Biological Psychology

by James W. Kalat

Explore the latest developments in biological psychology today with the most widely used text for this area of study: Dr. James Kalat's BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY, 14E. This edition uses a clear writing style, precise examples and the latest research to make biological psychology understandable and to emphasize its importance to psychology as well as biology and pre-med study. Thought-provoking content, insights from contemporary researchers, amusing anecdotes and even try-it-yourself activities help convey the excitement behind biological explanations of behavior. This edition introduces breakthrough findings with more than 500 new research references as recent as 2022. You explore new insights into brain functions, autism, antidepressants and mental enhancement and weight-loss drugs as well as the latest on auditory changes, pain mechanisms and the olfactory effects of COVID-19. Cengage Infuse digital resources are also available with interactive learning tools.

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

624 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Kathrynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely one of the best textbooks I ever read! Another favorite and a book I will never part with.

[Holly Interlandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't think it was possible to love a textbook this much.

[Teo · Rating 5 out of 5]

2014.09.01–2016.04.24

Contents

Kalat JW (2015) Biological Psychology (12e)

Introduction
• The Biological Approach to Behavior
• • The Field of Biological Psychology
• • Three Main Points to Remember from This Book
• Biological Explanations of Behavior
• Career Opportunities
• The Use of Animals in Research
• • Degrees of Opposition
• IN CLOSING: Your Brain and Your Experience

01. Nerve Cells and Nerve Impulses
• Module 1.1: The Cells of the Nervous System
• • Neurons and Glia
• • • Santiago Ramón y Cajal, a Pioneer of Neuroscience
• • • The Structures of an Animal Cell
• • • The Structure of a Neuron
• • • Variations among Neurons
• • • Glia
• • The Blood–Brain Barrier
• • • Why We Need a Blood–Brain Barrier
• • • How the Blood–Brain Barrier Works
• • Nourishment of Vertebrate Neurons
• • IN CLOSING: Neurons
• Module 1.2: The Nerve Impulse
• • The Resting Potential of the Neuron
• • • Forces Acting on Sodium and Potassium Ions
• • • Why a Resting Potential
• • The Action Potential
• • • The Molecular Basis of the Action Potential
• • • The All-or-None Law
• • • The Refractory Period
• • Propagation of the Action Potential
• • The Myelin Sheath and Saltatory Conduction
• • Local Neurons
• • IN CLOSING: Neurons and Messages

02. Synapses
• Module 2.1: The Concept of the Synapse
• • Properties of Synapses
• • • Speed of a Reflex and Delayed Transmission at the Synapse
• • • Temporal Summation
• • • Spatial Summation
• • • Inhibitory Synapses
• • Relationships among EPSP, IPSP, and Action Potentials
• • IN CLOSING: The Neuron as Decision Maker
• Module 2.2: Chemical Events at the Synapse
• • The Discovery of Chemical Transmission at Synapses
• • The Sequence of Chemical Events at a Synapse
• • • Types of Neurotransmitters
• • • Synthesis of Transmitters
• • • Storage of Transmitters
• • • Release and Diffusion of Transmitters
• • • Activating Receptors of the Postsynaptic Cell
• • • Ionotropic Effects
• • • Metabotropic Effects and Second Messenger Systems
• • • Neuropeptides
• • • Variation in Receptors
• • • Drugs that Act by Binding to Receptors
• • • Inactivation and Reuptake of Neurotransmitters
• • • Negative Feedback from the Postsynaptic Cell
• • • Electrical Synapses
• • Hormones
• • IN CLOSING: Neurotransmitters and Behavior

03. Anatomy and Research Methods
• Module 3.1: Structure of the Vertebrate Nervous System
• • Terminology to Describe the Nervous System
• • The Spinal Cord
• • The Autonomic Nervous System
• • The Hindbrain
• • The Midbrain
• • The Forebrain
• • • Thalamus
• • • Hypothalamus
• • • Pituitary Gland
• • • Basal Ganglia
• • • Basal Forebrain
• • • Hippocampus
• • The Ventricles
• • IN CLOSING: Learning Neuroanatomy
• Module 3.2: The Cerebral Cortex
• • Organization of the Cerebral Cortex
• • The Occipital Lobe
• • The Parietal Lobe
• • The Temporal Lobe
• • The Frontal Lobe
• • • The Rise and Fall of Prefrontal Lobotomies
• • • Functions of the Prefrontal Cortex
• • How Do the Parts Work Together?
• • IN CLOSING: Functions of the Cerebral Cortex?
• Module 3.3: Research Methods
• • Effects of Brain Damage
• • Effects of Brain Stimulation
• • Recording Brain Activity
• • Correlating Brain Anatomy with Behavior
• • Brain Size and Intelligence
• • • Comparisons across Species
• • • Comparisons among Humans
• • • Comparisons of Men and Women
• • IN CLOSING: Research Methods and Progress

