- "Comparative psychology refers to the scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of non-human animals, especially as these relate to the phylogenetic history, adaptive significance, and development of behavior."
Compares the behavior of different animal species and focuses on evolutionary and physiological factors that underpin behavior.
Evolutionary psychology: The study of how evolution has shaped behavior in animals and humans.
Cognitive psychology: The study of mental processes such as perception, attention, memory, and decision-making.
Behavioral genetics: The study of how genetic factors influence behavior and mental processes.
Neurobiology: The study of the nervous system and its relationship to behavior and mental processes.
Animal behavior: The study of behavior in non-human animals, including comparative psychology.
Social psychology: The study of how social factors influence behavior and mental processes.
Developmental psychology: The study of how behavior and mental processes develop over the lifespan.
Ethology: The study of animal behavior in the natural environment, often focusing on instinctual behavior.
Anthropology: The study of human societies and cultures, which can shed light on comparative psychology by examining human behavior and cognition.
Comparative cognition: The study of animal cognition, particularly comparing the cognitive abilities of different species.
Ecology: The study of how organisms interact with their environment.
Neuroethology: The study of how the nervous system functions in the context of animal behavior.
Biological and physiological psychology: The study of how the brain and body influence behavior and mental processes.
Behavioral ecology: The study of how behavior has evolved as an adaptation to the environment, often focusing on ecological factors.
Sensory systems: The study of sensory perception and how it influences behavior and mental processes.
Ethology: Ethology is the scientific study of animal behavior, typically focusing on the evolutionary and adaptive basis of behavior within populations, species, and taxa.
Behavioral ecology: Behavioral ecology is a subfield of ethology that focuses on the ecological and evolutionary aspects of animal behavior, including how behavior is shaped by factors such as food availability, predation risk, and social dynamics.
Comparative cognition: Comparative cognition is the study of how animals learn, process, and use information, including topics such as memory, attention, problem-solving, and decision-making.
Social behavior: Social behavior is the study of how animals interact with one another, including topics such as aggression, cooperation, communication, and social learning.
Comparative neuroscience: Comparative neuroscience is the study of how the nervous systems of different animals have evolved to support different behaviors, including topics such as brain structure and function, neural development, and neurochemistry.
Human-animal interaction: Human-animal interaction is the study of how humans and animals interact, including topics such as animal-assisted therapy, animal training, and the human-animal bond.
Comparative developmental psychology: Comparative developmental psychology is the study of how behavior develops over the lifespan in different species, including topics such as attachment, socialization, and developmental milestones.
Comparative psychopathology: Comparative psychopathology is the study of psychiatric and behavioral disorders in animals, with the goal of understanding the underlying mechanisms and developing more effective treatments for both animals and humans.
- "In its narrow meaning, it refers to the study of the similarities and differences in the psychology and behavior of different species." - "In a broader meaning, comparative psychology includes comparisons between different biological and socio-cultural groups, such as species, sexes, developmental stages, ages, and ethnicities."
- "Research in this area addresses many different issues, uses many different methods and explores the behavior of many different species from insects to primates."
- "Donald Dewsbury reviewed the works of several psychologists and their definitions and concluded that the object of comparative psychology is to establish principles of generality focusing on both proximate and ultimate causation."
- "However, some researchers feel that direct comparisons should not be the sole focus of comparative psychology and that intense focus on a single organism to understand its behavior is just as desirable; if not more so."
- "Using a comparative approach to behavior allows one to evaluate the target behavior from four different, complementary perspectives, developed by Niko Tinbergen."
- "First, one may ask how pervasive the behavior is across species (i.e. how common is the behavior between animal species?)."
- "Second, one may ask how the behavior contributes to the lifetime reproductive success of the individuals demonstrating the behavior (i.e. does the behavior result in animals producing more offspring than animals not displaying the behavior)?"
- "Third, what mechanisms are involved in the behavior (i.e. what physiological, behavioral, and environmental components are necessary and sufficient for the generation of the behavior)?"
- "Fourth, a researcher may ask about the development of the behavior within an individual (i.e. what maturational, learning, social experiences must an individual undergo in order to demonstrate a behavior)?"
- "Comparative psychology is sometimes assumed to emphasize cross-species comparisons, including those between humans and animals."
- "The object of comparative psychology is to establish principles of generality focusing on both proximate and ultimate causation."
- "Comparative psychology includes comparisons between different biological and socio-cultural groups, such as species, sexes, developmental stages, ages, and ethnicities."
- "Research in this area explores the behavior of many different species from insects to primates."
- "Using a comparative approach to behavior allows one to evaluate the target behavior from four different, complementary perspectives, developed by Niko Tinbergen."
- "Theories addressing the proximate causes of behavior are based on answers to these two questions [mechanisms and development of behavior within an individual]."
- "Theories addressing the ultimate causes of behavior are based on the answers to these two questions [pervasive behavior across species and behavior's contribution to reproductive success]."
- Comparative psychology refers to the scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of non-human animals."
- "Comparative psychology refers to the scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of non-human animals."
- "Comparative psychology allows one to evaluate the target behavior from four different, complementary perspectives, developed by Niko Tinbergen."