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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33rd Annual Convention; San Diego, CA; 2007

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Special Event #444
Presidential Address: How Do We Get There?
Monday, May 28, 2007
5:00 PM–5:50 PM
Douglas BC
Chair: Thomas S. Critchfield (Illinois State University)
 
Presidential Address: How Do We Get There?
Abstract: It is the best of times; it is the worst of times. ABA has grown to a record of over 5,000 members, yet numerous other disciplines view behaviorism as a dying field. Behavioral treatments are sought after for persons with autism, yet many fear the hard science experimental core of our field is disappearing. University programs specializing in applied behavior analysis and the certification of behavior analysts are on the rise, yet concern remains about the limited role behavior analysis plays in society today. Behavioral engineering is evident in numerous social programs, yet as an organization we have not taken a role on the world stage. Given these opposing perspectives, what's a behavior analyst to do? Why even be a behavior analyst and not something else? Perhaps it is because of the elegance of our science, because of the knowledge it provides and the potential it has to change the world. Even our robust science requires nurturing and contingency analysis, at the level and type required to understand all complex phenomenon. What do we see as a better world for behavior analysis, and what are the discrepancies between where we are now and where we want to be? How do we get there from here?
 
JANET S. TWYMAN (Headsprout)
 
Dr. Janet S. Twyman is the Vice-President of Instructional Development at Headsprout, where she is a major contributor to the development of Headsprout’s Generative Learning Technology and the effort to build that technology into highly effective educational programs. Dr. Twyman developed the research methods and systems that led to Headsprout’s ground breaking scientific formative evaluation model of program development, coordinating all elements of instructional design, scripting, graphic creation, animation, sound engineering, story development and writing, software engineering, and usability testing within the research model. She earned her Ph.D. from Columbia University Teachers College and holds certification as an elementary and special education teacher and as a principal/school administrator. Formerly the Executive Director of the Fred S. Keller School and an adjunct associate professor at Columbia University Teachers College, Dr. Twyman has been a long-time advocate and investigator of research-based instruction and systems design. While at the Keller School and Columbia University, she conducted research and taught courses focusing on effective instruction, technology and education, teacher development, and systems approaches to effective education. She has published and presented widely on verbal behavior, instructional design, systems approaches, and on topics of broader conceptual interest. She serves on the board of numerous organizations and has served ABA as a member, Chair of the Graduate Program Accreditation Processes, Applied Representative, and, most recently, as President.
 
 

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