Inside Behavior Analysis
Volume 1 | 2009 | Number 2 | On-line ISSN: 2151-4704
5th International Conference: Oslo, Norway
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By Maria E. Malott and Erik Arntzen
Behavior analysts from around the world convened in Oslo, Norway this past August to attend ABAI’s 5th International Conference. Attendees totaled 466 and came from 29 countries in Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Europe, the Middle East, and North and South America. This multinational representation is a new record for our international conferences and speaks to the success of this event format for broad dissemination in the field. Norway, as the host country, was well represented and Norwegians accounted for over 35% of conference guests.
The event took place on August 7-9, 2009 and offered numerous educational events throughout the weekend. ABAI was very lucky in its preparation to have the support of the Norsk Atferdsanalytisk Forening (NAFO), ABAI's affiliated chapter in Norway, the members of which so graciously welcomed ABAI’s presence in Oslo. Erik Arntzen and Thor Jonny Eriksen were major organizers and offered incredible assistance planning and marketing the conference.
Jon Arne Farsethås, Terje Gundhus, Torunn Lian, Jon Lokke, Aslaug Moltubakk, and Ingunn Sandaker also provided valuable input at various stages in the planning process.
Unique to the Oslo conference was the inclusion of a track of events presented in Norwegian. Topics covered in these paper sessions and symposia included aggression replacement training and autism spectrum disorders, the challenges in reliability recordings of verbal behavior, and cognitive and behavioral approaches to performance management, among others. These events, designed to further engage the many native Norwegians attending the conference, were a great reminder of how globally diverse and wide-spread the field of behavior analysis has become.
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3. Members of the Norwegian Folk Music and Dance Ensemble perform during the opening reception.
The conference program included a rich variety of topics on science, practice, education, and professional issues. NAFO’s Board of Directors was instrumental in selecting nine invited presenters for the conference, who included Jay Moore presenting, “Some Effects of Procedural Variables on the Dynamics of Operant Choice”; Francis Mechner presenting, “A Formal Language for Analyzing Behavioral Contingencies”; Abigail B. Calkin presenting, “Applications of Inner Behavior—Where Are We Now? Where Can We Go?”; David C. Palmer presenting, “The Evolution of Skinner’s Concept of the Autoclitic”; William L. Heward presenting, “Why Be a Behavior Analyst?”; Mark L. Sundberg presenting, “Identifying and Removing Barriers That Impede Language Acquisition for Children With Autism”; Manish Vaidya presenting, “Taking Stock: An Interim Assessment of Sidman’s Theory of Stimulus Equivalence”; Sigrid S. Glenn presenting, “Operant Behavior and Selection in Cultural Systems”; and R. Douglas Greer presenting, “How Children Come to Learn in New Ways.”
The conference was launched with an opening reception that featured a cash bar and hors d’oeuvres. Invited speaker Erik Arntzen discussed the positive impact that hosting the international conference had on behavior analysis in Norway. Guests also enjoyed a presentation of the Norwegian Folk Music and Dance Ensemble, whose performance incorporated traditional instruments including the Hardanger fiddle and goat horn. The closing event also featured music performed by the quartet of Sebastian Crancenco, Gary Gillesbie, Arnt Gisnaas, and Robert Robertson as well as a PowerPoint photo-montage of convention attendees and scenes of Norway presented by Ole-Petter Osterbro.
A total of 77 posters covered topics including the nonverbal assessment of neurocognitive functions in persons with autism and related disorders, the effect of humor in reinforcing human responding under concurrent schedules, the effects of video modeling on social behaviors in a school setting, self-management in the individualized education planning process, and others.
The city of Oslo was itself a major highlight of the conference and earned a 91% “excellent” to “very good” rating in post-conference surveys that were sent to 405 attendees with valid e-mail addresses. A total of 22% of those e-mailed completed surveys. Other high scorers were the volunteers from NAFO, who received a 93% “excellent” to “very good” rating. These volunteers deserve a special mention and heartfelt thanks from the on-site ABAI staff. Lena Gunnerud, Beate Henriksen, Andreas Lie, Lene Lilleskare, Malin Olsbye, Leni Ostvik, Siw Sundby, Aleksander Vie, and Henrik André Wagner each provided professional and friendly assistance on all fronts, and we were very grateful for their presence. Presenters and guests were also pleased with the invited events, which earned an 88% positive rating.
In addition to an informative conference, attendees were able to enjoy the historic city of Oslo and explore the Norwegian countryside. Popular sight-seeing tours allowed guests to visit the famous Fjord Region, travel on the Flam Railroad, drive through the impressive Stalheim Canyon, and much more. Many conference attendees also took time to visit Oslo’s museums, such as the Kon-Tiki Museet (Kon-Tiki Museum); Vikingskipshuset (Viking Ship Museum); the Ibsenmuseet, located in the last home of Henrik Ibsen; and the Munchmuseet, dedicated to the life’s work of Edvard Munch.
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ABAI was represented in Oslo by Past President William Heward, International Representative Maria Martha Hübner, At-Large Representative Kathryn Saunders, and Chief Executive Officer Maria E. Malott. Past Presidents and Council Representatives were also among the conference attendees: Sigrid Glenn, Richard Malott, M. Jackson Marr, Masaya Sato, and Janet Twyman. Thanks go to these individuals who have given and continue to give so much to ABAI and also to all of the attendees who came to Oslo to learn, network, and share their recent work. The entire ABAI staff also deserve recognition for over a year of hard work that helped make this important event a success in every sense of the word.
We are looking forward to the proposal for the 2011 international conference. For more information, please contact International Representative, Martha Hübner.
The Norsk Atferdsanalytisk Forening was very pleased when the decision for arranging the conference in Norway was published at the 2007 ABAI convention in San Diego. It was a great honor for NAFO and also a great opportunity disseminate behavior analysis in Norway. Even though a large group of participants usually attend ABAI events in the U.S., hosting the international conference was a great opportunity for the whole behavioral community in Norway to come in contact with researchers from all over the world. The reactions from the Norwegians who attended the conference has been very positive, both with respect to the arrangement of the event itself and to the quality of the presentations.
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