Newsletter
Volume 32 | 2009 | Number 1
2009 Opening Event and Award Ceremony
Chair: Janet S. Twyman (Headsprout)
Saturday, May 23; 11:30 a.m.
2009 SABA Awards
Award for Distinguished Service to Behavior Analysis: Brian Iwata, Ph.D. (University of Florida)
Dr. Brian Iwata
Dr. Brian Iwata is Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Florida, where he directs research programs on disorders of learning and behavior. He has published over 200 articles and chapters and has received over $6 million in research grants to support that work. Brian is the former editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and past president of the Association for Behavior Analysis, Division 33 of the American Psychological Association, the Florida Association for Behavior Analysis, the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis, and the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. He has chaired study sections for both the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Mental Health, is an inaugural fellow in the ABA, and is also a fellow in the American Association on Mental Retardation, the American Psychological Association, and the American Psychological Society. Brian has received a number of significant awards for his work, including the D. F. Hake Award for Contributions to Basic and Applied Research as well as the Award for Applied Research from APA, the Award for Distinguished Contributions to Service from ABA, and the R. B. Dillard Award for Excellence in Research from AAMR. Brian is just as much a teacher of researchers as he is a researcher: Half of the recipients of the B. F. Skinner Award (APA Division 25) have been his former Ph.D. students.
Abstract: Service is simply helping behavior whose occurrence results from a history of consequences and whose form is determined by current circumstances. In these respects, I am no different than hundreds of ABA members, except for having a longer history than most and therefore more opportunities. I will use this occasion to summarize the experiences and circumstances that have been formative in the development of my “helping” repertoire.
Award for Impact of Science on Application: Travis Thompson, Ph.D. (University of Minnesota)
Dr. Travis Thompson
It may be said that Dr. Travis Thompson has been a major and often pioneering contributor to more areas relevant to behavior analysis than any other living researcher. Among these are behavior pharmacology, ethology and behavior analysis, complex stimulus control, genetic disorders and behavior analysis, behavioral treatment of developmental disabilities, and behavioral approaches to architectural design. He is the author of 26 books and more than 200 research articles and book chapters. The quality and impact of his research has resulted in millions of dollars in continuous grant funding spanning more than 40 years. He has received numerous honors and awards for his research contributions including Presidents of Divisions 28 and 33 of the American Psychological Association, the Don Hake Award, Career Scientist Award from the Academy of Mental Retardation, Earl Sutherland Prize, and the Edgar Doll Award. Dr. Thompson will present, “A Poet Gone Wrong.”
Abstract: The novelist and poet, George Meredith wrote, “The man of science is nothing if not a poet gone wrong.” I began my career as a laboratory scientist, but spend more time in the world of the poet and artist with each passing year. I have not abandoned science. Quite the contrary, I am more dedicated to the science of behavior than ever. But I find, as the distinguished astronomer Maria Mitchell commented, “We especially need imagination in science. It is not all mathematics, nor all logic, but it is somewhat beauty and poetry.” In my efforts to translate the tools of the science into practical solutions, I have had the good fortune to work with many doctoral students and postdoctoral trainees from whom I have learned, and who have made their own unique contributions. The pursuits of attempting to understand the nature of addiction, improving the lives of adults with intellectual disabilities in institutions, and providing novel learning opportunities for young children with autism and their families involve integrating the best of science with an understanding of what it means to be human. The degree to which those efforts have been successful is a measure of the impact of science on application.
Award for International Dissemination of Behavior Analysis: João Claudio Todorov, Ph.D. (Universidade Católica de Goiás)
Dr. João Claudio Todorov
Dr. João Claudio Todorov was born in Santo Anastácio, State of São Paulo, Brazil, on June 8, 1941. He obtained his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of São Paulo in 1963. Admitted to the Master’s Program of the University of Brasília, he was a teaching assistant from 1964 to 1965, moving in August 1965 to the Ph.D. Program of Arizona State University, where he was Faculty Associate.
Returning to Brazil in 1969, he was Assistant Professor of Psychology at the Medical School of the University of São Paulo in Ribeirão Preto. From 1973 to 2000 he was a professor of the University of Brasília.
His publications include a book of readings, 10 chapters in books, and 80 articles published. He was editor of Psicologia: Ciência e Profissão and of the Brazilian Journal of Behavior Analysis and served on the editorial board of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, Mexican Journal of Behavior Analysis, Behavior and Philosophy, and Psicologia: Teoria e Pesquisa.
He is Professor of Psychology at the Catholic University of Goiás and Coordinator of the undergraduate course of psychology at the Instituto de Educação Superior de Brasília (IESB). Dr. Todorov’s talk is titled “The Globalization of Academia.”
Abstract: In spite of being in danger of becoming uninhabitable for us, the world is somewhat a better place to live now than fifty years before. Knowledge travels faster across borders and the number of people going places around the world, as tourists or looking for work, is record breaking. In such a global world limitation of student formation within the borders of any country makes no sense. The further dissemination of behavior analysis will depend on the sharing of knowledge and the uniform development of one science of behavior.
I begin with thanks to the board of directors of SABA for this distinction. The prize for the International Dissemination of Behavior Analysis is an honor that I cherish. I must acknowledge, however, several people who were co-responsible for my deeds. I’ll begin with Gil Sherman, my teacher in São Paulo, who recommended me to Carolina Bori, who invited me to join the Fred Keller gang that went to Brasília. I was supposed to apply for a Ph.D. in Columbia, but Keller convinced me to come to Arizona State University where I met, as teachers, Greenspoon, Bachrach, Brownstein, Pliskoff, Verhave, Jack Michael, Lee Myerson, and worked as teaching assistant with Keller and Gil Sherman developing the Personalized System of Instruction. My colleagues in the graduate program of the good old times are today in the list of “Who is Who “ in behavior analysis: Rick Shull, Randy Flory, Donald Green, Jon Bailey, Scott Lawrence, Scott Woods, and Andre Fleming-Holland. With that quality of influence I had to do something good in life!
I also owe appreciation to my students from the US, where I started my teaching career at the Mary Washington College of the University of Virginia, invited by my former teacher James Russell Nazzaro, then chair of the Department of Psychology. In Mexico, invited by Emílio Ribes, I had the chance to learn from Mexican, Colombian, and Venezuelan students. In Brazil, initially at the University of São Paulo – then the University of Brasília and now the Catholic University of Goiás and IESB – I was fortunate to meet excellent students, like Deisy das Graças de Souza and Elenice Hanna, some of them behind the movement that resulted in my nomination for the consideration of the Board of Directors of SABA.
As a teacher and researcher, I always prepared my students for a Ph.D. outside the country, even after our graduate programs were established. From the beginning, the students were directed to different countries (US, Mexico, Wales, Belgium) and different research areas, trying to broaden their perspectives and disseminate their knowledge. Unfortunately, Brazil has gone the other way for the last 15 years and there are no longer scholarships available for a Ph.D. abroad if we have a similar program in Brazil. That is too bad for a country that speaks Portuguese. Brazilian researchers are staying in the country, publishing in Portuguese, as monoglotas as American researchers (but in an unpopular language!). The present ceremony gives me the opportunity to begin another program for the dissemination of Brazilian behavior analysis abroad, asking my colleagues to at least publish in English! For that purpose, we have the Brazilian Journal of Behavior Analysis.
Award for Effective Presentation of Behavior Analysis in the Mass Media: Amos Rolider, Ph.D. (Emek Yezreel College, Israel)
Dr. Amos Rolider
Dr. Amos Rolider is a professor of Behavioral Sciences and the chair of the Institute for Research and Prevention of Antisocial Behavior of Children in Educational Settings at the Emek Yezreel College. He also chairs the M.A. Program in Educational Counseling. Dr. Rolider is currently the president of the newly established Israeli Association of Professional Behavior Analysts and heads the Graduate Behavior Analysis Certification program at the University of Tel Aviv. Dr. Rolider received his M.Sc. in Health Sciences and Physical Education from Brigham Young University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis and Special Education from Ohio State University. He has been teaching, researching, and practicing behavior analysis for over 30 years in a variety of settings in North America and Israel. Dr. Rolider, a board certified behavior analyst, has published articles in major journals including Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavior Therapy, Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, Education & Treatment of Children, Child and Family Behavior Therapy, and many other educational publications in Hebrew and English. He has presented more than 250 papers at professional conferences in Europe and North America. In the past few years, Dr. Rolider’s research and clinical work have focused on studying anti-social behaviors of children in home and typical school settings. His popular lecture series has led him to frequent guest appearances on Israeli television and radio. Recently, Dr. Rolider began hosting a weekly live television program and radio show that is gaining popularity among audiences. Dr. Rolider’s talk is titled “Behavior Analysis in Every Home: Translating ‘Cold Science’ and Gaining National Acceptance.”
