Inside Behavior Analysis
Volume 2 | 2010 | Number 2
Annual Convention Program Committee Report
By Ramona Houmanfar
The Program co-Chairs and Area Coordinators held a business meeting during the annual convention to discuss issues associated with the program. The process included the identification of strengths and weaknesses of our current procedures and a discussion of ways to improve the quality of the program. The following are some of the topics that were reviewed at our meeting.
Program Growth
As shown in the Annual Convention Program Support Data report and Figure 1, the total number of submissions for 2010 was approximately 1,570, which was comparable to 2007 data. AUT (29%), EDC (15%), EAB (14%), and DDA (12%) continued to be the largest areas and together accounted for 70% of all submissions. BPH, CBM, CSE, DDA, DEV, EAB, OBM, OTH, TBA, and VRB experienced a decrease in the number of submissions from 2009.
Figure 1. Number of presentations by year.
The overall number of invited events (including the B. F. Skinner Lecture Series) and tutorials reached its record number of 43 (approximately 12% increase from 2009 and 2008). One of the contributing factors to this increase was the inclusion of our new program area, applied animal behavior, which allowed for an additional three invited slots.
The B. F. Skinner Lecture Series included 10 non-ABAI invited presenters. The following is a list of the 2010 B. F. Skinner Lecturers:
- AAB (2): Katherine Houpt and Sofia Yin
- CBM (1): Robert Meyers
- CSE (1): Patrick Corrigan
- DEV (1): David Wilson
- EDC (1): Barbara Foorman
- TBA (1): Josh Edelman
- TPC (2): Stuart Silvers and Jan Smedslund
- VRB (1): Daniel Everett
Area Coordinators
The updated list of co-coordinators for program areas will be included in the Call for Papers for ABAI 2011. The successful recruitment of the new co-coordinators for these areas would not be possible without the help and support of their senior co-coordinators. So, we are grateful to these colleagues for their contribution to the vitality of the ABAI Program.
The following Senior co-Coordinators’ terms ended at the conclusion of the 2010 convention:
- Behavioral Pharmacology: Jesse Dallery
- Experimental Analysis of Behavior: James S. MacDonall
- Organizational Behavior Management: Alicia Alvero
- Teaching Behavior Analysis: Denise Ross
- Verbal Behavior: Matthew Normand
Program Quality
By area, the Program Committee rejected three autism submissions; one clinical, family, behavioral medicine submission; four developmental disabilities submissions; four education submissions; and six organizational behavior management submissions. By type, the Committee rejected seven papers, 10 posters, and one symposium.
Finally, I would like to thank my co-Chair, Ray Pitts, for his valuable collaboration, and all of the Program Coordinators and other members of the Program Committee for their outstanding efforts this year. In addition, on behalf of the ABAI Program Committee, I would like to thank Maria Malott and her exemplary staff members for their support and guidance.