This website is part of our psychology Museum and Resource Center. For the past 20 years we have created several on-line exhibits highlighting for example the contribution of under-represented groups to psychology (http://psychology.okstate.edu/Psych_Museum/Welcome.html). As in our website The History of Comparative Psychology in Stamps we hope to stimulate renewed interest in the comparative psychology of behavior. The site was developed by undergraduate members of the Laboratory of Comparative Psychology and Behavioral Biology at Oklahoma State University. The laboratory is affiliated with the Oklahoma State University Department of Psychology and the Department of Integrative Biology and is part of our Comparative Psychology track in the Department of Psychology (http://psychology.okstate.edu/academic-programs/graduate-programs/experimental-psychology/comparative-neurobiological-program). This site is an on-going project and we welcome constructive comments and suggestions on additional comparative psychologists to include. When submitting ideas please provide a photograph of the particular individual you would like us to include. For consistency at this stage of the project only comparative psychologists with photographs will be included.
Comparative Psychology is the study of the similarities and differences in the behavior of organisms. Students of comparative psychology are natural scientists explicitly trained in the science of making comparisons and use such training to examine, for instance, phylogenetic, ontogenetic and cross-cultural aspects of behavior. When making comparisons, researchers attempt to rule out differences caused by variation in such factors as motivation, sensory ability, and method.
Comparative psychology is a general psychology in which its practitioners often search for principles that can be applied to a wide variety of organisms including plants. Topics in comparative psychology are impressively diverse and include basic research questions of invertebrate and vertebrate learning, orientation, morphology, communication, emotion, social pattern, mate selection, kin recognition, aggression, intelligence, perception, animal-human interaction, development, genetics, and culture. There is also an applied aspect to comparative psychology in which researchers investigate such topics as the influence of pollution on social systems, the use of animals as therapeutic tools, and the development of training methods to increase the quality of life in zoo animals. What links these diverse research areas together is the emphasis on searching for similarities and differences, and once found, to integrate the research findings into a comprehensive theory of behavior.
Research methods are equally diverse and include those associated with zoology, biology, physiology, biochemistry, behavioral biology, and psychology. Of particular interest is the ethogram, or behavioral profile, which is a “behavioral catalog” of a species. The data gathered from an ethogram can be used to develop formal experiments. Research in comparative psychology is conducted under both laboratory and field conditions. Comparative psychology is rich in tradition and can trace its roots back to Aristotle (384-322 B.C.). Modern comparative psychology is generally considered to begin with the work of Charles Darwin and includes such well known figures as George Romanes, C. Lloyd Morgan, Jacques Loeb, Wesley Mills, James Baldwin, Edward L. Thorndike, Leonard T. Hobhouse, Carl Warden, Stanley C. Ratner, Theodore C. Schneirla, Charles Henry Turner, V. A. Wagner, and Gregory Razran.
Authors
Amber N. Mitchell
My name is Amber Mitchell, I am from Norman, Oklahoma. In the spring of 2017, I will be graduating with a bachelors of science in Psychology. Previously, I have been a summer fellow for the American Indians into Psychology program hosted by Oklahoma State University. That experience further peaked my interest in Native American issues. So when I graduate, I intend to work for my tribe, the Chickasaw Nation, for a few years before pursing a masters degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology.
Samuel Alvarado
My name is Samuel Alvarado and I am from Enid, Oklahoma. I am majoring in Psychology with minors in Hispanic and Latin American Studies and Sociology. I aspire to use my Psychology degree as a platform to build a career in Industrial and organizational psychology and develop the skills to become an advocate for the Hispanic/Latino community. I enjoy playing soccer and nature hikes.
Tabatha Lewis
I am an undergraduate student majoring in Psychology. My academic and professional goals are to get a masters in Neurobiological Psychology and Ph.D in Comparative Psychology. I would love to work with animals, specifically monkeys or apes, studying the validity of mental illnesses. I also care for my seven year-old son and my two year-old daughter.
Danya J. Brewer
My name is Danya Brewer, and I am from Emporia, Kansas. I am majoring in psychology with a minor in sociology and a pre-med focus. I aspire to use my degree to continue on to medical school to become a neurologist. I have also loved working with disabled children which has inspired me to specialize in pediatrics.
Charles I. Abramson
Charles I. Abramson is a Regents Professor and Lawrence L. Boger Professor of International Studies in the Department of Psychology at Oklahoma State University. Dr. Abramson also holds adjunct appointments in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology and the Department of Integrative Biology. Dr. Abramson is a comparative psychologist with extensive international experience. He has published over 200 papers/book chapters and 17 books in the area of comparative psychology which he defines as the application of the comparative method to problems in psychology. Many of these publications describe hands-on inquiry based student activities using a variety of organisms, including humans. He has created numerous programs including the “Psych Museum” and the “Psych Mobile.” Dr. Abramson has received many awards for his teaching and research at the international, national, state, and local levels including the 2003 Robert S. Daniel Teaching Excellence Award of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology, American Psychological Association, and the 2012 Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence in Teaching Medal for Research University Teaching.