Abstract: Perhaps nothing has been more frustrating to behavior analysts than the fact that the effective interventions they have developed have been met with hostility and apathy from other professionals and the public at large. As a result of this lack of acceptance, the field of behavior analysis, so far, has not been able to penetrate the walls of the general education system. Thus, millions of children, educators, and parents still only rarely take advantage of its scientifically well-documented effectiveness. I propose that one of the reasons for the rejection of behavior analysis by the general public is behavior analysts’ use of technical language to communicate interventions to their consumers. Studies have shown that terms such as “negative reinforcement,” “extinction,” and “punishment” serve to inhibit popular acceptance of behavioral philosophy and application. One of my professional missions has been to translate the behavior analytic knowledge and experience I have into a user-friendly, conversational-style approach to dealing with problem behavior. A golden opportunity came when two and a half years ago I was asked to appear as a guest expert on the topics of parenting and education on Israeli’s leading daily morning television news broadcast. After several guest appearances, the network responded to positive viewer feedback and requested that I appear weekly for a 15-minute segment on parenting. The weekly segment soon evolved into the opportunity to host a freestanding live television program called “Parenting 101”, where I present behavioral issues and solutions using layperson terminology. As a result of the show’s continued success – as is reflected by its ratings – there is a growing interest in behavior analysis and its applications to educating children at home and other typical educational settings. As of recently, I am able to reach an even larger audience via a weekly radio program, magazine column, online forum, and online newspaper blog.
Award for Public Service in Behavior Analysis: Thomas L. McKenzie, Ph.D. (San Diego State University)
Dr. Thomas McKenzie
Dr. Thomas McKenzie is Emeritus Professor of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences at San Diego State University and former Adjunct Professor, Department of Community Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego. Before coming to the USA, he was a school physical education and health teacher, coach, and administrator in Canada. He has authored or co-authored over 150 scientific papers and developed numerous assessment and curricular materials that are used nationally. He is a Fellow of four professional organizations and been a major investigator on 12 multidisciplinary research projects supported for over 30 million dollars by the National Institutes of Health. These projects have focused on increasing physical activity and health in numerous settings, including homes, schools, and community park and recreation centers. He has directed summer residential camping programs for obese children and for 16 years was a performance enhancement consultant to USA Volleyball National Teams. His expertise in designing and assessing physical activity programs for diverse populations is widely recognized. He has received numerous national and international awards, including the prestigious International Olympic Committee President’s Prize for sport and physical education program development, research, and scholarship. He is currently a member of the Science Board, President’s Council for Physical Fitness and Sports.
Abstract: I’ve always considered behavior analysis to be an approach to solving real-world problems. Early in my school career as an assistant principal of a school, I turned to what was then called behavior modification to solve discipline problems. Later, I applied the principles to teaching physical education and coaching sports, and my first-ever publication (1973) was titled, “The neglect of reinforcement theory in physical education.” My maintenance to task has been high, and during the last 36 years I’ve been using behavior analytic techniques in an attempt to understand and solve behavior problems in diverse school, physical activity, and sport settings. This presentation illustrates some of the challenges of applying behavioral principles and techniques in physical activity settings, initially to modify the behavior of individuals and more recently to modify population behavior. Society can no longer afford the potential of behavior analysis being limited primarily to individuals with severe problems. Given the epidemic increases in sedentary living and its accompanying health challenges such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, it is time to create environments that are conducive to active, healthy living.
Award for Enduring Programmatic Contributions in Behavior Analysis: Experimental Analysis of Behaviour Research Unit at the University of Auckland, New Zealand
Michael Davison, Ph.D. will accept the award on behalf of the Experimental Analysis of Behaviour Research Unit at the University of Auckland.
Abstract: It has been 40 years since this, the seed of this research unit, was sown. In this time it has had many formal names and probably even more informal names – including “The Ph.D. Factory” – and has had three locations. Still, some things have not changed: It has always been a cooperative lab with all academic staff and graduate students taking a weekly bird-running day; ensuring that no data are private and that everyone has equal responsibility. Also, from the very earliest days, the focus has not changed; indeed some are of the opinion that the experiment has not changed. We have always been interested in choice and behavior allocation; how this is affected by aspects of reinforcers, stimuli, and procedure; and how these processes can be understood quantitatively. If success is to be measured by formal “outputs” then we have outputted nearly 40 Ph.D.s, even more Master’s and honors dissertations, and nearly 150 well-cited publications. However, much less quantifiable and far more gratifying, we have – I believe – enjoyed the whole business, the playfulness of doing research, and the realization that each year we have more and more questions that need to be answered. This award goes to everyone whom has contributed to the lab and its research over this long time.