Biological Psychology

Assuming no prior knowledge of biology and building upon previous editions, Biological Psychology third edition uses everyday experiences to explain complex concepts in an interesting and highly accessible way.  This is complemented by a range of inventive pedagogical features and extensive full-colour illustrations to stimulate interest and help students to develop and test their understanding.

Online resources accompanying the text can be found at www.pearsoned.co.uk/toates

These include video clips, interactions, animations, self-test questions and research updates to help students consolidate their understanding and prepare for assessment.

"Professor of Biological Psychology Frederick Toates from The Open University has done the field an enormous service in the Third Edition of Biological Psychology. Students worldwide will enjoy this text as it sets a new benchmark for a life science approach to brain and behaviour. The inclusion of evolutionary (both ultimate function and phylogeny), neurobiological and developmental perspectives on brain and behaviour make this textbook a first choice for the next generation of undergraduates studying biology and psychology."  Dr William M Brown, BA (Hons) MSc PhD, Lecturer, School of Psychology, University of East London

"Toates’ third edition is both readable and palatable.  It arouses interest by focusing on the thought-provoking questions that arise within a study of biological psychology. The author's conversational style is helpful as he talks the reader through the more straightforward and also the more conceptually demanding sections.  Although accessible, the text provides a thorough account of key areas.  It answers questions and stimulates interest.  This up-to-date third edition retains the excellent pedagogical features of the previous edition.  This is an enormously useful textbook.   The author understands the problems, questions and fascinations of biological psychology students.  Toates is an excellent teacher and a real authority in this area.  This textbook captures his knowledge and understanding, and his infectious love of the subject."    Dr Graham Mitchell, The University of Northampton

"If the processes of the mind and brain have baffled you, this book is the key to unlocking its mysteries. Toates introduces the main topics of neuroscience in a beautifully simple yet highly informative manner.  Each topic is covered in a massively integrative way. This renders the text suitable for both students and lay readers, for both medics and psychologists, for both undergraduates and postgraduates. Chapters are hugely informative and achieve the perfect combination of presenting scientific findings and research with the author's personal experience and good humour. This text is engaging at all times, and I strongly recommend it in the study of biological psychology. No stone is left unturned in the quest for understanding the brain."  Dr Anna Scarnà, Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychology, Oxford Brookes University

"Toates’ Biological Psychology offers its readers a lucid and well-balanced exploration of this conceptually challenging field. Over the last decade I have found the various editions of this textbook invaluable as a teaching aid for my students. It is no mean feat to have improved on the second edition but Toates seems somehow to have managed it. I especially enjoyed the additional material on evolutionary psychology and, in particular, how this might help to explain both when things work out (e.g. the complexities of the human visual system) and when things go wrong (e.g. why depression might be kept in the population)."  Dr Lance Workman, Head of Research, Bath Spa University

Frederick Toates is a Professor of Biological Psychology at the Open University who has 44 years experience of researching and teaching the subject across the UK, continental Europe and the USA.