An Introduction to Brain and Behavior — 6th Edition

What you’ll find inside

An Introduction to Brain and Behavior, Sixth Edition, by Bryan Kolb, Ian Q. Whishaw and G. Campbell Teskey, is an introductory behavioral neuroscience text that connects nervous-system processes with the actions, perceptions and experiences they help shape. Its inquiry-led chapters are organized around questions about how the brain and nervous system work, giving students a path from foundational structures to behavior.

Build from neural foundations

The early chapters introduce the origins of brain and behavior, functional anatomy, neurons, electrical signaling and communication between neural cells. From there, the text considers how drugs and hormones influence brain activity, how researchers investigate brain structure and function, and how development and experience shape the nervous system. These foundations help readers follow later links between biological mechanisms and observable behavior.

Connect systems with everyday behavior

Further chapters cover hearing, speech and music, sensation and perception, movement, emotional and motivated behavior, sleep and dreaming, learning, memory and thought. The final material addresses what happens when brain systems are disrupted, with examples involving neurological and psychological conditions. Section reviews and self-tests provide checkpoints for revisiting key ideas as students work through the material.

For psychology and neuroscience study

This edition is suited to introductory courses in behavioral neuroscience, psychology or related life sciences where students need a bridge between nervous-system organization and behavior. It supports readers learning terminology and broad mechanisms before moving into specialized neuroscience. The bibliographic record lists 658 pages. Check that the sixth edition and PDF format match your course materials, then open the preview to inspect four sample images before choosing.

Study approach

Readers can start with the neural foundations, then map the later question-led chapters to their course themes. The broad sequence works as an introductory survey and a place to revisit core concepts during review. Because the sixth edition was published in 2019, compare its title page with the edition required by your instructor.

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