The evolution of animal psychology and its place in contemporary psychology

Abstract

The study of animal behaviour no longer occupies the position it once did in the training of psychologists. With each revision of the curriculum, the portion devoted to comparative psychology has been further reduced. Students are increasingly reluctant to devote time to rats or other “lesser” beings. For instructors across the various fields of basic and applied psychology, knowledge of the behaviour of other species no longer seems essential, and practical training in the observation of animal behaviour has become even less prioritised.