comparative psychology

American  

noun

1. a branch of psychology involving the study and comparison of the behaviors of diverse animal species, often under controlled laboratory experiments, in order to discover general principles of behavior.

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comparative psychology British  

noun

1. the study of the similarities and differences in the behaviour of different species

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Etymology

Origin of comparative psychology

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

This, the squishy and contentious realm of comparative psychology and cognitive ethology, asks such questions as: Do dogs experience jealousy?

From Washington Post • Jul. 1, 2022

Animal behavior has been studied for decades, by biologists in the science of ethology, by psychologists in the science of comparative psychology, and by scientists of many disciplines in the study of neurobiology.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Still, one cannot study behavioral biology without touching on both comparative psychology and ethology.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

In terms of comparative psychology and animal welfare science, you know, we all are aiming at understanding capacities and experiences of individual animals.

From The Verge • Jul. 8, 2021

Children do not merely have veins of cruelty; they have, as comparative psychology knows, the blood and impulses of primitive man.

From The War and the Churches by McCabe, Joseph