04. Genetics, Evolution, Development, and Plasticity
• Module 4.1: Genetics and Evolution of Behavior
• • Mendelian Genetics
• • • Sex-Linked and Sex-Limited Genes
• • • Genetic Changes
• • • Epigenetics
• • Heredity and Environment
• • • Environmental Modification
• • • How Genes Affect Behavior
• • The Evolution of Behavior
• • • Common Misunderstandings about Evolution
• • • Brain Evolution
• • • Evolutionary Psychology
• • IN CLOSING: Genes and Behavior
• Module 4.2: Development of the Brain
• • Maturation of the Vertebrate Brain
• • • Growth and Development of Neurons
• • • New Neurons Later in Life
• • Pathfinding by Axons
• • • Chemical Pathfinding by Axons
• • • Competition among Axons as a General Principle
• • Determinants of Neuronal Survival
• • The Vulnerable Developing Brain
• • Differentiation of the Cortex
• • Fine-Tuning by Experience
• • • Experience and Dendritic Branching
• • • Effects of Special Experiences
• • Brain Development and Behavioral Development
• • • Adolescence
• • • Old Age
• • IN CLOSING: Brain Development
• Module 4.3: Plasticity after Brain Damage
• • Brain Damage and Short-Term Recovery
• • • Reducing the Harm from a Stroke
• • Later Mechanisms of Recovery
• • • Increased Brain Stimulation
• • • Regrowth of Axons
• • • Axon Sprouting
• • • Denervation Supersensitivity
• • • Reorganized Sensory Representations and the Phantom Limb
• • • Learned Adjustment in Behavior
• • IN CLOSING: Brain Damage and Recovery

05. Vision
• Module 5.1: Visual Coding
• • General Principles of Perception
• • The Eye and Its Connections to the Brain
• • • Route within the Retina
• • • Fovea and Periphery of the Retina
• • Visual Receptors: Rods and Cones
• • Color Vision
• • • The Trichromatic (Young-Helmholtz) Theory
• • • The Opponent-Process Theory
• • • The Retinex Theory
• • • Color Vision Deficiency
• • IN CLOSING: Visual Receptors
• Module 5.2: How the Brain Processes Visual Information
• • An Overview of the Mammalian Visual System
• • Processing in the Retina
• • Further Processing
• • The Primary Visual Cortex
• • • Simple and Complex Receptive Fields
• • • The Columnar Organization of the Visual Cortex
• • • Are Visual Cortex Cells Feature Detectors?
• • Development of the Visual Cortex
• • • Deprived Experiences in One Eye
• • • Deprived Experiences in Both Eyes
• • • Uncorrelated Stimulation in the Two Eyes
• • • Early Exposure to a Limited Array of Patterns
• • • Impaired Infant Vision and Long-Term Consequences
• • IN CLOSING: Understanding Vision by Understanding the Wiring Diagram
• Module 5.3: Parallel Processing in the Visual Cortex
• • The Ventral and Dorsal Paths
• • Detailed Analysis of Shape
• • • The Inferior Temporal Cortex
• • • Recognizing Faces
• • Color Perception
• • Motion Perception
• • • The Middle Temporal Cortex
• • • Motion Blindness
• • IN CLOSING: Aspects of Vision

