Biology 2e is designed to cover the scope and sequence requirements of a typical two-semester biology course for science majors. The text provides comprehensive coverage of foundational research and core biology concepts through an evolutionary lens. Biology includes rich features that engage students in scientific inquiry, highlight careers in the biological sciences, and offer everyday applications. The book also includes various types of practice and homework questions that help students understand—and apply—key concepts. The 2nd edition has been revised to incorporate clearer, more current, and more dynamic explanations, while maintaining the same organization as the first edition. Art and illustrations have been substantially improved, and the textbook features additional assessments and related resources.

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Identify the general and special senses in humans
Describe three important steps in sensory perception
Explain the concept of just-noticeable difference in sensory perception

Introduction to Neuroscience is designed for undergraduate students enrolled in introductory neuroscience courses. Specifically, this text targets students enrolled in Introduction to Neuroscience 1 and Introduction to Neuroscience 2 at Michigan State University and contains topics covered in those courses.

Sensation and perception are the processes by which we absorb information from environmental stimuli and convert it into data that our brains and bodies use to modify behavior. This course begins with sensation, the physical process by which we use our sense organs to respond to the environmental stimuli around us. Perception refers to our interpretation of stimuli. In this course, the student will identify the ways in which these processes can fail, the biology of both the hearing system and the visual system, and how the other senses (smell, taste, and touch) affect perception. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: describe the sensory systems; distinguish between sensation and perception; explain how sensory and perceptual processes shape our experience of 'reality;' explain the basic principles of classical psychophysics; explain how sensation and perception relate to cognition; explain how human sensory systems respond to energy in the physical environment (i.e. light waves, air pressure, chemical molecules, etc.), transforming it into a perceptual experience that the brain can understand (i.e. sight, sound, smell, etc.); compare and contrast the major theoretical perspectives on sensation and perception, including direct perception, indirect perception, and the information processing perspective; compare and contrast the five sensory systems in terms of their sensory/anatomical set-up and perceptual organization; explain the roles of evolution, development, society, prior knowledge, and inference in our perceptual judgments and our conscious experiences; identify and define the leading terms, concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in the study of sensation and perception; compare and contrast psychological principles, theories, and methods as they pertain to sensory and neurological systems; critically read, understand, and evaluate scientific literature, understand and use scientific and technical vocabulary, and synthesize information from multiple sources. (Psychology 306)