Association for Behavior Analysis International

The Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting behavior analysis. ABAI has repeatedly endorsed the methods of the Judge Rotenberg Center, a school which has been condemned by the United Nations for torture.[1][2] The organization has over 7,000 members.

"ABAI" redirects here. For American Board of Allergy and Immunology, see American Board of Medical Specialties.
Applied Behavior Analysis International
Formerly
The Association of Behavior Analysis
Nonprofit, 501(c)(6)
FoundedKalamazoo, Michigan, U.S.
(1974 (1974))
Headquarters
Portage, Michigan
,
U.S.
Websitewww.abainternational.org

History

The Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) was founded in 1974 as the MidWestern Association for Behavior Analysis (MABA) to serve as an interdisciplinary group of professionals, paraprofessionals, and students.[3] The first annual conference was a response by a group of behavior analysts who were having problems presenting their work at psychology conferences and other related events.[4] Some of the members included Sidney Bijou, James Dinsmoor, Bill Hopkins, and Roger Ulrich. The first headquarters were located on the campus of Western Michigan University (WMU) in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The association changed its name to the Association for Behavior Analysis in 1979.[5] In 2002, the headquarters were moved off WMU's campus. In 2008, the association relocated to nearby Portage, Michigan (where it is today), and added "International" to its name.[6] As of 2019, ABAI had more than 7,000 members.[7]

Activities and position statements

ABAI organizes various conferences related to the practice and promotion of behavior analysis. Every two years, ABAI hosts an international conference.[8] The association also holds an annual autism conference, and an annual conference dedicated to the advancements of behavior analysis.[9][10] Additionally, ABAI has hosted many single-track conferences on topics of special interest to behavior analysts, such as theory and philosophy, climate change, behavioral economics, and education.[11] Several times, the ABAI has invited the Judge Rotenberg Center to speak at their conferences to promote the Graduated Electronic Decelerator, a device that has been condemned by the United Nations as torture.[1][2]

ABAI is a member of the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences (FABBS)—a group of scientific organizations that are interested in advancing science in areas of the brain, mind, and behavior. It also provides support to the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis (SABA).

Aversives

The Association of Applied Behavior Analysis International is supportive of aversion therapy. In 1987, it gave the lawyer, Robert Sherman, the Humanitarian Award for the Right to Effective Treatment for winning a case that guaranteed the Judge Rotenberg Center the right to continue using aversives on its students.[12] ABAI has repeatedly endorsed the Judge Rotenberg Center's use of the Graduated Electronic Decelerator, an aversive device that administers painful electric shocks and has been condemned by the United Nations as torture.[1][2]

Awards

Through the sister organization of SABA, several categories of awards are given to individuals, organizations, and ABA research during the ABAI annual convention.[13][14][15][16] In 1987, ABAI gave the Humanitarian Award for the Right to Effective Treatment to a lawyer who successfully defended the Judge Rotenberg Center's right to use aversives on its students.[12]

Journals
See also: Applied behavior analysis § Major journals

The Association of Applied Behavior Analysis International publishes four journals about behavior analysis various subjects of behavior analysis:

  • The Analysis of Verbal Behavior is a collection of experiments and theoretical papers regarding verbal behavior and applied behavior analysis.[17]
  • Behavior Analysis in Practice is a peer-reviewed journal that includes articles on how to efficiently practice applied behavior analysis.[17]
  • The Behavior Analyst is a journal that includes literary reviews, reinterpretations of published data, theoretical and experimental articles, and articles that discuss behaviorism as a philosophy.[17]
  • The Psychological Record includes articles concerning behavioral analysis, behavioral science, and behavior theory. It was founded in 1937 by Jacob Robert Kantor.[18]

See also

References
  1. Network, Autistic Self Advocacy (2015-05-22). "ASAN Statement On JRC At Association for Behavior Analysis International Conference". Autistic Self Advocacy Network. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  2. Network, Autistic Self Advocacy (2019-05-23). "Association for Behavior Analysis International Endorses Torture". Autistic Self Advocacy Network. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  3. (1978) The Behavior Analyst, 1(1)
  4. (1979) The Behavior Analyst, 2(2)
  5. Craighead, W.E. & Nemeroff, C.B. (2004). Association for Behavior Analysis. In The Concise Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science. (3rd ed., pp. 87-88) Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons
  6. "Membership - Association for Behavior Analysis International". Abainternational.org. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  7. "Conference Home - Association for Behavior Analysis International". Abainternational.org. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  8. "Convention Home - Association for Behavior Analysis International". Abainternational.org. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  9. "Conference Home - Association for Behavior Analysis International". Abainternational.org. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  10. "Archives - Association for Behavior Analysis International". Abainternational.org. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  11. "Appointments and Resignations - Ambassador to Portugal: Who Is Robert Sherman? - AllGov - News". web.archive.org. 2018-07-01. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  12. "Distinguished Service to Behavior Analysis". Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis.
  13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-04-04. Retrieved 2016-09-09.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-04-04. Retrieved 2016-09-09.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-04-04. Retrieved 2016-09-09.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. "Welcome - Association for Behavior Analysis International". Abainternational.org. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  17. "The Psychological Record". Association for Behavior Analysis International. Retrieved 2018-09-14.
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