animal–human comparison

the use of information about nonhuman animal behavior to make generalizations about human behavior. Studies of animals are often specifically designed to provide explicit models for some aspect of human behavior, but studies of the diversity of behavior across different animal species can also be used to understand the origins of certain types of human behavior and to suggest alternative solutions to human problems. See comparative psychology.

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Psychology term of the day

February 23rd 2025

chromosome

n. a strand or filament composed of nucleic acid (mainly DNA in humans) and proteins (see chromatin) that carries the genetic, or hereditary, traits of an individual. Located in the cell nucleus, chromosomes are visible, through a microscope, only during cell division. The normal human complement of chromosomes totals 46, or 23 pairs (44 autosomes and 2 sex chromosomes), which are believed to contain a total of 20,000 to 25,000 genes (see genome). Each parent contributes one chromosome to each pair, so a child receives half its chromosomes from its mother and half from its father. —chromosomal adj.