Comparative Psychology: Evolution and Development of Behavior

Arguing that the main contribution of comparative psychology to the wider field of psychology is to provide a "firm grasp of evolutionary thinking from within psychology," Papini (Texas Christian U.) presents an overview of the emerging field that heavily focuses on the evolutionary roots of behavioral similarities and differences across species. Merging concerns of experimental psychology and evolutionary biology, he offers an overview of the experimental methods and field methods used in comparative psychology, and discusses conclusions reached by researchers. Chapters offer discussions of genes and behavior, predators and prey, reproductive and social behavior, patterns of brain and nervous system evolution, the evolutionary pressures on development and learning, and comparative learning processes. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

This introduction to the evolutionary and developmental principles underlying the study of animal behavior provides a broad view of animal behavior from the comparative psychology perspective. Emphasizing problems and research interests that have traditional relevance for psychologist, the book uses examples drawn from specialized journals to provide a firm grasp of evolutionary science as it is applied to the understanding of behavior. The author discusses all aspects of the animal behavior including comparative learning and cognition, brain evolution and behavior, behavior genetics, behavioral ecology, social behavior in an ecological context, early experience and development, and the ontogeny of social behavior. For individuals interested in developing and deepening their understanding of evolutionary principles within psychology.