Abstract: | Reviews the book, Neural Integration of Physiological Mechanisms and Behavior: J. A. F. Stevenson Memorial Volume edited by J. Gordon Mogenson and Franco R. Calaresu (1975). This book consists of a series of articles dedicated to the memory of Professor James A. F. Stevenson and to his view that an understanding of physiological regulations must be sought within the context of the overall functioning of the whole organism. How Stevenson came to develop this approach to the study of physiological mechanisms, and his contributions to science, both inside and outside the laboratory, are the subjects of the first two introductory essays written by F. C. Macintosh and J. R. Brobeck. In the third introductory essay, E. F. Adolph provides a brief historical account of how the concept of internal regulation of physiological activities arose, and stresses the importance of considering the regulatory actions of organisms in all physiological and behavioral studies. The reviewer would recommend the addition of this book to your library. The articles are of excellent calibre, and it is probably a matter of personal interest as to which ones the reader will consider the most useful. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |