Inside Behavior Analysis
Volume 3 | 2011 | Number 2 | Online ISSN: 2151-4704
Applied Animal Behavior
By Christy A. Alligood
This has been an exciting year for the Applied Animal Behavior SIG. We have worked on crafting and instituting a set of bylaws to guide the SIG as it continues to grow in the coming years. During the development of the bylaws, we have had productive discussions about the goals of the group. These discussions led to a new mission statement that is aligned with the mission of ABAI, and to several lines of focus as we move forward. The new mission statement is as follows: The mission of the Applied Animal Behavior SIG is to promote applied animal behavior analytic research, set high standards in methods and techniques of animal training, support those in the applied animal behavior field, and promote the well-being of animals in applied settings wherever they are found.
Areas of focus include communication with SIG members, ABAI members, and applied animal behaviorists in other organizations; promotion of scholarship in applied animal behavior; and certification/licensure issues affecting applied animal behaviorists.
Our SIG's Yahoo Group continues to serve as our primary means of communication with SIG members and the vehicle for strategic-planning discussions. To join the Yahoo group, contact the communications liaison, Terri Bright, at terribright@comcast.net. We continue to discuss ways to generate dialogue with other groups within ABAI and with other applied animal behavior organizations.
We again recognized excellent student scholarship in applied animal behavior this year with the Marian Breland Bailey Award for Student Research and Scholarship. We have experimented over the past 2 years with changes to the submission and evaluation process for the awards, and we will continue to discuss ways to raise the profile of the awards and promote student participation. As we are often asked about programs of graduate study in animal behavior, SIG member Eddie Fernandez has created a listing of such programs, which can be found at http://faculty.washington.edu/eduferna/AABprograms.xlsx.
Certification and licensure issues are of increasing interest to a number of SIG members and were the impetus for the organization of a symposium and panel on certification in applied animal behavior at this year's ABAI annual convention. The SIG conducted our annual business meeting and presented a poster at the ABAI Expo, and SIG leaders attended the ABAI SIG Leadership Training: Effective Organizational Strategies to Sustain Your Special Interest Group. In addition, SIG members, invited speakers, and other researchers presented an impressive array of applied animal behavior analytic research at the convention. The SIG also teamed with the ABAI Student Committee to offer a panel discussion on careers in applied animal behavior as part of the Professional Development Series.
The membership of the Applied Animal Behavior SIG is diverse and includes academicians, researchers, and practitioners from a variety of disciplines dedicated to, affiliated with, or interested in animal behavior and/or behavior management or behavior therapy with animals in applied settings. We welcome new members who share our interest in animal behavior and applied behavior analysis. For more information, contact SIG president Christy A. Alligood at Christina.Alligood@disney.com.