Discovering Biological Psychology is a new text for the beginning undergraduate course in biological, or physiological, psychology. The book provides a foundational understanding of the structure and function of the nervous system and its relationship to both typical and disordered human behavior.

Written by an author with more than 25 years of teaching experience at schools ranging from community colleges to the Ivy League, this text presents classic concepts, current topics, and cutting-edge research in a style that is at once accessible to beginning and less well-prepared students and appealing to students with stronger backgrounds. Instructors using this text can teach a rigorous course that does not oversimplify the material, while keeping students excited and engaged.

The text's clear and direct style is both accessible and appealing to students of varying abilities and backgrounds.

An effective illustration program supports and clarifies the content.

Visible student-centered pedagogy guides students through complex scientific concepts.

In presenting a new topic, the author creates a compelling narrative to bring together multiple related concepts. For example, Chapter 5 introduces the related concepts of genetics, evolution, and nervous system development. The chapter begins with the basic concepts of genetics, which flows to a discussion of how the human nervous system evolved from that of simpler life forms. Students then learn how the human nervous system develops and changes in response to both internal cues and external influences, from zygote through adult. Throughout the chapter, intriguing, real-life examples such as X-inactivation in cats and humans, redevelopment in response to brain damage, and fetal alcohol syndrome, are used to illustrate key points.