Inside Behavior Analysis
Volume 3 | 2011 | Number 2 | Online ISSN: 2151-4704
Norsk Atferdsanalytisk Forening
By Erik Arntzen, Jon Lokke, and Terje Gundhus
Norsk Atferdsanalytisk Forening (Norwegian Association for Behavior Analysis; NAF) was formed in 1973 and is a registered nonprofit organization open to anyone interested in behavior analysis and its application. Traditionally, behavior analysis in Norway has been very strong in applied settings, but not as strong in academic settings. However, undergraduate programs in applied behavior analysis are now provided in two university colleges: Akershus University College and Ostfold University College. Furthermore, Akershus University College (AUC) offers a master's and a Ph.D. program in behavior analysis that are certified by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board.
In 2010, the NAF had 969 members and this number has been relatively stable for the past 10 years. The vast majority of the members hold a bachelor's degree in social welfare. Furthermore, about 6% hold a master's degree in behavior analysis, 8% are psychologists, and 2% have a Ph.D.
NAF is run by a board of seven members with full executive powers, chaired by a president. The association is an affiliated chapter of the ABAI. Behavior analysis in Norway is central within the field of developmental disabilities and autism; one of the focus areas of NAF has been to stimulate contributions in other fields. NAF has several regional affiliated chapters and special interest groups; the chapter sponsors seminars, publishes books, provides equipment, organizes local activities around the country, and provides international representation at important conferences.
NAF arranges an annual conference. The number of attendees in 2010 was 767 and has been at that level for many years. The conference is a 4-day event with five or six simultaneous tracks. Although most of the presentations at the conference are experimental papers concerned with applied behavior analysis or practice guided by behavior analysis, there has been an increasing number of theoretical and conceptual papers. International speakers have long been invited to present at the conference and in 2010, Julie and Ernest Vargas were invited speakers. Both gave presentations at a special symposium on verbal behavior, but they also delivered keynote addresses on "B. F. Skinner's Discovery of the Operant" (Julie) and "Skinner's Theory of Contingency Selection" (Ernest).
NAF publishes two journals: The Norwegian Journal for Behavior Analysis and The European Journal of Behavior Analysis (EJOBA). The Norwegian Journal for Behavior Analysis is published quarterly. The journal is peer-reviewed and features papers on research, practice, and conceptual issues in behavior analysis, mostly in Norwegian. EJOBA (www.ejoba.org) is a peer-reviewed journal published twice a year. EJOBA is primarily for the original publication of experimental reports and theoretical or conceptual papers relevant to the analysis of the behavior of individual organisms. EJOBA has published a number of special issues since the first volume was printed in 2000. Special issues have focused on behaviorism, stimulus equivalence, bereavement and grief, precision teaching, a tribute to Skinner, and noncontingent and contingent reinforcement.
NAF has specifically focused on expanding its current activities and furthering the influence of behavior analysis into new areas to broaden the impact of the science.