As a comparative psychologist, Abramson has worked with many different organisms including planarians, ants, bee, fish, snakes, elephants, and humans in a variety of applied and basic research topics. These topics include the development of a social insect model of alcoholism, the development of a mathematical model of the learning process, the use of learning assays to study the effect of agrochemicals on honey bees, and basic questions related to the comparative analysis of learning.
From:
Abramson, C. I. (2006). Comparative Psychology In: The World Book Encyclopedia (pp. 902a-902b). Chicago, IL: World Book Publishing.
For those interested in comparative psychology we suggest that a good place to start is:
Abramson, C. I. (2015). A crisis in comparative psychology: Where have all the undergraduates gone? Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1500. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01500
Abramson, C. I. (2015). A crisis in comparative psychology: Where have all the undergraduates gone?: additional comments. Innovative Teaching, 4, 7. doi: 10.2466/10.IT.4.7
For those interested in hands-on inquiry based activities that have a comparative emphasis we suggest:
Abramson, C.I. (1986/2000). Invertebrates in the classroom. Teaching of Psychology, 13, 24-29. Doi:
10.1207/s15328023top1301_6. Reprinted in: Hebl, M. R., Brewer, C. L., & Benjamin, Jr., L. T.
(Eds.). (2000). Handbook for teaching introductory psychology (Vol. 2), pp. 163-168. Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Abramson, C.I., Onstott, T., Edwards, S., & Bowe, K. (1996/2000/2000). Classical-conditioning
demonstrations for elementary and advanced courses. Teaching of Psychology, 23, 26-30. doi:
10.1207/s15328023top2301_4. (Reprinted in: Ware, M. E., & Johnson, D. E. (Eds.). (2000).
Handbook of demonstrations and activities in the teaching of psychology (2nd ed., Vols. 1-3).
Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.) (Reprinted in: Hebl, M. R., Brewer, C. L., & Benjamin,
Jr., L. T. (Eds.). (2000). Handbook for teaching introductory psychology (Vol. 2), pp. 221-225.
Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Abramson, C.I., French, D. P., Huss, J., & Mundis, M. (1999). Classification laboratory: A computer
program using clip art to demonstrate classification. Teaching of Psychology, 26, 135-137. doi:
10.1207/s15328023top2602_15
Abramson, C. I., Kirkpatrick, D. E., Bollinger, N., Odde, R., & Lambert*, S. (1999). Planarians in the
Psychology classroom: Habituation and instrumental conditioning demonstrations. In L. Benjamin, B. Nodine, R. Ernst, C. Blair-Broeker (Eds.). Activities handbook for the teaching of psychology, Volume 4 (pp. 166-171). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Abramson, C.I., & Hershey, D. A. (1999). The use of correspondence in the classroom. In L. Benjamin,
B. Nodine, R. Ernst, C. Blair-Broeker (Eds.). Activities handbook for the teaching of psychology,
Volume 4 (33-36). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Abramson, C. I., Huss, J. M., Wallisch, K., & Payne, D. (1999). Petscope: using pet stores to increase
the classroom study of animal behavior. In L. Benjamin, B. Nodine, R. Ernst, C. Blair-Broeker (Eds.).
Activities handbook for the teaching of psychology, Volume 4 (pp. 118-122). Washington, DC:
American Psychological Association.
Abramson, C.I., Wallisch, K., Huss, J. M., & Payne, D. (1999). Project BETA: Biological education
through animals. The American Biology Teacher, 61, 1-2.
Yonts, N., Abramson, C.I., McKenna, J., DeBoer, S., McMillian, A., Rice, J., Potts, R., & Scott, B.
(2002). An inquiry based approach to teaching research design: Asking the right questions.
Psychological Reports, 90, 1064-1068. doi: 10.2466/pr0.2002.90.3c.1064.
Benbassat, D. & Abramson, C.I. (2002). Comparative approach to pilot error and effective landing flare
instructions. International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 15, 87-94.
Place, A. J. & Abramson, C. I. (2006). An inquiry-based exercise for demonstrating prey preferences
in snakes. American Biology Teacher, 68, 221-226. doi: 10.1662/0002-
7685(2006)68[221:AIEFDP]2.0.CO;2.
Stepanov, I.I. & Abramson, C.I. (2008). The application of an exponential mathematical model for 3-
arm radial maze learning. Journal of Mathematical Psychology, 52, 309-319. doi: 10.1016/j.jmp.2008.08.001.
