Abstract
We argue that current animal research from comparative literature can assist students' understanding of basic developmental principles in courses that traditionally focus on human development. However, authors often exclude these studies from developmental textbooks. Our evaluation of 24 developmental texts published between 1995 and 2000 revealed 249 references of 154 different animal studies, which comprises less than 1.5% of references in all texts. Furthermore, the average publication date of the animal studies that did appear was 1976, reflecting an emphasis on older studies, rather than current research. We discuss how more recently published animal research articles can enhance class discussion and suggest that basic animal research is fundamental to the study of developmental processes.
