so·ci·o·bi·ol·o·gy (s  s --b - l  -j, -sh-)n. The study of the biological determinants of social behavior, based on the theory that such behavior is often genetically transmitted and subject to evolutionary processes. so ci·o·bio·logi·cal (-b-lj -kl) adj.so ci·o·bi·olo·gist n. |
sociobiology [ˌsəʊsɪəʊbaɪˈɒlədʒɪ]
n
(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Biology) the study of social behaviour in animals and humans, esp in relation to its survival value and evolutionary origins
sociobiologist n
| sociobiology (ss--b-l-j) The scientific study of the biological basis of the social behavior of animals, based on the theory that such behavior is often genetically determined and that the genes governing this behavior are subject to the usual mechanisms of evolution. Sociobiology posits that an animal will normally behave in ways that will increase the survival of its genes in the gene pool, either by increasing its own reproductive success or the reproductive success of an individual or group that is closely related and thus shares some of the organism's genes. Sociobiologists seek to find explanations for animal behaviors such as aggression and altruism in relation to the survival of the animal's genes. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | sociobiology - the branch of biology that conducts comparative studies of the social organization of animals (including human beings) with regard to its evolutionary history biological science, biology - the science that studies living organisms |
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