Newsletter
Volume 30| 2007| Number 2
Manitoba ABA
By Kirsten Wirth
2006 was a great first year for the Manitoba Association for Behaviour Analysis. We produced a newsletter with excellent articles from esteemed behaviour analysts, we became an official affiliate chapter of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, and we held our first conference. Our purpose and mission is to develop and disseminate knowledge about behaviour analysis as a science. MABA’s interests lie in basic science focusing on principles governing human and nonhuman behaviour (i.e., the experimental analysis of behavior) as well as applied science focusing on application of those principles for improvement of socially important problems (i.e., the applied behaviour analysis), and disseminating this information to stimulate interest in and correct misunderstandings of behaviour analysis. Our goals for 2007 include replicating and improving upon what we accomplished in 2006, recruiting new members, and reaching out to the general community to disseminate information about behaviour analysis. More information, including how to become a member, can be found at www.maba.ca.
Highlights from the 2006 conference: We had 30 individuals in attendance, including six individuals from the US — 76% were MABA members and 58% of our membership attended. It was an excellent turnout for our first conference! We offered 11 poster presentations and seven oral presentations that varied widely in terms of content. I discussed the importance of a merger between basic and applied psychology, Dr. Joseph Pear (U of M) spoke about the history of behaviour analysis, Dr. Adam Derenne (UND) highlighted the impact pauses on FR schedules have on procrastination, Dr. Garry Martin (U of M) discussed mental preparation from the view of a behaviour analyst, Dr. Jeffrey Weatherly (UND) talked about the implications of positive induction on human behaviour, Daniela Fazzio (U of M & St. Amant) shared the outcomes of the St. Amant ABA preschool program, and Dr. John Rapp (St. Cloud U) persuaded us to think about the accuracy of recording methods for different events. Our guest speaker, Professor Gerry Mertens, and his student, Bradley Dreis, delighted us with a humorous presentation on teaching strategies for all types of students. We tried to pique the interests of all individuals by keeping our presentations behaviourally “eclectic.” We would love feedback from the membership so we could take your ideas into account for subsequent conference. Please share your thoughts with us. We hope to see more of you at our 2007 conference!