Strategies to influence institutions and universities

Connecting basic research and applied, translating books, writing articles, publishing the findings on non-specialist journals, working in different fields in the awareness of being part of a single cultural reference.

Granada, November 26, 2011 – These are the ways illustrated by the most prominent men in the world of Behavior Analysis to increase the impact of science in people’s life. Here’s an excerpt of their comments made during the closing round table of the 6th World Congress of ABA International, held in Granada.

There are areas of contact with other sciences: let’s feed them, but always maintaining the independence and authority of Behavior Analysis. It must be considered separately as a natural science. And remember that there is only one Behavior Analysis: We have been very effective with autism, but we need to extend the work in other areas. We can influence by publishing the findings of our experiments in journals that are not specialized. So, we can always ask “show me your data” to anyone who contradicts what we do.
Erik Arntzen (University of Oslo), Norvegia

There is a very big difference in the way that BA has spread in the EU than the U.S.. We need to do different things than our colleagues in the United States: I suggest three strategies. First, we give two totally different paths to psychology and BA, by indicating that BA is addressed to solve all the behavioral problems. It may sound arrogant but it’s just what we do. Second: We must do more different applications. Third: We need to connect more basic and applied research, because today is detached on 2 levels. I am always astonished when I discover in each conference applications and advances of those who transfer their theoretical knowledge into practical applications.
Maria Xesus Frojàn Parga (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), Spagna

We set up a master’s degree, Behavior Analyst with the best of the world as teachers, producing 40 graduates each year. Our problem is “where will they go to work” because the centers are still few. We’re starting to work with Saudi Arabia, but we must stay there permanently, not only for the duration of a training course. We are creating doctoral programs in which students are off for a long time, not only in dell’autsimo.
Linda Hayes (University of Nevada), USA

We are at a particular time in the Western world: our educational systems are failing, there are more and more depressed, economic behavior and savings banks are falling. Our governments are trying Stano behavioral change, but the behaviors are not ananlyst the game of those who consult and decide.
Fergus Lowe (Bangor University), United Unito

I see a major obstacle to our revolution. Most of the cognitive psychologists and all they think about how the mind and introspection, and we are confused with them. We must reaffirm our exclusive study of the behavior. And then we have to teach to teach because we have developed many techniques to learn.
_Joseph Pear (University of Manitoba) _

I am a little more optimistic. Our publications are multiplying. We are connecting with other disciplines such as economics and there can really affect the change in economic behavior.
Kurt Salzinger (Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY State) USA

Skinner gave us 2 Skinner box 50 years ago: from the time we are doing as much for its siluppo of Behavior Analysis as a discipline. We illustrate the path that led us to have 921 active members in our association, we have translated books from English to local language, invited leading experts to speak at our conference, our students have conducted their PhD in the best foreign universities, We have written books and articles. Thanks to this we are one of the most active and important chapter and the late Masaya Sato was president from 1997 to 2001 Abai. Many of us specialized, as therapists and researchers: it is limited because we have to do both things. According to us, then, the Behavior Analysis should stay within the faculties of psychology and the scientific method require anyone who wants to study the behavior or teach about it.
Naoko Sugiyama (Ymawaki Gakuen College), Japan

In France, the cognitive-behavioral therapies are having much more success and patients 20 years ago in a culture where psychoanalysis has been the domain. We have made compromises with cognitivism, but today the therapies are much more behavioral than anything else. I would suggest 2 strategies: to increase collaboration between Behavior Analysis and other disciplines than psychology. And let’s not stop to operant conditioning, but we explain all the findings of the analysis of the behavior
Francois Tonneau (University of Guadalajara), Francia

There are things to be changed to export the contingent behavior analysis in other fields such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder. What are we doing to change? There should be prizes for those who make great discoveries, and special issues of our publications to disseminate the material. In Spain for example, there are 20-25 teachers in behavioral orientation, but have published only 15 articles in JABA, JEAB … too few! We should make more connections between basic research and applied will give great results: Manitoba Our doctoral program of basic research is partially paid y a research application. We assure the world of business the stringency of our method.
Jarvier Virues Ortega (University of Manitoba), Spagna

We realized that we were doing so much work in many different fields. Then we realized that everybody was rowing in the same direction and now we all work together.
Carlos Aparicio (Savannah State University), Mexico