Association for Behavior Analysis International

The ABAI Membership Board includes three committees. The Application Review Committee ensures the qualifications of applicants for full membership. This poster will provide a summary of recent membership trends and criteria for different membership levels in ABAI. Special interest groups (SIGs) provide services and support to members by hosting forums for information exchange and promoting areas of interest. The Student Committee facilitates the involvement and professional development of the ABAI student membership, and a description of their initiatives will be provided, including: Outstanding Mentor Award, Presidential Scholar Essay Contest, student participation efforts, and the Professional Development Series.

ABAI Student members, composed of undergraduate and graduate level individuals, constitute a significant portion of the association's total membership. The ABAI Student Committee's mission is to provide organizational support for ABAI Student members in order to promote participation in ABAI, as well as professional growth, and to enable members to contribute to the science of behavior analysis. The ABAI Student Committee is organized by three elected Student Representatives who serve on the ABAI Executive Council for a 3-year term (current, past, elect). The Student Committee is comprised of three subcommittees made up of students representing their respective ABAI accredited behavior analysis university programs. Student program representatives serve on one of the three subcommittees: the events subcommittee, the dissemination subcommittee, or the awards subcommittee. The purpose of this poster is to update students on current activities, facilitate conversation on professional development, and attract nominees for student committee and subcommittee positions.

Purpose: Promoting research in behavior analysis is one of ABAI's central goals and the primary purpose of its Science Board. The long-term development of behavior analysis, its strength, and its success depend much on both basic and applied research. ABAI works with several research organizations under the leadership of this board. In addition, ABAI provides grant writing information to members on the web and through articles and workshops.

ABAI supports scientist-practitioners through the work of the Practice Board, which focuses on matters of interest to agencies and providers of behavior analysis services. The objective of the Practice Board is to develop, improve, and disseminate best practices in the application of behavior analysis. The Board's primary mission is to bring the scholarship of a scientific association to issues facing practitioners; the Practice Board is currently developing areas in which these goals may be pursued.

ABAI publishes five scholarly journals in partnership with Springer:Perspecitves on Behavior Science, The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, Behavior Analysis in Practice, The Psychological Record, and Behavior and Social Issues. Their publication is overseen by the Publication Board, which consists of the editors of the journals and a publication board coordinator. This poster contains information on the journals that may be helpful for potential authors, such as information on categories of submissions.

Affiliated chapters of ABAI are local, state/provincial, regional, or national organizations that support the field of behavior analysis in specific geographic locations. Chapters range in size from a handful to hundreds of members. Organizational structures vary from chapter to chapter. ABAI encourages all of its members to become involved with the chapters in their locations. Many chapters hold conferences or regular workshops and provide terrific networks for behavior analysts. The objective of the Board is to strengthen, support, and coordinate ABAI affiliated chapters.