Author: Thomas Rowland
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1527545776
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 233
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Book Description
Why do human beings behave the way they do? What governs how they act out their daily lives? It is not difficult to provide the traditional argument that it’s largely a matter of the culture in which we live, a product of the influences of family, peers, teachers, religious leaders, the movies we see, the books we read, and so forth. Such behavior often contradicts the independent nature of the human spirit, demanding a certain compromise—we depend on others for our needs, and to obtain these, we must behave accordingly. Evidence grows, however, that, in addition, much of our behavior has its roots in biological processes. Such information indicates that, whether we like to accept it or not, our conduct is often governed by biochemical agents within in the brain, an expression of our animalistic ancestral past, governed by our genetic inheritance, and all beyond the level of our conscious decision-making. This book addresses a series of such behaviors—love, jealousy, travel, suicide, etc.—and examines new-found perspectives that speak to a biological component in explaining just why we behave as we do. Certainly, such scientific insights are limited and currently provide only a narrow insight into human behavior. However, this information clearly forecasts the coming of a greater appreciation that, as members of the animal kingdom, we remain biological beings as well as members of a cooperative society.
Author: Robert M. Sapolsky
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0143110918
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 801
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Book Description
New York Times bestseller • Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize • One of the Washington Post's 10 Best Books of the Year “It’s no exaggeration to say that Behave is one of the best nonfiction books I’ve ever read.” —David P. Barash, The Wall Street Journal "It has my vote for science book of the year.” —Parul Sehgal, The New York Times "Immensely readable, often hilarious...Hands-down one of the best books I’ve read in years. I loved it." —Dina Temple-Raston, The Washington Post From the bestselling author of A Primate's Memoir and the forthcoming Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will comes a landmark, genre-defining examination of human behavior and an answer to the question: Why do we do the things we do? Behave is one of the most dazzling tours d’horizon of the science of human behavior ever attempted. Moving across a range of disciplines, Sapolsky—a neuroscientist and primatologist—uncovers the hidden story of our actions. Undertaking some of our thorniest questions relating to tribalism and xenophobia, hierarchy and competition, and war and peace, Behave is a towering achievement—a majestic synthesis of cutting-edge research and a heroic exploration of why we ultimately do the things we do . . . for good and for ill.
Author: Helen E. Longino
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226492877
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 263
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Book Description
In this volume, Longino enters into the complexities of human behavioural research, a domain still dominated by the age-old debate of 'nature versus nurture'. Longino focuses on how scientists study it, specifically sexual behaviour and aggression, and asks what can be known about human behaviour through empirical investigation.
Author: Kathryn S. Plaisance
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400719515
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 372
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Book Description
This volume provides a broad overview of issues in the philosophy of behavioral biology, covering four main themes: genetic, developmental, evolutionary, and neurobiological explanations of behavior. It is both interdisciplinary and empirically informed in its approach, addressing philosophical issues that arise from recent scientific findings in biological research on human and non-human animal behavior. Accordingly, it includes papers by professional philosophers and philosophers of science, as well as practicing scientists. Much of the work in this volume builds on presentations given at the international conference, “Biological Explanations of Behavior: Philosophical Perspectives”, held in 2008 at the Leibniz Universität Hannover in Germany. The volume is intended to be of interest to a broad range of audiences, which includes philosophers (e.g., philosophers of mind, philosophers of biology, and metaethicists), as well as practicing scientists, such as biologists or psychologists whose interests relate to biological explanations of behavior.
Author: Burton A. Weiss
Publisher: Universal-Publishers
ISBN: 1627342427
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 143
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Book Description
Natural Behavior provides seminal insights into the evolution of animal and human behavior for enthusiasts of Comparative Psychology and Behavioral Biology. Evolution and the behavior of the animal kingdom are discussed with new concepts on science, learning and instinct, and population phenomena. Hominization, interaction with Neanderthals, how the brain evolved, and the impact on the World are described with new views. The origin of our scientific concepts and the trend away from the egocentric position, placing humans at the center of the universe, is considered, along with the status of religion and how the fit with science is positive. This volume carefully explains evolution and the central role of behavior in natural selection. The range of animal behavior from single cells to people is covered, as are, topics like European settling of the New World first, and the effects of humans on the planet.
Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309132975
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 287
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Book Description
It's obvious why only men develop prostate cancer and why only women get ovarian cancer. But it is not obvious why women are more likely to recover language ability after a stroke than men or why women are more apt to develop autoimmune diseases such as lupus. Sex differences in health throughout the lifespan have been documented. Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health begins to snap the pieces of the puzzle into place so that this knowledge can be used to improve health for both sexes. From behavior and cognition to metabolism and response to chemicals and infectious organisms, this book explores the health impact of sex (being male or female, according to reproductive organs and chromosomes) and gender (one's sense of self as male or female in society). Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health discusses basic biochemical differences in the cells of males and females and health variability between the sexes from conception throughout life. The book identifies key research needs and opportunities and addresses barriers to research. Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health will be important to health policy makers, basic, applied, and clinical researchers, educators, providers, and journalists-while being very accessible to interested lay readers.
Author: B.F Skinner
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1476716153
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 464
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Book Description
The psychology classic—a detailed study of scientific theories of human nature and the possible ways in which human behavior can be predicted and controlled—from one of the most influential behaviorists of the twentieth century and the author of Walden Two. “This is an important book, exceptionally well written, and logically consistent with the basic premise of the unitary nature of science. Many students of society and culture would take violent issue with most of the things that Skinner has to say, but even those who disagree most will find this a stimulating book.” —Samuel M. Strong, The American Journal of Sociology “This is a remarkable book—remarkable in that it presents a strong, consistent, and all but exhaustive case for a natural science of human behavior…It ought to be…valuable for those whose preferences lie with, as well as those whose preferences stand against, a behavioristic approach to human activity.” —Harry Prosch, Ethics
Author: Patrick Bateson
Publisher: Open Book Publishers
ISBN: 1783742518
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 134
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Book Description
The role of parents in shaping the characters of their children, the causes of violence and crime, and the roots of personal unhappiness are central to humanity. Like so many fundamental questions about human existence, these issues all relate to behavioural development. In this lucid and accessible book, eminent biologist Professor Sir Patrick Bateson suggests that the nature/nurture dichotomy we often use to think about questions of development in both humans and animals is misleading. Instead, he argues that we should pay attention to whole systems, rather than to simple causes, when trying to understand the complexity of development. In his wide-ranging approach Bateson discusses why so much behaviour appears to be well-designed. He explores issues such as ‘imprinting’ and its importance to the attachment of offspring to their parents; the mutual benefits that characterise communication between parent and offspring; the importance of play in learning how to choose and control the optimal conditions in which to thrive; and the vital function of adaptability in the interplay between development and evolution. Bateson disputes the idea that a simple link can be found between genetics and behaviour. What an individual human or animal does in its life depends on the reciprocal nature of its relationships with the world about it. This knowledge also points to ways in which an animal’s own behaviour can provide the variation that influences the subsequent course of evolution. This has relevance not only for our scientific approaches to the systems of development and evolution, but also on how humans change institutional rules that have become dysfunctional, or design public health measures when mismatches occur between themselves and their environments. It affects how we think about ourselves and our own capacity for change.
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 030908718X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 399
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Book Description
Despite recent advances in our understanding of the genetic basis of human behavior, little of this work has penetrated into formal demography. Very few demographers worry about how biological processes might affect voluntary behavior choices that have demographic consequences even though behavioral geneticists have documented genetics effects on variables such as parenting and divorce. Offspring: Human Fertility Behavior in Demographic Perspective brings together leading researchers from a wide variety of disciplines to review the state of research in this emerging field and to identify promising research directions for the future.
Author: Stephen M. Colarelli
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022612715X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 373
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Book Description
When biological theories were used to understand behavior in the early 20th century, they were often poorly understood. Ideas about race, ethnicity, and IQ, and notions of social Darwinism, were based on a misunderstanding and an incomplete understanding of genetics and Darwin s theory of evolution by natural selection. Now, however, a biological understanding of social behavior is an integral part of modern science, and increasingly used in the study of behavior in organizations. Yet, compared with other explanatory paradigms in organizational behavior, biological and evolutionary approaches are still relatively rare. "The Biological Foundations of Organizational Behavior" provides accessible insights for scholars and practitioners in management and organizational behavior into what biology can offer their fields. Chapters contain enough background to orient readers who may have little knowledge of biology, and provide substantive contributions to advancing understanding of specific areas of biology and human behavior in organizations. They also show how the addition of biological theory and research to organizational-behavior scholarship will increase its explanatory and predictive power and contribute to its scientific foundations."