06. Other Sensory Systems
• Module 6.1: Audition
• • Sounds and the Ear
• • • Physics and Psychology of Sound
• • • Structures of the Ear
• • Pitch Perception
• • The Auditory Cortex
• • Hearing Loss
• • • Deafness
• • • Hearing, Attention, and Old Age
• • Sound Localization
• • IN CLOSING: Functions of Hearing
• Module 6.2: The Mechanical Senses
• • Vestibular Sensation
• • Somatosensation
• • • Somatosensory Receptors
• • • Tickle
• • • Somatosensation in the Central Nervous System
• • Pain
• • • Stimuli and Spinal Cord Paths
• • • Emotional Pain
• • • Ways of Relieving Pain
• • • Sensitization of Pain
• • Itch
• • IN CLOSING: The Mechanical Senses
• Module 6.3: The Chemical Senses
• • Chemical Coding
• • Taste
• • • Taste Receptors
• • • How Many Kinds of Taste Receptors?
• • • Mechanisms of Taste Receptors
• • • Taste Coding in the Brain
• • • Variations in Taste Sensitivity
• • Olfaction
• • • Olfactory Receptors
• • • Implications for Coding
• • • Messages to the Brain
• • • Individual Differences
• • Pheromones
• • Synesthesia
• • IN CLOSING: Senses as Ways of Knowing the World

07. Movement
• Module 7.1: The Control of Movement
• • Muscles and Their Movements
• • • Fast and Slow Muscles
• • • Muscle Control by Proprioceptors
• • Units of Movement
• • • Voluntary and Involuntary Movements
• • • Movements Varying in Sensitivity to Feedback
• • • Sequences of Behaviors
• • IN CLOSING: Categories of Movement
• Module 7.2: Brain Mechanisms of Movement
• • The Cerebral Cortex
• • • Planning a Movement
• • • Inhibiting a Movement
• • • Mirror Neurons
• • • Connections from the Brain to the Spinal Cord
• • The Cerebellum
• • • Functions Other than Movement
• • • Cellular Organization
• • The Basal Ganglia
• • Brain Areas and Motor Learning
• • Conscious Decisions and Movement
• • IN CLOSING: Movement Control and Cognition
• Module 7.3: Movement Disorders
• • Parkinson's Disease
• • • Causes
• • • L-Dopa Treatment
• • • Other Therapies
• • Huntington's Disease
• • • Heredity and Presymptomatic Testing
• • IN CLOSING: Heredity and Environment in Movement Disorders

08. Wakefulness and Sleep
• Module 8.1: Rhythms of Waking and Sleeping
• • Endogenous Rhythms
• • Setting and Resetting the Biological Clock
• • • Jet Lag
• • • Shift Work
• • • Morning People and Evening People
• • Mechanisms of the Biological Clock
• • • The Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN)
• • • How Light Resets the SCN
• • • The Biochemistry of the Circadian Rhythm
• • • Melatonin
• • IN CLOSING: Sleep–Wake Cycles
• Module 8.2: Stages of Sleep and Brain Mechanisms
• • Sleep and Other Interruptions of Consciousness
• • The Stages of Sleep
• • Paradoxical or REM Sleep
• • Brain Mechanisms of Wakefulness, Arousal, and Sleep
• • • Brain Structures of Arousal and Attention
• • • Sleep and the Inhibition of Brain Activity
• • Brain Functions in REM Sleep
• • Sleep Disorders
• • • Sleep Apnea
• • • Narcolepsy
• • • Periodic Limb Movement Disorder
• • • REM Behavior Disorder
• • • Night Terrors and Sleepwalking
• • IN CLOSING: Stages of Sleep
• Module 8.3: Why Sleep? Why REM? Why Dreams?
• • Functions of Sleep
• • • Sleep and Energy Conservation
• • • Analogous to Sleep: Hibernation
• • • Species Differences in Sleep
• • • Sleep and Memory
• • Functions of REM Sleep
• • Biological Perspectives on Dreaming
• • • The Activation-Synthesis Hypothesis
• • • The Clinico-Anatomical Hypothesis
• • IN CLOSING: Our Limited Self-Understanding

