Newsletter
Volume 29 | 2006 | Number 2
Behavioral Gerontology
By Dr. Linda LeBlanc
The behavioral gerontology special interest group consists of behavior analysts with interests in human aging. Our mission is to provide a professional community, resources, and contacts to researchers and clinicians that apply behavior analysis in ways that benefit older adults. The group convenes each year at the ABA convention. During the annual meeting, the SIG selects an invited speaker for the following year’s conference and grants a student presenter award for the best student product among on the current year’s conference posters or presentations. In addition, we plan potential symposia and panel discussions for future conferences. The group meeting is frequently attended by senior behavior analysts in the field of aging as well as clinicians who are relatively new to service provision to older adults or systems management in long-term care settings. The group provides a sounding board and consultation to anyone who attends. The student presenter award for the 2005 ABA convention was Kaneen Geiger of Western Michigan University, for her presentation “Using the Natural Language Paradigm to Increase Conversational Language in Older Adults with Dementia and Other Disabilities.”
The student presenter award for the 2006 ABA convention was Kristin Thompson of North Dakota State University for her presentation “An Investigation of the Effects of Dog Visits on Depression, Mood, and Social Interaction in Elderly Individuals Living in a Nursing Home.”