专业详情
The David S. Olton Behavioral Biology Program seeks to establish a greater understanding of the relations of brain and behavior through an interdisciplinary program of study. Students in the Behavioral Biology Program examine the complex interplay between environment and behavior, and the processes and mechanisms that underlie behavior. One goal of the program is for students to learn how to integrate scientific discoveries from the wide array of scientific fields of inquiry that contribute to the study of behavioral biology, from molecular biology to sociology.
The interdisciplinary characteristics of the Behavioral Biology Program provide an excellent preparation for post-graduate work. For those interested in the health professions, behavioral biology can be integrated into a premedical curriculum that will provide a broad, humanistic perspective. For those who wish to pursue scientific careers in psychopharmacology, behavioral neuroscience, and physiological psychology, the program provides excellent preparation. Students interested in the fields of organismal or integrative biology should also consider this major.
Many students ask about the similarities and differences between the behavioral biology major and the neuroscience major. Both of these programs are interdepartmental, and a majority of professors teach courses that are listed for both majors. Behavioral Biology majors can explore many aspects of the biology of behavior, including the neural mechanisms of behavior (which obviously overlaps with the neuroscience major), but also biomechanical, evolutionary, ecological, and social aspects of behavior. The behavioral biology major also has fairly liberal course requirements which provide students with an opportunity to explore more choices in their liberal arts education. Students majoring in neuroscience focus directly on the brain and on neural function/mechanisms. Generally speaking, the systems neuroscience focus area in the neuroscience major has the most overlap with behavioral biology.