Because these programs are small and personally tailored, it is important to establish that the desired advisor or advisors will have laboratory space available. Although identification of a probable advisor with whom the student could begin work may have a significant impact on the evaluation of an application and should be considered carefully, students will be free to change advisors as their interests develop, and are generally encouraged to work with more than one faculty member during the course of their graduate studies. In addition, because most of our students intend to seek a research-teaching position following completion of the Ph.D., they are encouraged to gain teaching experience. Most students serve as a teaching assistant in one or more courses during their tenure in the program, and many teach a course of their own near the program's completion. Behavioral Neuroscience Students, in consultation with their advisors and guidance committees, construct their individualized program of study from core courses and seminars offered by a variety of departments.
Collaborations also exist among labs across a variety of departments on campus.
Within the department, courses and laboratory research generally focus on the neural and endocrine systems regulating behavior. Particular strengths of the group include the use of diverse model systems and multiple levels of analysis. Thus, the opportunity for both broad training and depth in a specific area are emphasized. Members of a variety of different traditional departments are involved in these programs, each of which has a weekly seminar series at which speakers from around the country present their most recent data. Cognitive Psychology Research facilities in the Psychology Department include two eyetracking systems, computer- based systems for speech analysis and synthesis, and laboratories for investigations of attention, visual cognition, skilled performance, problem solving and reasoning, cognitive aging, memory, visual and auditory psycholinguistics, and reading and writing.