Association for Behavior Analysis International

The Association for Behavior Analysis International® (ABAI) is a nonprofit membership organization with the mission to contribute to the well-being of society by developing, enhancing, and supporting the growth and vitality of the science of behavior analysis through research, education, and practice.

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41st Annual Convention; San Antonio, TX; 2015

Event Details


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Special Event #5
CE Offered: BACB
Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis Awards
Saturday, May 23, 2015
11:30 AM–12:50 PM
Lila Cockrell Theatre (CC)
Instruction Level: Basic
Chair: Michael Perone (West Virginia University)
CE Instructor: Michael Perone, Ph.D.
 

SABA Award for Distinguished Service: Behavior Analysis 1970-2015: A Personal Perspective

Abstract:

Life as a behavior analyst for Dr. Sigrid Glenn began some 30 years after B. F. Skinner’s momentous publication of The Behavior of Organisms. In 1970, the history and status of behavior analytic work could be summarized in 19 chapters in Honig’s Operant Behavior: Areas of Research and Application (1966). And a two-volume compendium of reprinted articles provided easy pre-Internet access to 98 original works on concepts, principles, methods, and applications of behavior analysis (Ulrich, Stachnik, and Mabry, 1966 and 1970). Further, as a new graduate student she could reasonably set out to read all 12 volumes of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior and the one volume of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis that then existed. Most exciting to Dr. Glenn, Skinner’s newly published Contingencies of Reinforcement offered a coherent worldview that replaced a muddle of incoherent ideas. Behavior analysis was very different then. Looking back on the subsequent 45 years, Dr. Glenn will recount a few of the events that seem to capture the changes she has seen, and reflect on the relevance of those changes to the future of behavior analysis as a coherent whole. Finally, a brief survey of several future paths behavior analysis may take is followed by a recommendation for one that seems best to support disciplinary coherence.

 
SIGRID S. GLENN (University of North Texas)
 
Dr. Sigrid Glenn’s passionate commitment to behavior analysis is seen in the range of her contributions. Her four books and 50-plus articles and chapters include basic and applied experimental analyses, conceptual and interdisciplinary offerings, and reflections on the nature and status of the discipline. As founding chair of the Department of Behavior Analysis at the University of North Texas, Dr. Glenn established its master’s and bachelor’s programs and led the faculty in becoming ABAI’s first accredited graduate program. A charter certificant of the Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB), she led a cadre of distant learning pioneers in developing the first BACB-approved Internet course sequence. She has served as editor of The Behavior Analyst and on several other editorial boards and is a founding fellow of the ABAI and a fellow of the American Psychological Association and its Division 25. Dr. Glenn is recipient of CalABA’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Behavior Analysis; the Texas Association for Behavior Analysis Award for Career Contributions to Behavior Analysis in Texas; the Michael Hemingway Award for Advancement of Behavior Analysis; the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies Ellen P. Reese Award in Recognition for Significant Contributions to Communication of Behavioral Concepts; and ABAI’s Student Committee Award for Outstanding Mentorship. Dr. Glenn served on the ABAI Executive Council from 1989-1996 and was ABAI president in 1993-94 and SABA president in 1994-95. She is now Regents Professor Emeritus at the University of North Texas.
 

SABA Award for International Dissemination: Science and the Treatment of Autism: A Multimedia Package for Parents and Professionals

Abstract:

A severe shortage of training courses exists across Europe to prepare professionals to meet the needs of parents whose children are diagnosed with autism. To address this concern and the resulting myths about applied behavior analysis that have sprung up, Leonardo, a former part of the European Commission's Lifelong Learning Programme, supported two projects to further development of an innovative multimedia program first developed in Northern Ireland by local charity Parents' Education as Autism Therapists (PEAT) and behavior analysts from the Ulster University. Called Simple Steps, this multimedia program uses video material in the form of parental testimonies, animations, demonstrations, and textural material to teach the principles of applied behavior analysis. The projects funded by Leonardo were each called STAMPPP and included partners from the United Kingdom, Norway, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Iceland, and Germany; another group from Portugal obtained funding independently to develop the program. For some partners, this was the first time they had access to material on behavior analysis in their own language. In this presentation, Dr. Keenan will show examples of the resources that were developed and encourage others to think about the importance of moving beyond static images when teaching about something dynamic such as behavior.

