PSYC 39926 - Developmental Psychobiology

Course Credit: 1
Maximum Credit: 0

Developmental Psychobiology Developmental Psychobiology is an interdisciplinary science incorporating theories and research from psychology, biology, ethology, control systems theory, and evolutionary theory. Two criteria are often used to define the discipline: (1) any psychological or behavioral phenomenon must be identified and described according to how it is expressed in the specific contexts in which it typically occurs; and (2) the entire spectrum of biology, chemistry, and physics must be incorporated into psychological and behavioral phenomena for an accurate understanding of developmental processes. Issues of nature vs. nurture and epigenetics will have a particular focus in the course, as will the prenatal and perinatal periods of development. The course takes a comparative perspective and will explore the fundamental relationship between evolution and development, phylogeny and ontogeny, in multiple species. Prerequisite(s): PSYC-25000; or permission of instructor