Department of Behavioral Science

The Department of Behavioral Science engages in high-level research on the relationship between the minds of individuals at the micro-level and society at macro-level. This research is conducted under the guidance of theories and methods borne from a combination of social psychology, evolutionary psychology, cultural psychology, economics, neuroscience, and comparative cognitive science. In other words, the Department of Behavioral Science aims to advance research on the process of how individual humans and animals and the societies they live in mutually influence one another. From theoretical research on topics such as the adaptive/neuroscientific basis of cooperative behavior, the generation and inheritance of culture, voluntary social decision-making, and social structures/psychology to practical research on social issues and public decision-making, this department offers students a wide variety of topics to study.

Laboratory of Behavioral Science

Message from Laboratory

The nature of the mind of we humans is tightly related to the nature of the society where we live. Society consists of people who have their minds, and society, in turn, shapes our minds. Since the late 20th century, this perspective, called “fundamental sociality of mind,” has started to attract great attention in various fields of social and biological sciences. While coming from a variety of disciplines, the faculty of our Behavioral Science Department shares this perspective. We use diverse research methods ranging from laboratory experiments, social surveys, fieldwork, mathematical analyses, simulation, gaming, and observation and have produced cutting-edge knowledge in the fields. In our master’s and doctoral programs, students acquire interdisciplinary knowledge and skills by actively participating in those research activities. And they grow into promising young scholars who can lead their own internationally competitive research programs.

Faculty List

  • YUKI Masaki Professor
    Research Fields: Social Psychology, Cultural Psychology, Socio-Ecological Psychology
  • OHNUMA Susumu Professor
    Research Fields: Environmental Social Psychology
  • TAKAHASHI Nobuyuki Professor
    Research Fields: Social psychology
  • TAKEZAWA Masanori Professor
    Research Fields: Social Psychology, Social Decision Making, Adaptive Decision Making
  • TAKIMOTO Ayaka Associate Professor
    Research Fields: Comparative Cognitive Science
  • TAKAHASHI Taiki Associate Professor
    Research Fields: Behavioral neuroeconomics
  • NAKAJIMA Akira Assistant Professor
    Research Fields: Applied Statistics