09. Internal Regulation
• Module 9.1: Temperature Regulation
• • Homeostasis and Allostasis
• • Controlling Body Temperature
• • • Surviving in Extreme Cold
• • • The Advantages of Constant High Body Temperature
• • • Brain Mechanisms
• • • Fever
• • IN CLOSING: Combining Physiological and Behavioral Mechanisms
• Module 9.2: Thirst
• • Mechanisms of Water Regulation
• • Osmotic Thirst
• • Hypovolemic Thirst and Sodium-Specific Hunger
• • IN CLOSING: The Psychology and Biology of Thirst
• Module 9.3: Hunger
• • Digestion and Food Selection
• • • Consumption of Dairy Products
• • • Food Selection and Behavior
• • Short- and Long-Term Regulation of Feeding
• • • Oral Factors
• • • The Stomach and Intestines
• • • Glucose, Insulin, and Glucagon
• • • Leptin
• • Brain Mechanisms
• • • The Arcuate Nucleus and Paraventricular Hypothalamus
• • • The Lateral Hypothalamus
• • • Medial Areas of the Hypothalamus
• • Eating Disorders
• • • Genetics and Body Weight
• • • Weight Loss
• • • Bulimia Nervosa
• • IN CLOSING: The Multiple Controls of Hunger

10. Reproductive Behaviors
• Module 10.1: Sex and Hormones
• • Organizing Effects of Sex Hormones
• • • Sex Differences in the Hypothalamus
• • • Sex Differences in Childhood Behavior
• • Activating Effects of Sex Hormones
• • • Males
• • • Females
• • • Effects of Sex Hormones on Nonsexual Characteristics
• • Parental Behavior
• • IN CLOSING: Reproductive Behaviors and Motivations
• Module 10.2: Variations in Sexual Behavior
• • Evolutionary Interpretations of Mating Behavior
• • • Interest in Multiple Mates
• • • What Men and Women Seek in a Mate
• • �� Differences in Jealousy
• • • Evolved or Learned?
• • Gender Identity and Gender-Differentiated Behaviors
• • • Intersexes
• • • Interests and Preferences of CAH Girls
• • • Testicular Feminization
• • • Issues of Gender Assignment and Rearing
• • • Discrepancies of Sexual Appearance
• • Sexual Orientation
• • • Behavioral and Anatomical Differences
• • • Genetics
• • • An Evolutionary Question
• • • Prenatal Influences
• • • Brain Anatomy
• • IN CLOSING: We Are Not All the Same

11. Emotional Behaviors
• Module 11.1: What Is Emotion?
• • Emotions and Autonomic Arousal
• • • Is Physiological Arousal Necessary for Emotional Feelings?
• • • Is Physiological Arousal Sufficient for Emotions?
• • • Is Emotion a Useful Concept?
• • Do People Have a Limited Number of Basic Emotions?
• • The Functions of Emotions
• • • Emotions and Moral Decisions
• • • Decision Making after Brain Damage that Impairs Emotions
• • IN CLOSING: Emotions and the Nervous System
• Module 11.2: Attack and Escape Behaviors
• • Attack Behaviors
• • • Effects of Hormones
• • • Serotonin Synapses and Aggressive Behavior
• • • Heredity and Environment in Violence
• • Fear and Anxiety
• • • Role of the Amygdala
• • • Studies of Rodents
• • • Studies of Monkeys
• • • Response of the Human Amygdala to Visual Stimuli
• • • Individual Differences in Amygdala Response and Anxiety
• • • Damage to the Human Amygdala
• • Anxiety Disorders
• • Relief from Anxiety
• • • Pharmacological Relief
• • • Alcohol as an Anxiety Reducer
• • • Learning to Erase Anxiety
• • IN CLOSING: Doing Something about Emotions
• Module 11.3: Stress and Health
• • Stress and the General Adaptation Syndrome
• • Stress and the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Cortex Axis
• • • The Immune System
• • • Effects of Stress on the Immune System
• • Stress Control
• • IN CLOSING: Emotions and Body Reactions

12. The Biology of Learning and Memory
• Module 12.1: Learning, Memory, and Amnesia
• • Localized Representations of Memory
• • • Lashley's Search for the Engram
• • • The Modern Search for the Engram
• • Types of Memory
• • • Short-Term and Long-Term Memory
• • • Our Changing Views of Consolidation
• • • Working Memory
• • The Hippocampus
• • • People with Hippocampal Damage
• • • Theories of the Function of the Hippocampus
• • Other Types of Amnesia
• • • Korsakoff's Syndrome
• • • Alzheimer's Disease
• • • What Patients with Amnesia Teach Us
• • The Basal Ganglia
• • Other Brain Areas and Memory
• • IN CLOSING: Types of Memory
• Module 12.2: Storing Information in the Nervous System
• • Blind Alleys and Abandoned Mines
• • Learning and the Hebbian Synapse
• • Single-Cell Mechanisms of Invertebrate Behavior Change
• • • Aplysia as an Experimental Animal
• • • Habituation in Aplysia
• • • Sensitization in Aplysia
• • Long-Term Potentiation in Vertebrates
• • • Biochemical Mechanisms
• • Improving Memory
• • IN CLOSING: The Physiology of Memory

[Continued in comments due to Goodreads character limit]

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edit: funfact time, brought to you by this book.

