Newsletter
Volume 31 | 2008 | Number 2
Sociedad Mexicana de Análisis de la Conducta (Mexican Society of Behavior Analysis)
By Dr. Carlos A. Bruner and Jorge Ruiz
The Mexican Society of Behavior Analysis (MSBA) relies on the publication of the Mexican Journal of Behavior Analysis (MJBA) and its biennial conventions to disseminate our discipline across the country. Our most recent, XVIII Mexican Biennial Convention of Behavior Analysis, was held on November 22–24 in the city of Xalapa, Veracruz. The convention gathered about 500 attendees from 16 states of the country, representing 35 different universities, both public and private. Although most attendees were either academicians or students, professional psychologists were also present. The convention program included 281 presentations by 384 different authors and coauthors. We had nine keynote addresses by distinguished behavior analysts, both national (E. Ribes, V. Alcaraz, L. I. Duran, and C. Santoyo) and international (J. Marr, L. Hayes, D. Cerruti, M. Pelaez, and H. Drummond). Also included were nine invited addresses by prominent behavior analysts (D. Velazquez, J. Burgos, J. Vila, A. Fleming-Holland, O. Garcia-Leal, P. Arriaga, C. Carpio, G. Bacha, and J. G. Sanchez). In addition to these outstanding presentations, the convention program featured 13 symposia with 52 speakers, 27 paper sessions with 102 presenters, and 50 posters with 105 authors and coauthors. The convention program also included six tutorials and six workshops on different themes. The themes treated in the tutorials were social psychophysics, the philosophy of behaviorism, associative learning, self-control and response-induction, and variability. The themes of the workshops were behavior modification with children, addictive behaviors, feeding disorders, emotional behavior, and guidelines for writing research reports and proposals and the use of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Table 1 shows the content of the papers presented during the convention.
Table 1. Paper Topics Presented at Mexican Convention of Behavior Analysis
Analysis of the statistics indicates the success of the convention. Relative to our XVII convention held in September 2005 in the city of San Luis Potosi, SLP, the XVIII convention attracted about the same number of attendees. However, in other aspects, the latter convention surpassed the former. Mexican states represented at the convention increased from 13 to 16. University representation increased from 25 to 35. Presentations increased from 234 to 281, along with authors and coauthors, from 302 to 384. Keynote addresses’ increased from five to nine, and different from our former convention, in the latter we enjoyed the participation of five international speakers. Invited addresses remained the same at nine. Although symposia and its respective speakers decreased from 18 (with 90 presenters) to 13 (with 52 presenters), paper sessions increased from 22 to 27 (with 104 speakers in each of the two conventions). Most notably, posters increased from 33 (with 103 authors) to 50 (with 105 authors). While the tutorials remained the same (six), the workshops increased from four to six. With regard to the balance of papers on applied and basic behavior analysis and theory, the former clearly exceeded the latter, replicating the same balance of the penultimate biannual convention. With regard to the type of subject used for research, either animals or humans, the ratio remained stable in both conventions (about 51 to 151 and 80 to 188, respectively).
Given that the convention statistics also reflect the state of the discipline in our country, these data support the claim made in my previous article in the ABA Newsletter (Bruner, 2006) with regard to the fact that Mexican behavior analysts are well-versed on a variety of themes, both in the breadth and depth of their knowledge, and in their coverage of topics, both traditional and in vogue. In addition, such coverage is wide enough to contribute significantly to the development of our discipline, both in our country and internationally. The presence of members of the international community at the convention shows this kind of international collaboration.
As noted in my previous article in the ABA Newsletter, our Mexican conventions of behavior analysis seem to be a miniature version of ABAI’s annual conventions. For example, the balance between papers on applied and basic behavior analysis is similar. In addition, the balance between papers using human and animal subjects is also similar in ABAI and MSBA conventions. This is a worthy comparison because it suggests that, at least proportionally, Mexican behavior analysts are in step with ABAI’s leadership in our discipline.
Apart from the obvious asymmetries between ABAI and MSBA, certain circumstances have slowed the growth of the MSBA. These differences suggest the need to formally restructure our society to make it more inclusive and to promote its financial health. Plans were made, but unfortunately the necessary statutory reform did not occur during my term as president. I thus leave this responsibility to our new president, Dr. Carlos Flores of the University of Guadalajara. I would like to conclude this message by mentioning that although MSBA still needs in-depth reforms, some steps have been taken in the right direction. During the most recent assembly of voting members, three initiatives were approved. One is that in the future the Mexican conventions of behavior analysis will be held annually instead of biennially. The second initiative allows for the creation of an advisory board composed by past presidents of MSBA to hasten the learning curve of newly elected presidents. The third resolution allows for an increase of membership dues and subscriptions fees to the Mexican Journal of Behavior Analysis such that the society’s margin of profit will increase. The latter resolution will in turn allow for printing special issues of MJBA (suspended during the last two editorial terms) and to provide seed funds to organize future academic events and conventions.