Abramson, C. I. (2009). A study in inspiration: Charles Henry Turner (1867-1923) and the investigation of
insect behavior. Annual Review of Entomology 54, 343-359. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ento.54.110807.090502.
Abramson, C. I., Burke-Bergmann, A. L., Nolf, S. L., & Swift, K. (2009). The use of board games,
historical calendars, and trading cards in a history of psychology class. Psychological Reports, 104, 529-544. doi: 10.2466/PR0.104.2.529-544.
Miskovsky, C, Becker, B., Hilker, A., & Abramson, C. I. (2010). The “Fish Stick”: An easy to use
student training apparatus for fish. Psychological Reports, 106, 135-146. doi: 10.2466/pr0.106.1.135-
146
Abramson, C. I., & Chicas-Mosier A. M (2016). Learning in plants: Lessons from Mimosa pudica.
Frontier in Psychology, 7, 417. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00417
Stevison, B. K., Biggs, P. T.., & Abramson, C. I. (2010). Using Google Earth as a source of ancillary
material in a history of psychology class. Psychological Reports, 106, 665-670. doi:
10.2466/pr0.106.3.665-670
Abramson, C. I., Brown, E. A., & Langley, D. (2011). Use of PowerPoint to demonstrate classical
salivary conditioning in a classroom setting. Psychological Reports, 108, 109-119. doi:
10.2466/11.23.PR0.108.1.109-119.
Abramson, C. I., Curb, L., & Barber, K. R. (2011). A bibliography of articles of interest to teachers
of psychology appearing in Psychological Reports 1955-2010. Psychological Reports, 108, 182-212.
doi: 10.2466/11.PR0.108.1.182-212.
Abramson, C. I., Curb L. A., Barber, K. R., & Sokolowski, M. B. C. (2011). The use of
invertebrates and other animals to demonstrate principles of learning: Activities developed by the laboratory of Comparative Psychology and Behavioral Biology. Journal of Behavioral and Neuroscience Research, 9, 1-6
Abramson, C. I., Hilker, A. C., Becker, B., Barber, K. R., & Miskovsky, C. (2011).
Cost-Effective Laboratory Exercises to Teach Principles in the Comparative Analysis of Behavior. Journal of Behavioral and Neuroscience Research, 9, 7-15.
Grice, J., Barrett, P., Schlimgen, L., & Abramson, C. I. (2012). Toward a brighter future for
psychology as an observation oriented science. Behavioral Sciences, 2, 1-22, doi:10.3390/bs2010001.
Nolf, S. L., Craig, D. A. P., & Abramson, C. I. (2012). Serial dilutions: A new area of research for
animal behavior. Psychological Reports, 111, 473-492. doi: 10.2466/11.49.PR0.111.5.473-492.
Varnon, C. A., & Abramson, C. I. (2013). The propeller experiment controller: Low-cost automation
for classroom experiments in learning and behavior. Innovative Teaching. 2, 2. (published on-line). DOI
doi: 10.2466/07.08.IT.2.2.
Abramson, C. I., Curb, L. A., Chicas-Mosier, A. M. (2013). Recruiting for science, technology and
mathematics disciplines: Perspectives of Black and Hispanic entomologists. Contemporary
Psychology, 2, 4, doi: 10.2466/11.17.cp.2.4.
Baskin, K. E., Cushing, C. C., & Abramson, C. I. (2013). Using the labyrinth as a teaching tool in
psychology. Innovative Teaching. 2, 10, 1-8. doi: 10.2466/07.08.it.2.10.
Thomas, D. G., Copeland, C. T., Hershey, D. A., & Abramson, C. I. (2014). Cemetery demography as a
tool for teaching psychological research methods to undergraduates. Innovative Teaching, 3, 7. doi: 10.2466/03.09.IT.3.7.
Chicas-Mosier, A. M., & Abramson, C. I. (2015). A new instrumental/operant conditioning technique
suitable for inquiry-based activities in courses on experimental psychology, learning, and comparative psychology using planaria (Dugesia dorotocephala and Dugesia tigrina). Innovative Teaching, 4,6. doi: 10.2466/09.IT.4.6
Craig, D. P. A., & Abramson, C. I. (2015). A need for individual data analysis for assessment of
temporal control: Invertebrate fixed-interval performance. International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 28, 1-39. (Published on-line: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/847557dt.
Kieson, E., & Abramson, C. I. (2015). Exploring the relationship between animal behavior and
consumer products: Developing critical awareness through classroom and home-based experimentation. Contemporary Psychology, 4, 23. doi: 10.2466/01.07.cp.4.23DOI 10.2466/01.07