psychobiology

American  

[sahy-koh-bahy-ol-uh-jee] / ˌsaɪ koʊ baɪˈɒl ə dʒi /

noun

1. the use of biological methods to study normal and abnormal emotional and cognitive processes, as the anatomical basis of memory or neurochemical abnormalities in schizophrenia.

2. the branch of biology dealing with the relations or interactions between body and behavior, especially as exhibited in the nervous system, receptors, effectors, or the like.

---

psychobiology British  

/ ˌsaɪkəʊˌbaɪəˈlɒdʒɪkəl, ˌsaɪkəʊbaɪˈɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. psychol the attempt to understand the psychology of organisms in terms of their biological functions and structures

---

Other Word Forms

• psychobiologic adjective
• psychobiological adjective
• psychobiologically adverb
• psychobiologist noun

Etymology

Origin of psychobiology

From the German word Psychobiologie, dating back to 1900–05. See psycho-, biology

Example Sentences

“The findings are both intriguing and sobering,’’ said Bertha Madras, a psychobiology professor and researcher at Harvard Medical School.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 2, 2022

“It’s just a whole process every time,” said the junior psychobiology major.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 29, 2022

“Nobody understands why this social facilitation of intake happens,” says Suzanne Higgs, professor of the psychobiology of appetite at the University of Birmingham.

From The Guardian • May 6, 2019

Bertha K. Madras, a professor of psychobiology at Harvard Medical School and member of the president’s commission, said she is happy with the White House’s recommendations.

From Washington Post • Mar. 18, 2018

But, after realizing that all the questions that interested him came down to perception and the brain, he majored in psychobiology, at U.C.L.A.

From The New Yorker • Mar. 30, 2015