Nov 14, 2024
OHIO University Undergraduate Catalog 2023-2024

PSY 3230 - Comparative Psychology


Behavior of animals across phylo-genetic scale. Interaction of genetics, hormones, learning, etc., in development of behavior. Lecture, lab, field trips, and naturalistic movies.

Requisites: 6 Hours in PSY including 101D or 1010 and WARNING: No credit for both this course and the following (always deduct credit for first course taken): BIOS 2100
Credit Hours: 3
Repeat/Retake Information: May be retaken two times excluding withdrawals, but only last course taken counts.
Lecture/Lab Hours: 3.0 lecture
Grades: Eligible Grades: A-F,WP,WF,WN,FN,AU,I
Learning Outcomes:
  • Appreciate behavior of local animals such as deer and wild turkey.
  • Appreciate the diversity of sensory abilities across species.
  • Describe instinctive factors in human behavior.
  • Describe social and academic factors which have shaped the study of animal behavior.
  • Describe the benefits and pitfalls of laboratory and field studies of animals.
  • Have an understanding of reflex, instinct, and learned behaviors.
  • Understand factors involved in instinctive behaviors such as sex, migration, attachment, and social communication.
  • Understand how such factors as evolutionary distance, operational definitions, and control techniques impact the relevance of studies in humans.
  • Understand the interaction of genetic, physiological and environmental factors in the development of behavior.


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