Dr. James W. Kalat's BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY is the best selling text in the market for good reasons�an extremely
high level of scholarship, clear and occasionally humorous writing style, and precise examples. An extremely skilled
teacher, Dr. Kalat has written a text that speaks to today's students as well as to professors. Throughout all
ten editions, the goal has been to make biological psychology accessible to psychology students, not just to biology
majors and pre-meds. The goal has also been to convey the excitement of the search for biological explanations
of behavior. Kalat believes that biological psychology is "the most interesting topic in the world,"
and this text convinces many students. Accuracy, currency and a clear presentation style have always been the hallmarks
of this text.
James W. Kalat
Dr. James W. Kalat received his B.A. degree from Duke University, Summa Cum Laude, and then continued his education
at the University of Pennsylvania, receiving his Ph.D. in psychology under the supervision of Paul Rozin. Currently,
Dr. Kalat is at North Carolina State University where he is a professor of psychology, teaching both introductory
psychology and biological psychology. Besides having authored the best selling biological psychology text, Dr.
Kalat is the author of INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY, 8th Edition (Wadsworth, 2008) and has published articles on
a variety of diverse topics such as taste aversion learning and on the teaching of introductory psychology. With
Michelle Shiota, Kalat is co-author of EMOTION (Wadsworth, 2007). A talented and frequently requested speaker,
Kalat receives rave reviews wherever he presents, including the National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology
and the Texas Community College Teachers Association.
Table of Contents
1. The Major Issues.
2. Nerve Cells and Nerve Impulses.
3. Synapses.
4. Anatomy of the Nervous System.
5. Development and Plasticity of the Brain.
6. Vision.
7. Other Sensory Systems.
8. Movement.
9. Wakefulness and Sleep.
10. Internal Regulation.
11. Reproductive Behaviors.
12. Emotional Behaviors.
13. The Biology of Learning and Memory.
14. Cognitive Functions.
15. Psychological Disorders.
Appendix A: Brief, Basic Chemistry.
Appendix B: Society for Neuroscience Policies on the Use of Animals and Human Subjects in Neuroscience Research.
