Table of Contents
Definition of Sociobiology
(noun) The branch of biology and sociology that is concerned with the biological aspects of social behavior and organization.
Sociobiology Pronunciation
Syllabification: so·ci·o·bi·ol·o·gy
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /soh-see-oh-bie-AH-luh-jee/
- British English – /soh-sioh-bie-O-luh-jee/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˈˌsoʊsioʊˌbaɪˈɑlɑdʒi/
- British English – /ˌsəʊsɪəʊbʌɪˈɒlədʒi/
Usage Notes
- Variant spelling: socio-biology
- Also called social biology.
- A (noun) sociobiologist studies (adjective) sociobiologic or (adjective) sociobiological topics (adverb) sociobiologically.
Additional Information
- Word origin of “sociobiology” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
- Alcock, John. 2003. The Triumph of Sociobiology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Booth, Alan, Susan McHale, and Nancy Landale, eds. 2011. Biosocial Foundations of Family Processes. New York: Springer.
- Darwin, Charles. 1871. The Descent of Man. New York: D. Appleton.
- Dawkins, Richard. 1976. The Selfish Gene. New York: Oxford University.
- Francis, Richard C. Why Men Won’t Ask for Directions: The Seductions of Sociobiology. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
- Segerstråle, Ullica. 2001. Defenders of the Truth: The Sociobiology Debate. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Walsh, Anthony. 2011. Social Class and Crime: A Biosocial Approach. London: Routledge.
- Wilson, Edward O. 1975. Sociobiology: The New Synthesis. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
- Wilson, Edward O. 2000. Sociobiology. 25th Anniversary ed. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Related Terms
Works Consulted
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Cite the Definition of Sociobiology
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “sociobiology.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 23, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/sociobiology/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
sociobiology. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/sociobiology/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “sociobiology.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 23, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/sociobiology/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“sociobiology.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 23 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/sociobiology/>.