-"Hamsters sometimes hibernate. If you keep your pet hamster in a cool, dimly, lit place during the winter, and it appears to have died, make sure that it is not just hibernating before you bury it!"
-"Vasopressin is also knows as antidiuretic hormone (ADH) because it enables the kidneys to reabsorb water from urine and therefore make the urine more concentrated. You cannot succeed as well as gerbils, however. Gerbils can drink ocean water, and we certainly cannot."

Awesome. Maybe if all science textbooks used rodent examples, I'd have an easier time reading 'em.

I find it very well written, interesting, and easy to understand - and I'm horrible at comprehending science (provided I read slowly enough to understand what's going on, and take notes, it takes me about 3 hours per chapter).

Good job Mr. Kalat.

[Ewa]

WRESZCIE MOGE TO ODCHACZYC BOZE JEBAC TO GOWNO

[marialena_ios · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much. It explains with an easy language the biological aspects of psychology. At first i needed the book for my course and i thought it would be boring but it was such an interesting read. I learnt many things!

[Emma]

I read this entire textbook, and it will be counted

[julka · Rating 3 out of 5]

przeczytałam? przeczytałam, niektóre rozdziały nawet po dwa/trzy razy

[Martiss Bartiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

[Gabriela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Proszę mnie poklepać po ramieniu za to, że to przeczytałam.

[emilia debska · Rating 3 out of 5]

god knows i loved

[vii · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 bo zdalam kolokwium na styk ❤️

[Szuwarek · Rating 4 out of 5]

silly

[Books-fly-to-me · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book very much although I thought the language was a bit basic and had hoped for more depth from the course in general. One delightful addition that gave this book its fifth star is the list of recommended books at the end of the chapters. I have purchased several of them and have more saved in my to-buy list. The author includes books that give a separate viewpoint or that enrich his chapters. It is an intro book and the books he recommends are geared toward the lay person which will make for great light reading later. One he included is from an author whose journal articles have been among my favorites especially when writing about mirror neurons.

The chapters are broken up into sections with self-tests. I used them to make sure I was on track with the material. All and all, a good textbook.

[S. Sloan · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I made the decision to study psychology I thought it would be best to learn more about how the human brain works. This book and the class I took was absolutely fascinating. I would recommend this book to any one who wants to learn more about biological psychology.

[Eliza · Rating 1 out of 5]

dosłownie nic nie mogłam w tym znaleźć, mało informacji, nic nie rozumiałam

[Matt Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good textbook

[Iselin]

Not that bad for a textbook. Probably one of the better ones out there.

[Czaruś Czarodziej Czarownik twój · Rating 3 out of 5]

Póki co fajne świetnie się bawię autor silly chociaż chwilami trochę boomerskie

[wania · Rating 5 out of 5]

banger

[Veronica ♡]

niech potęga tej książki będzie ze mną na egzaminie ♡

[Vanessa Bartholomaeus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great refresher of the wonderful connection within our brain and to the rest of the body and behaviours! Love the end of chapter quizzes to help solidify learning.

[Bailey Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This textbook deals with the different areas of the body and how the brain can influence it.

Recommended 14+ for adult topics.

Used with Liberty University Online's 380 Physiological Psychology.

[Olesia Who Believes in Free Fall · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing way to study the brain and a great introduction to behavioural biology. Best part about it is it's written with humor and is quite easy to understand as you go deeper into the topic.
If you're interested in how your brain works, this is a must read book!

[Shawn Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

This text book, along with the professor, not only completely changed my major, but I brought it with me on my Iraq deployment almost two years after the class was over.

[Michael Dang · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible psychology textbook that explains biology and psychology easily for students to study and understand. Highly recommend and is my go to book when I forget something biology related.

