Behavioral Science
Behavioral science is basically the study of behavior i.e interactions and responses among one species or between different species within organisms in the social system. It includes both animal and human behavior, in the controlled and naturalistic world. Behavioral science analyze how human actions affect relationships and decision making. It is the field of study that analyze and draw actionable conclusions about how specific beings think, act and react to a wide variety of internal or external situations. Behavioral scientists research human or animal behaviour and examine how they interact and communicate with each other, and the processes that contribute to such specific behaviors. Behavioral science being a combination of social science and natural science, absorbs some components of both fields, at times overlapping with each other.
Behavioral Science is sub divided into two categories, Neural Decision Science and Social Communication Sciences. Neural-Decision Science studies the relationship between biology and decision-making. It deals with how humans make choices or decisions. The disciplines in that field include psychology, ethology, psychobiology, social neuroscience, and management science.
Social-Communication Science focuses on communication. It is the study of how humans communicate, both verbally and non-verbally. A common discipline in this field is anthropology, other disciplines include organizational behavior, sociology and behavior finance.
Eligibility
Educational
To enter into a career in behavioral science, you need to complete either a bachelor course in behavioral science field or a bachelor of psychology. Courses in social work, anthropology, criminology and counseling can also open doors into this field. As behavioural science is taught in a broader sense in different courses, decide on the specific career field you want to work in, before choosing the specialised course. Taking up internships along with your degree will give you better prospects for getting a good job. Researchers in this field have a multidisciplinary educational background.
Personal attributes
A genuine interest in human or animal behavior is essential for a rewarding career in the field. Behavior Scientists must have patience, strong problem-solving and mediation skills and an eye for detail as they have to study their subjects on a long term basis. They must also have critical thinking skills, interpersonal communication skills, data analyzing ability and Project management skills. A behavioral scientist must be good at presenting and writing their findings.
Job Prospects & Career Options
Earlier, behavioral scientists were limited to careers as social workers or academics. Today situation has changed, behavioral scientists can choose from a plethora of thriving careers. Options for them include that of Anthropologist, Occupational therapists, Criminologist, Mental health councilors, Ethologists, Criminal Profiler, Psychologist, Sociologist, Corporate Coach, Economic Analyst, Market Researcher, Neuro-marketing and Health Education/Public Health.
Anthropologists study the physical, social, cultural development and behavior of human beings. Criminologists study the root cause of crime by examining the factors like economics, demo-graphics and geography thus enabling the prevention in crime rate. Criminal profilers excel at solving challenging cases by developing clear profiles of criminals when leads are scarce. Ethology, as a part of behavioral science, instead looks at instinctual behavior in humans. Ethologists study animal or human behavior, specifically instinctual rather than learned behavior. Psychologists study human behavior. Sociologists look at society and social behavior. Sociology examines groups and organizations, different cultures, and social institutions. Economic analyst help understanding consumer’s decision-making process thus enabling businessman to market their product and government to apply pressure on markets. A market researcher like economic analyst understands the costumers analyzing process before buying a product. Neuromarketing is a new field that uses neuroscience to study consumer behavior. Role of behavioral scientists in health education or public health department is to enable better health choice for people. This involve community-wide education initiatives on topics as diverse disease prevention, nutrition, drugs and alcohol abuse, or even the quality of life for senior citizens. Individuals with degrees related to behavioral science can work in law enforcement, social services, teaching, counseling and human resources. They may be employed by government agencies, private businesses or non profit organisations.
Institutes
Behavioral science courses are offered by various institutes in India. To get the list of institutes click on the subject name.
Abroad Institutes
No comments:
Post a Comment