Association for Behavior Analysis International

Entering the professional world of academia will be the biggest career challenge to date for newly christened PhD s and individuals seeking careers at colleges and universities. The application and interview process may be challenging as job descriptions and expectations may vary widely between departments and universities. This professional development series event will provide a broad sense of how to gain a faculty position and what is expected once that goal is achieved. The format will consist of a discussion on a variety of questions posed to the panel by the chair followed by a question and answer sessions with the audience. Topics will include the application and interview process, networking, job descriptions/expectations, challenges facing the newly hired in academia, teaching, teaching strategies, research, service, time allocation, and differences between assistant/adjunct faculty and tenure track positions. The goal of this event will be to prepare individuals entering the world of professional academia with the information they need to be successful.

Behavior analysis, like any discipline, has its own set of technical terminology. Behavior analysts benefit from being part of a strong verbal community that supports efficient communication using technical terms. However, to outsiders, it can seem as though behavior analysts are speaking a different language- "Behaviorese." This PDS event will address how professional behavior analysts translate technical terminology in order to effectively collaborate with others and disseminate findings to non-behavior analytic audiences. The panel will feature leaders in dissemination and will include discussion of issues relevant to practitioners and researchers. Points of discussion will include such issues as, "How do you speak to a broad audience while maintaining the integrity of your research?" "Do you use any technical terms when talking to outside audiences?" "What are some techniques that young behavior analysts can use to develop their skills in talking to those outside the field?" Such discussion will be useful for behavior analysts with any level of experience to develop their communication skills with individuals outside the behavior-analytic community.

From the tinkerings of Skinner to modern applications and robots, technology has always been an exciting and expanding area of interest in the field of behavior analysis. Currently the uses of technology in behavior analysis are a dynamic and growing platform, which are especially useful in training, research, and applied work. While technology has endless advantages, perhaps the most useful aspect of technology in behavioral analysis is the ability to make behavioral interventions accessible to a much larger and diverse audience. In this Professional Development Series event, a variety of speakers will discuss how they incorporate technology into their research, training, and applied work. Each presenter will discuss different types of technology and new ways to train, research, and disseminate behavior analysis using technology. Speakers will also address challenges faced when using new technology, as well as ways in which we can improve the use of technology in behavior analysis.

The path to mastery of the field of behavior analysis is a long and treacherous journey. On the road there are many milestones such as graduating with a master's degree, passing the BACB exam, learning specialty skills, graduating with a doctorate degree, and countless others. The current panel aims to open a discussion around the options currently available to a behavior analyst following their graduation that will ensure they are ready for the long road ahead. The panel participants will share valuable tips and tricks that will allow behavior analysts, at any milestone, to remain involved in "academia-like" behavior and to plan for their professional journey. Participants will be encouraged to create individual goals related to their impending careers, build strong support networks, stay current in the literature; we will provide an alternative outline on how to become (and remain) true masters of their science.

The experimental analysis of behavior has made several contributions to the understanding of human and non-human behavior (Waltz & Follette, 2009). However, many of these methods of examining behavior rely heavily on quantitative analyses. Because of the nature of mathematical models, including, but not limited to, (a) their complexity, (b) the need for specific behavioral measures, (c) the use of statistical methods, and (d) experience in interpreting results, quantitative analyses have not been widely adopted by applied researchers and practitioners (Critchfield & Reed, 2009). In addition, although this trend is changing, graduate training standards in behavior analysis have historically not emphasized extensive training in quantitative analyses. This seems unfortunate given the benefits quantitative analyses provide to not only understand, but also to improve the human condition. Thus, this Professional Development Series will highlight some of the barriers that prohibit applied researchers and practitioners from conducting quantitative analyses, including why individuals should be using them. In addition, there will be discussions about deciding whether the use of quantitative analyses is appropriate for the research question at hand and how to use quantitative analyses, including tools available for their use.