[Sam Niet Vonhof · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ik haat dit boek maar wel intressant

[Majorka · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm in love

[Nicolas Name · Rating 1 out of 5]

This textbook is consistently and persistently in favor of animal abuse.

The introduction featured essentially a one sided opinion piece in favor of animal testing without seriously presenting the other side, and Kalat essentially characterized people who have very valid concerns with regards to the ethical standards of animal testing as essentially being well meaning anti-science, anti-progress terrorists who bomb houses of researchers, rather than seriously addressing the serious point behind the criticism.

Essentially, the mind is this, as simply as I can state it. If animals are similar enough to humans, that testing on animals is valid for figuring out how humans operate and learning more about humans, then we should be similarly horrified with regards to sticking a rod into an animal’s brain and giving them brain damage as we would be if that’s being done to a human being. Or, animals are not similar enough to humans, then we shouldn’t have any ethical qualms about animal testing and torturing animals and violently assaulting them for the sake of our own curiosity, but then again, we wouldn’t be able to extrapolate research from animals to humans as a result, since they are so dissimilar to us.

As far as I am concerned, what is running through this book is someone who clearly eats animals. If you are eating animals, you can’t even figure out the basics of animal rights as it relates to not harming animals for our own taste pleasure, let alone doing an appropriate utilitarian calculus with regards to whether or not the harm done to this animal is outweighed by the “greater good” of scientific progress and medical advancement.

Because the tone throughout the text whenever a research involving animal abuse is concerned is essentially, “look how wonderful and neat this experiment is that detached this dog’s spine from their brain and they continued to have a reflex. Isn’t that neat?!! :)”. And that tone is entirely inappropriate when we are talking about serious violence to sentient beings, and leads to desensitization of readers towards violence to animals done in a laboratory setting and outside of it.

Maybe that’s the goal. And that’s why we have so much absolutely useless research that involves physically assaulting animals in the US and other countries today, because we have a culture in academia that essentially promotes violence to animals, and the people within it go along with it not because they are interested in better humanity, but primarily because they want to fill their CV and resume with research. It’s essentially animal abuse and violence to animals done for career advancement, and that attitude is perfectly exemplified in this textbook.

And as a note, every researcher who is working with animals, if they are to be taken seriously for treating animals well and for only assaulting animals and causing them harm for the greater good of humanity, has to be following a 100% plant based diet in order to be taken seriously on that claim. If someone is supporting violently assaulting animals because they want to eat their bodyparts more than they want to eat tofu or beans, and consider that a legitimate reason to behead, suffocate, and mutilate animals, then they have no moral authority to make claims that the animal research that they are partaking in that involves violations of the animals bodily autonomy to be done for the greater good, rather than base self-interest and greed.

Anyways, this book is trash when it comes to its views on animal welfare and is entirely regressive on that point. And I wouldn’t give the book one star, if it wasn’t for the fact that its a persistent aspect of the book, starting before even the first chapter. You’d think that an introductory text to psychobiology would wait to have a discussion on the ethics of animal testing, and perhaps focus on psychobiology, brain anatomy, and whatnot first.

I’ve heard more arguments in favor of abusing animals implicitly made in this class and this textbook than I have in the entirety of my time in academia for about half a decade. And it doesn’t present a serious view of the discussion. Leave the discussion regarding the ethics of animal testing to a philosophy of ethics class, and discuss what is actually relevant to psychobiology Kalat and future authors of psychobiology textbooks.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is based on the 14th edition International version.

