueur for college texts in the $100+ price category these days. Neither Pinel nor his editor seems to have any idea what content would actually be useful on a CD, e.g., a variety of quiz types, pre- and post-tests with specific reading remediations in the text for missed questions, animations of text content (rather than silly visual-space-ship-tracking exercises), Web links to supplemental material, and so on.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect anatomy text for biology "dummies", January 27, 2000

By	M Miller "words1996" (Texas) - See all my reviews

As a student in a Masters Psychology program, I've found this text accessible, interesting, and easy to study. I've also Emailed the author twice with questions and heard back from him. This is the best textbook I've ever come across in 23 years of academia. Thank you, John Pinel!