Inside Behavior Analysis
Volume 3 | 2011 | Number 2 | Online ISSN: 2151-4704
Verbal Behavior
By Traci Cihon
The Verbal Behavior Special Interest Group (VB SIG) council has been extremely dedicated to promoting the SIG's mission and making our goals a reality. We are continuously in awe at the hard work and productivity of our current council.
The council has written and approved a set of bylaws that will streamline the operations of the internal actions of the VB SIG. Most importantly, these bylaws outline the responsibilities of each council member, describe the general membership categories and procedures for becoming a member, and outline the length of term for each council member. In summary, the chair will serve a 4-year term and then serve in the role of past-chair for an additional 2 years, the treasurer (currently Season Almason) will serve a 2-year term. All other positions will be held for a 3-year term. This year marks the first year that we will hold an election to replace one of our current council members. Ms. Almason's term will come to an end at this year's business meeting. Season, thanks for your commitment to the VB SIG!
We are excited to announce the launch of our new website and Facebook page. Dr. Sarah Lechago has been working diligently to give the SIG a new look. After several challenges and many hours of work, we launched our new website this year! As a note to our members, the Facebook page will serve several functions; however, one of its major roles will be to replace the VB SIG listserv—as of May 2011, the VB SIG listserv was no longer active.
Drs. Judah Axe and Sarah Lechago have maintained the SIG's commitment to supporting and encouraging research and undergraduate and graduate instruction in Skinner's verbal behavior. Winners of the Student Research Competition and the Student Grant Competition were announced at our annual business meeting.
Several council members have helped to showcase the VB SIG by sharing our expo poster at a variety of regional conferences. For example, Dr. Axe took the expo poster to Berkshire Association for Behavior Analysis and Therapy's conference and Dr. Lechago showcased the expo poster at the Texas ABA convention. A group of University of North Texas students and Dr. Traci Cihon displayed the VB SIG expo poster at the Missouri ABA convention. The willingness of our council members to represent the SIG in these venues helps us to support and encourage others to become connected to the VB SIG and ensures our sustainability. We hope you stopped by the expo during the ABAI convention this year to see the newly designed poster. Be sure to look for it at upcoming affiliated chapter events!
Ms. Kerry Ann Conde and Ms. Danielle LaFrance have also made significant contributions to the SIG this year. Ms. Conde keeps us up-to-date on our current membership numbers while simultaneously reminding us of what we have discussed and proposed in our monthly conference calls. Ms. LaFrance ensures our communication with members by planning, reminding us to submit updates, and designing the annual newsletter.
The VB SIG council looks forward to working together with its members to continue our overall goals and uphold the SIG's mission. We engage in several activities to support our members:
- Support and encouraging research efforts to improve our understanding of verbal behavior
- Support practice-based issues in utilizing the analysis of verbal behavior
- Support undergraduate and graduate instruction of Skinner's verbal behavior
- Communicate with other organizations making use of Skinner's verbal behavior
- Disseminate information regarding a behavioral approach to studying language
As always, we welcome any input from our current members. Please feel free to e-mail us with any questions, comments, or suggestions at thevbsig@gmail.com.