Overall a good textbook, but the chapter on 10 on Sex and Hormones could benefit from an edit because some of the commentary in this chapter related to gender and the LGBTQIA community appears misleading, outdated and/or incorrect:
- Disparity in number of sexual partners (p. 325) - “Across cultures, more males than females seek opportunities for multiple sexual partners” seems false (despite what some males may claim). Perhaps it’s correct based on the wording of “seek” (as opposed to actually securing multiple sexual partners). However, on average the number of sexual partners should be the same between males and females. “In a closed population and defined time period, the mean number of opposite-sex partners reported by men and women should be equal. However, in all surveys, men report more partners.” https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles...
- Evolutionary justification for multiple partners (p. 325) - It seems biased to say “men potentially have more to gain from multiple sexual partners than women do”. A woman has fewer chances to procreate in total, so they should want only the most viable sperm to expend all their time/energy on, and therefore would be better to have multiple partners who’s sperm compete for her ovum. More recent research looking at different species found that females seeking out multiple sexual partners have better mating success.“Here, we present meta-analytic evidence from 77 species across a broad range of animal taxa to demonstrate that female reproductive success is overall positively correlated with mating success, suggesting that females typically benefit from multiple mating. Importantly, we found that these fitness gains likely promote the evolution of polyandry.” https://journals.plos.org/Plosbiology...
- Infidelity by gender (p. 325) - The textbook states that “no known society considers infidelity more acceptable for women than for men” and justifies this from an evolutionary standpoint (e.g. males not being able to be confident that offspring is theirs). However, more recent research is showing a narrowing between the percent of men and women that have extramarital affairs, which would indicate the difference has been a function of sociocultural factors (i.e. women are less likely to have cheating behaviour tolerated and therefore less likely to cheat). https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPag... https://link.springer.com/referencewo...
- Sex differences in play (p. 331) - The textbook cites a number of one-off studies that indicate higher testosterone levels are correlated with increase preference for boys’ toys. However, a 2022 meta-analysis found "these effects may be small in magnitude and appear to vary considerably across studies.” This would indicate play preferences are perhaps more a function of social norms than biological underpinnings. https://link.springer.com/article/10....
- Antidepressants and male sexual function (p. 332) - The textbook describes how antidepressant drugs decrease sexual arousal for men. This also happens for women, but it is not mentioned in the textbook. In fact, one study found that female adolescent use of SSRIs was even linked to lower sexual desire in adulthood https://academic.oup.com/jsm/article-...
- Lap dancing and tips (p. 334) - The textbook seems to take some creative license by summarising the Miller et al. (2007) study as “Presumably the women felt and acted sexier at this time”. The original study’s conclusion was simply: “We found strong ovulatory cycle effects on tip earnings, moderated by whether the participants were normally cycling. All women made less money during their menstrual periods, whether they were on the pill or not.” It’s possible that another function mediated the results other than the women’s behaviour (e.g. males smelling different female pheromones at different points in the menstrual cycle). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science...
- Stop & Check #12 (p. 334) - Asks “When is a woman most likely to act sexy and initiate sexual activity?”. However, the textbook does not explore or ask about when a man is ‘most likely to act sexy’. And yet, males change their sexual behaviour based on their hormones too. https://link.springer.com/article/10....
- Intersex gender assignment (p. 342) - “Physicians have no clear consensus on whether surgery to “correct” the genital appearance should occur early, late, or not at all. They do agree that it should be an informed decision by the family (Speiser et al., 2018).” My understanding is this statement is outdated and best practice is to wait on surgery (unless something is medically required) and allow the individual to decide. “Legislation should enforce a general requirement that medical interventions take place only with the prior, informed, personal consent of the person concerned - subject to an exception in the case of medical necessity” from the Australian Human Rights Commission, October 2021, “Ensuring health and bodily integrity: towards a human rights approach for people born with variations in sex characteristics” Summary Report https://humanrights.gov.au/sites/defa...
- Concern about change of mind (p. 346) - The textbook cites Hayward (2022) to justify this statement: “It is unwise to make irreversible physical changes at once, because many children who say they want to be the opposite sex change their mind during the teenage years (Hayward, 2022)”. However, Hayward (2022) isn’t a journal article but is is a news article titled “Tavistock gender clinic ‘to be sued by 1,000 families’” related to one specific clinic, and not about the provision of gender-affirming care more generally. It was also published in The Times (London), a daily news tabloid. In contrast, research shows not “many” but “few” transgender youth retransition (i.e. later change their gender identification). A 2022 study of 317 transgender youth, mean age 8.1 years, found that 5 years after their social transition only 7.3% had retransitioned at least once. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35505...
- Concern about regret (p. 346) - The textbook says “It is important to get informed consent, which can be tricky for 12-year-olds, and some have regretted their decision later”. This lacks a reference and “some” seems misleading based on recent research. A recent publication of longitudinal study (n = 220) found only 9 respondents regretted treatment (and 4 of those were regrets about the specific kind of treatment), while 97% of the adolescents continued with gender-affirming care. Therefore, it would seem not “some” but “very few” have regrets. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama...