There are countless books on sex and an endless fascination with the subject. Varieties and vagaries of sexual desire have long been documented, but there has been little engagement with cutting-edge scientific research to uncover the biological and psychological bases of sexual desire. Here, Frederick Toates uses the insights of modern science to show how a wide range of desire-related phenomena - fantasy, novelty-seeking, sexual addiction, sex-drug interactions, fetishes, voyeurism, and ...

Throughout decades of research, motivation remains a vital part of psychology and other areas of the behavioural sciences. Frederick Toates explores this important psychological and biological process through an integrative account of how internal and external influences shape the decision making that guides and activates behaviour. Now extensively updated and expanded for modern readership, this textbook is equally accessible to undergraduates and engaging for academics. Drawing on psycho...

Why do some people engage in serial killing for sexual pleasure? This book considers the phenomenon of sexual serial killing from the perspective of motivation theory, as advanced in psychology and neuroscience. By examining biological, psychological and social determinants, it develops a model of sexual killing that integrates widely dispersed existing literature. The first part of the book reviews scientific data and theories, while the second part presents biographical sketches of 80 se...

As the world faces up to the challenges of climate change and the threat to security, Skinner's contributions on these issues continue to resonate today. In this stimulating introduction for students and general readers, Toates places Skinner's ideas within the context of mainstream psychological thought, presenting a balanced synthesis of the psychologist's work and his approach. The author reveals the links between Skinner's perspective and other branches of psychology, highlighting his ...

From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Grain Brain and New York Times bestseller *Brain Maker*...Loss of memory is not a natural part of aging—and this book explains why.**Celebrated neurologist David Perlmutter reveals how everyday memory-loss—misplacing car keys, forgetting a name, losing concentration in meetings—is actually a warning sign of a distressed brain. Here he and Carol Colman offer a simple plan for repa...

A comprehensive survey of the latest neuroscientific research into the effects of music on the brainCovers a variety of topics fundamental for music perception, including musical syntax, musical semantics, music and action, music and emotionIncludes general introductory chapters to engage a broad readership, as well as a wealth of detailed research material for expertsOffers the most empirical (and most systematic) work on the topics of neural correlates o...

A Life Course Approach to Mental Disorders examines the interplay of social and biological factors in the production of a wide range of mental disorders throughout life, from the peri-natal period through to old age. The aging into adulthood of numerous birth cohorts, especially over the past twenty years, has provided increasing evidence that mental disorders previously perceived to emerge in adulthood may have their origins early in life. This book brings together, in a single r...

Computational neuroanatomy is an emerging field that utilizes various non-invasive brain imaging modalities, such as MRI and DTI, in quantifying the spatiotemporal dynamics of the human brain structures in both normal and clinical populations. This discipline emerged about twenty years ago and has made substantial progress in the past decade. The main goals of this book are to provide an overview of various mathematical, statistical and computational methodologies used in the field to a wi...

This fully revised second edition provides the only unified synthesis of available information concerning the mechanisms of higher-order memory formation. It spans the range from learning theory, to human and animal behavioral learning models, to cellular physiology and biochemistry. It is unique in its incorporation of chapters on memory disorders, tying in these clinically important syndromes with the basic science of synaptic plasticity and memory mechanisms. It also covers cutting-edge...

Over the last two decades, scientific articles on schizophrenia have doubled in number, and prophecies of breakthrough have appeared and receded. The result is a scattered and confusing mass of evidence that is difficult to evaluate. How much progress has really been made? Are the neurological causes of madness truly in sight? This book evaluates the progress of schizophrenia science by summarizing what is known about how patients with the illness differ from healthy people. The tools of m...

Brain-computer interface (BCI) technology provides a means of communication that allows individuals with severely impaired movement to communicate with assistive devices using the electroencephalogram (EEG) or other brain signals. The practicality of a BCI has been possible due to advances in multi-disciplinary areas of research related to cognitive neuroscience, brain-imaging techniques and human-computer interfaces. However, two major challenges remain in making BCI for assistive robotic...