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Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences pp 772–783Cite as

Comparative Perspective

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Synonyms

Behavioral syndrome; Individual differences; Temperament

Related Topics

Individuality, Individual differences.

Definition

A multidisciplinary field that examines the variation in behaviors across individuals over contexts and time and animals.

Introduction

A fish emerging from its shelter after a predation attempt is considered daring and bold. Neonate monkeys that excessively react to various developmental tests when removed from their mothers are called neurotic or reactive. Octopuses that touch or manipulate novel objects are considered exploratory. For the last 40 years, personality, or the existence of individual differences that are stable and consistent over contexts and time, has been investigated more systematically in a number of animals across almost all major classes (i.e., mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, cephalopods, arthropods like spiders, crustaceans, and insects, and anthozoa like sea anemones). The main objective of this chapter is to summarize...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, TX, USA

    Heather M. Hill

  2. Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT, USA

    Deirdre Yeater

  3. St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, TX, USA

    Emily Lenhart

  4. Department of Psychology, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL, USA

    Lauren Highfill

Authors
  1. Heather M. Hill
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  2. Deirdre Yeater
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  3. Emily Lenhart
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  4. Lauren Highfill
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Correspondence to Heather M. Hill .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Virgil Zeigler-Hill

  2. Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Health Psychology, University of North Carolina-Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA

    Charlie L. Reeve

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Hill, H.M., Yeater, D., Lenhart, E., Highfill, L. (2020). Comparative Perspective. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_968

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