[Psychology]
Can someone help me understand as to what this sentence means?
Comparative psychologists study the evolution of behaviour by comparing the behavioural capacities of various species of animals.

What do they mean by behavioural capacities?

Question

[Psychology]
Can someone help me understand as to what this sentence means?
Comparative psychologists study the evolution of behaviour by comparing the behavioural capacities of various species of animals.

What do they mean by behavioural capacities?

anonymous · Answer

Behavioral psychologists are trying to figure out how behavior changes over time. They do this by looking at how much behavior relates to animals and how animals behave.

anonymous · Answer

Any species has "behavioral capacites", a wolf has certain capacites for behavior as does a monkey as does a human. Any species will behave based on the foundation of their natural tendencies...their "nature", so to speak. By comparing their behavioral capacites, the evolution of their behavior (whether biological or social) can be observed. The same is true for humans, not only in examining their behavioral evolution in civilizations but also in exploring behavioral capacites in tribal cultures.

anonymous · Answer

Behavioural capacities are the possible mannerisms in which creatures can endorse themselves in. 
Simplistically, they are possible characteristics/abilities that are 'inborn' but have not met the external criteria that would draw them out.