 
MICHAEL KEENAN (Ulster University)
 
Professor Mickey Keenan, BCBA-D, is a fellow of the British Psychological Society, a distinguished community fellow at the School of Psychology, Ulster University in Northern Ireland, and a trustee of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies. He is founder of the charity PEAT (Parents’ Education as Autism Therapists; www.peatni.org). He has received numerous awards for his untiring efforts to bring applied behavior analysis to communities in Ireland and further afield. He has received the Award for Promoting Equality of Opportunity from the British Psychological Society, a Personal Achievement Award from the New York State Association for Behavior Analysis, Award for Public Service in Behavior Analysis from the Society for Advancement of Behavior Analysis (presented in Chicago, May 2008), and the Michael Hemingway Award from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (presented in New Orleans, March 2014). With his wife, Professor Karola Dillenburger, he produced the first multimedia textbook in behavior analysis, Behaviour Analysis: A Primer, available on iTunes bookstore for Mac platform.  
 

SABA Award for Effective Presentation of Behavior Analysis in the Mass Media: Putting It All Together: Interdisciplinary Behavior Analysis for the Public

Abstract:

Sustainability, education, workplace safety, language development, addiction, autism ... the list goes on and on. Behavior analysis applies very broadly indeed, and is inherently interdisciplinary. How can we best get our scientific principles recognized, valued, and used in all the areas they apply? One approach is to reach out to the public directly. In The Science of Consequences, Dr. Susan M. Schneider sought to cover the full range of our science and its applications, simultaneously highlighting many connections with other fields. This inclusive approach seems valuable for the sake of both science and dissemination: We now know how fully operant principles interact with others in the large and complex nature-and-nurture system, for example. Can we do better at getting the word out about all that we have to offer? In this presentation, Dr. Schneider will explore this continuing challenge as well as celebrate our progress.

 
SUSAN M. SCHNEIDER (University of the Pacific)
 
Dr. Susan M. Schneider’s involvement in behavior analysis goes back to high school when she read Beyond Freedom and Dignity and wrote B. F. Skinner, never dreaming that he would reply. They corresponded through her master's degree in mechanical engineering from Brown University, her engineering career, and her stint in the Peace Corps. At that point, Schneider bowed to the inevitable and switched careers earning a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas, holding faculty positions at St. Olaf College, Auburn University, and Florida International University. A research pioneer in the quantitative analysis of behavior, her publications also cover the history and philosophy of behavior analysis and its biological context. Building on this background, her book for the public, The Science of Consequences: How They Affect Genes, Change the Brain, and Impact Our World, describes operant principles, their role in the nature-nurture system, and their full range of applications. It earned a mention in the journal Nature, was a selection of the Scientific American Book Club, and took Schneider on a book tour across the United States and Scandinavia. She also has appeared on national radio programs. The SABA award letter took note of the book’s engaging style and broad scope, calling it “extraordinary.”

 

SABA Award for Scientific Translation: How Can We Increase the Impact of Behavior Analysis in Solving Problems in New Areas?

Abstract:

Behavior analysis is a powerful tool that could ameliorate many of society’s problems. One of the first problems seriously addressed with a behavior analytic approach was the treatment of autism. Although a behavioral approach yielded promising results from the start, it took many years before the behavioral approach was accepted as the treatment of choice for autism. Although promising data also have been obtained from applications of behavioral technology to other social problems, these applications have not yet been widely accepted or disseminated. B. F. Skinner envisioned behavior analysis as a technology that would address a wide variety of societal challenges. Initially, behavior analysts were highly enthusiastic about society adopting our approach in areas such as education, but many people already working in these fields were resistant to a behavioral approach. This paper will examine a number of areas where behavior analysis could make a difference, and explore ways to overcome obstacles and accelerate the acceptance of our approach.

 
RON VAN HOUTEN (Western Michigan University)
 
Dr. Ron Van Houten received his BA from State University of New York at Stony Brook and his MA and Ph.D. from Dalhousie University, where he received training in the experimental analysis of behavior. He is currently a professor of psychology at Western Michigan University. Dr. Van Houten has published extensively in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis on a wide variety of problems, such as the education of inner city youth and children with "learning disabilities," the treatment of children and adults with developmental delays, the treatment of clinical problems in children, traffic safety, energy conservation, and aviation safety. Currently, Dr. Van Houten is a member of the Transportation Research Board and a member of the National Committee for Uniform Traffic Control Devices. He is a past assistant editor for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and a Fellow of ABAI. Dr. Van Houten is also an avid pilot of power aircraft and gliders and a flight instructor.
 
Target Audience:

Psychologists, behavior analysts, practitioners, and graduate students.

Learning Objectives: Forthcoming
 
 

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