psychobiology

[ sahy-koh-bahy-ol-uh-jee ]

noun

1. the use of biological methods to study normal and abnormal emotional and cognitive processes, as the anatomical basis of memory or neurochemical abnormalities in schizophrenia.
2. the branch of biology dealing with the relations or interactions between body and behavior, especially as exhibited in the nervous system, receptors, effectors, or the like.

psychobiology

/ ˌsaɪkəʊˌbaɪəˈlɒdʒɪkəl; ˌsaɪkəʊbaɪˈɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. psychol the attempt to understand the psychology of organisms in terms of their biological functions and structures

Derived Forms

• ˌpsychobioˈlogically, adverb
• ˌpsychobiˈologist, noun
• psychobiological, adjective

Other Words From

• psy·cho·bi·o·log·i·cal [sahy-koh-bahy-, uh, -, loj, -i-k, uh, l], psycho·bio·logic adjective
• psycho·bi·olo·gist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of psychobiology¹

From the German word Psychobiologie, dating back to 1900–05. See psycho-, biology