An Introduction to Brain and Behavior [Hardcover]

Bryan Kolb (Author), Ian Q. Whishaw (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2005 | ISBN-10: 0716711877 | ISBN-13: 978-0716711872 | Edition: 2nd

Drawing on decades of teaching and research experience, Bryan Kolb and Ian Whishaw offer a proven framework for exploring the biological basis of behavior. Each chapter of An Introduction to Brain and Behavior explores a specific question asked by working neuroscientists and students (i.e. "Why do we have a brain?"  "How is the nervous system organized?").  This approach brings coherence to a vast subject, and helps students understand what information is important as their study of brain and behavior progresses chapter to chapter.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Brian Kolb, lectures at the University of Lethridge. He is a Killiam Fellow (Canadian Council), Fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, and the Royal Society of Canada. He is a recipient of the Hebb Prize from CPA, and is former president of the Canadian Society for Brain, Behavior, and Cognitive Science. Ian Q. Whishaw, lectures at the University of Lethridge. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association, the American Psychological Association, and the Royal Society of Canada. He is the recipient of a bronze medal from the Canadian Humane Society, has been awarded the Ingrid Speaker Medal, and is CEO of NeuroDetective, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 608 pages
• Publisher: Worth Publishers; 2nd edition (June 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0716711877
• ISBN-13: 978-0716711872
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #144,536 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Psych Prof reviews KOLB: BRAIN/BEHAVIOR 2/e, September 22, 2009

By 

Stephen E. Buggie "Tropical Steve" (Gallup NM USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Introduction to Brain and Behavior & Foundations of Behavioral Neuroscience, Second Edition CD-ROM (Hardcover)

I teach with this textbook. My course is a sophomore-level (240) psych course ---- Brain & Behavior. I carefully selected this text over another title from the the same publisher (It was from Missippi State U; authors' names are forgotten). Both books were similar in price, graphics, length, and extras. Kolb's book won out in the clarity of writing, a vital feature because this course at most colleges is at the 300-level. Coverage is excellent, current and readable. The study guide is VERY GOOD, and study guide questions are repeated on my quizzes and tests. The study guide is worth its cost! Explanations are very clear. SHORTCOMINGS OF THE BOOK: The test bank supplied to the professor is mediocre; sparse length, poorly written items, focusing on vocabulary rather than on principles. Already I have exhausted the best questions and am now writing my own multiple-choice questions. CHAPTER TITLES are terrible ---- they are wordy questions, unsuitable as chapter names. I have had to shorten the chapter titles, and this change creates some confusion.Another problem is that coverage of some basic topics, such as nerve function, is scattered across several chapters in an unconventional way. Lecture notes have had to be rearranged to match this quirk of the book's organization. CD rom disk accompanies the text, although the disk is likely to be missing if the book is purchased used. Overall, despite shortcomings, I am happy with the textbook and will continue with the second edition as long as copies remain available. Do _not_ plan to roll into the now-available Third Edition, because it is 98% identical to the Second Edition, and the above-named shortcomings are still in there. (BTW, I buy used copies of this and other texts used in my classes, to give as free bonuses to students who earn the top grades on texts.) Stephen Buggie, Univ. of New Mexico - Gallup.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the best text, May 7, 2008

By 

WMR (CT) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: An Introduction to Brain and Behavior (Hardcover)

This was a required text for a psychology course on brain and behavior (a/k/a physiological psychology). I don't know if it was the instructor or the book or both, but this text was not one of my favorites in college. The chapters are too long, and talk about being verbose...the points in each chapter should be more concise and to the point. Overall, not the best text, but if you like dry reading this book is for you. I ended up getting an "A" in the course, but I believe that's only because I was a senior nursing student at the time and already had a solid foundation in brain anatomy and physiology and human behavior.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brain Fanatics, December 27, 2006

By 

Alain Blanc "fairykarma" (Kuching, Malaysia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: An Introduction to Brain and Behavior (Hardcover)

This textbook provides a thorough introduction to the brain, starting from the nerves to actual sensory systems (motor, auditory, visual etc.,). Even though I spent some time reading this book, I was disappointed the professor only referred to it once or twice and relied primarily on lectures to create tests. Besides providing the mechanism behind the flow of information in the brain, its discussion of how injuries to the brain result in certain conditions (visual agnosia, neglect syndrome, amnesia, aphasia etc.,) also helped my understanding of the material a lot. The biggest hurdle is understanding how nerves function, after that everything is more or less memorization.