Fundamentals of Human Neuropsychology

by Bryan Kolb, Ian Q. Whishaw

Bryan Kolb and Ian Whishaw’s Fundamentals of Human Neuropsychology was the first text to bring a comprehensive introduction to contemporary human neuropsychology to the classroom.  It gave students access to an extraordinary amount of cutting-edge research and made it coherent, relevant and understandable—with a presentation that reflected the authors’ superb communication and teaching skills. That text returns in an extensively updated new edition that keeps pace with the latest research while maintaining its trademark clarity and student-friendliness. And with its enhanced full-color art program, new case studies, and new companion Web site, the Sixth Edition provides both the most up-to-date understanding of the field and the most effective ways to teach and learn it.

Genres: Psychology, Science, Neuroscience, Nonfiction, Textbooks, Reference, Brain

818 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1980

Reviews

[Traveller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ugh, what the heck has the huge lady done to the GR interface now? Things are just getting worse by the day. Oh, for a few billion $, and I'd buy GR back. Oh well, will have to suck it up, I guess.

Aaaanyway, I'm reviewing the cutting edge 2021 edition of this, the eighth edition. This is one of those books which can't decide if it's a serious textbook or a coffee-table book, and tries to double as both - they probably make more money that way. Besides for the irritating way that the case studies are presented (it feels like one of those self-help books) it is a nice book to read if you've ever been stumped by all the controversies in neuroscience going on in the last 150 years or so, because it includes all the latest neuro-imaging and echoing and what-have-you techniques that endeavor to track what the brain is really doing while it's working, so it does manage to clear things up more decisively than researchers and theorists have been able to do in the previous century.

It's an easy and informative read, quite comprehensive, but don't expect it to become too technical; even though there is a lot of detail, the book is clearly pitched at beginners in the field. I'm on the fence between giving it 3 and half and 4 stars.

Fascinating tidbit from the book:
"Phenotypic Plasticity : These two mice are clones—genetically identical—yet express widely differing phenotypes because their mothers were fed diets with different supplements when pregnant, leading to different body structures, in part as a result of their own eating behaviors."

BOOM! That really exploded my brain into comprehending how probabilistic in nature genetics are and how much the expression of genetic material does depend on factors in the individual’s environment, in other words, to which large extent both nature and nurture influence one another in a complex interplay in creating different outcomes.

[Jyotika Varmani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just can't believe how the author has presented such a difficult to understand subject so simply!

The simple, everyday analogies that the author makes to explain the structures and functioning of the brain are more than helpful. They not only help understand the brain, but also aid recall. Moreover, there are numerous diagrams and case illustrations for an even deeper comprehension.

I have read several books on neuropsychology since I have found that I need many repetitions of study in this subject. How I wish this was the first book I'd found, for then all the other books would have been just supplementary. This book is not a mere introduction to neuropsychology, but is rather comprehensive in every respect.

This is the number one book that I would recommend to any student of neuropsychology.

[Anders Møllegaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a good book for psychology students. Engages the reader and points in directions to be further explored such as anatomy, physiology, assessment and disorders.
I definitely enjoyed reading this book. A lot is covered - that being said; it serves prefectly as book for neuropsychology.

[Ida Aasebøstøl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read, just the right amount of info and illustrations, concise paragraphs - but some chapters are lacking 'bridges', refinement and structure. Really nice intro.

[Yoric · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, that's a huge book.
It's a scholar book, like the one you would usually study at University.
It's illustrated and has a lot of references.
It's all about the brain.

My understanding of the brain was almost nonexistent, and this book explains it in a simple way.
For example, I didn't know animals with only a spinal cord came first, then animals with brainstems, then animals with forebrain.
Anatomically, each part is formed one after the other in that same order.
Functionally, each part goes from the most basic (to convey sensory informations), to the most advanced (cognitive functions) the regulation of eating, drinking, moving, being in the middle.

I can't wait to see how many more I'll learn in this book.

[Sebastian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jag önskar att fler kursböcker hade en så bra struktur 🙏

[Danendra Wulang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its good book to starting a neuropsychology. Even though this book cant explain much detail to representing an other connection to neuroscience and psychology.

[Nathalie Lindaas]

Mistet litt livsglede

[Brad Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really solid accompaniment to learning concepts within abnormal psychophysiology. Its really concise and useful.

[Mihrdāt · Rating 3 out of 5]

اطلاعات کتاب خیلی عالی و خوب، اما نویسندگی نویسندگان ضعیف و خسته‌کننده.

[Arianne Castillo]

The important thing is that I finished the class. Don’t ask me anything about what I read.

[jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fundamentals of Human Neuropsychology is a contemporary, hugely informative textbook on the subject with a well-organized layout and clear text. It’s probably one of the best to be found on neuropsychology, and has a mostly scientific approach instead of a clinical one. It wonderfully links biology to behaviour, and provides a ridiculous amount of real life examples that aptly illustrate the information and/or theories presented in the text.

This book is divided up in five parts, namely: (1) Background, (2) Cortical organization, (3) Cortical functions, (4) Higher functions, and (5) Plasticity and disorders. At the end of each chapter, a summary containing all the chapter’s key points can be found.

The text itself is easily readable (also for those new to books on neuropsychology), for which I commend the authors, as their subject is not entirely that easy to write on. The book is quite beautifully designed and very colourful, with many illustrations, photos, diagrams, and charts to help clarify biological processes, research results, etc. It’s clearly organized, too, making looking things up or preparing for exams a somewhat pleasant affair.

The authors haven’t limited their outlook on neuropsychology by only looking at clinical cases in humans, but have also added a lot of animal research to help support certain findings/theories, and are then able to adequately link animal behaviour to human behaviour.

I would highly recommend this textbook for any and all who are looking for a well-updated and entirely complete work on neuropsychology. I found this book to be an amazingly engaging read, and was fascinated by so many case examples and such a proper, scientific approach.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This work is titled "Fundamentals of Human Neuropsychology." The work provides a very nice perspective on what is know about the human brain and how it affects our thinking and decision-making.

One positive feature: it is well written and you do not have to be a doctoral student in neuropsychology to follow the book from chapter to chapter.

A second positive feature is the wide ranging coverage of basic subjects--from the evolution of the brain to its basic organization to the structure and function of the cortex to a discussion of higher functions (such as memory, language, emotions, and so on), as well as abnormalities that can occur in the brain.

All in all, a valuable volume that provides the reader with a good introduction (at more than a very basic level) to the structure and functioning of the human brain. It also makes us think a little bit about what it means to be a human.

[Dr. George H. Elder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book to update my knowledge in the area, and I was pleased with the text. The pathways are well described as are the various functional areas, and as usual, by brain damage studies for the most part. But we also get a bit into how events can lead to changes in the brain, as in PTSD. The memory sections are fine and the layout and organization of the sujects is clear. The text is very easy to read, unlike some, and I found that very refreshing. If I were teaching a course in neuropsychology, this would be the book I used--assuming it has been updated.

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent textbook, well-organized and readable. It's a little dry at parts, for a subject so fascinating, but overall I was able to learn a lot from it. The entire book was read for a third-year university course.

[Alma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love psychology, biology, and neuroscience so i'm a bit biased, but i would have honestly read this book for pleasure. I never got more enjoyment doing the required reading for a class (as evidenced by the fact that I never actually did the required reading for my gen chem course...whoops)

[John]

science,nonfiction

[Amanda]

Professor Zachariah Campbell's class. Very good prof and good book.

[Mills College Library]

612.8 K811 2015