Verbal Behavior SIG

By Danielle LaFrance

The Verbal Behavior Special Interest Group (VB SIG) had another great year. We continued to fulfill the mission of advancing the theory, research, and practice of Skinner’s (1957) analysis of verbal behavior by presenting awards to support the exemplary work of students and professionals, advancing the work of our student group, publishing two newsletters, disseminating information online, and more.

We applaud the students who received plaques and cash awards at our business meeting at the 2023 ABAI Annual Convention. There were three winners of the 2023 VB SIG Student Grant Competition—First Place: Jacqueline Pecoraro, University of Missouri, St. Louis; Second Place: Sara Sato, Endicott College; Third Place: Sydney Stern, California State University, Sacramento. We would like to thank the reviewers of this competition: Drs. Regina Carroll, Sarah Frampton, Kendra Guiness, and Kent Johnson. In addition, there were three winners of the 2023 VB SIG Student Research Competition: John Wooderson, University of Technology, Sydney; Vanessa Lee, California State University, Sacramento; and Todd Owen, University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Munroe-Meyer Institute. We thank the judges: Drs. Maya Fallon, Nicole Pantano, Juliana Oliveira, and doctoral student Karina Zhelezoglo.

The VB SIG also presented one professional award. The Clinical Supervisor in Verbal Behavior Award was given to Dr. Francesca degli Espinosa. We thank the judges: Drs. Mary Halbur, Ji Young Kim, Ciobha McKeown, and Nicole Pantano.

The VB SIG published three full issues of VB News, our newsletter. Features of these issues included highlights of our student group and board members, a student article review, information related to a special issue in TAVB, verbal behavior research highlights, information about our online series, and verbal behavior resources. Additionally, the SIG’s Newsletter Editor has updated the look of our newsletter to support efforts in enhancing the experiences of our members. This update also increased the efficiency with which the SIG generates its newsletters, given the superior software program used to develop it (i.e., Canva), and allowed the VB SIG’s Website Coordinator to provide members-only access to this particular benefit via our website. We are excited about the quality of our newsletter, our ability to share it online with our members, and the positive feedback from readers.

The VB SIG maintained a strong presence on the web and social media this year in an effort to continue dissemination of verbal behavior. The VB SIG transitioned to a new website in the past year, which allows for members only to access material such as archived newsletters and special VB content as part of their membership benefits. The new website also allows for renewal of group memberships and donations online, which has helped the SIG manage its membership applications and renewals. The SIG’s Facebook page currently has 3.7k likes and 4.2k followers. Of note, in 2023 the SIG consolidated its Facebook accounts (there was previously an official Facebook Page and a separate Facebook group), as activity in the Facebook group over the course of 2022 pulled focus away from the SIG’s mission. We continued to post important information and opportunities such as the student and professional awards, and events such as ABAI presentations on the Facebook page and the website. We have also used our social media platforms to disseminate information about the SIG’s online CEU events, and in collaboration with the Editor, to share important information and announcements related to The Analysis of Verbal Behavior. In the coming year, we plan to continue using social media platforms to contact VB SIG supporters and share information of interest to them, and are in preliminary discussions about increasing our social media presence to platforms such as Instagram and LinkedIn.

The VB SIG membership remained strong (i.e., 122 members in 2022 and in 2023 as compared to 141 in 2021). We plan to continue offering research and practice awards, publishing high-quality newsletters, offering a forum for graduate students to discuss verbal behavior, and showcasing verbal behavior opportunities and events on the web in an effort to maintain and increase our membership. From the 2023 ABAI convention through March 1, 2024, we maintained membership at 122 members, which shows tremendous dedication to the study of verbal behavior and support of the VB SIG. We also gained 17 new members in 2024 alone so far. Our members enjoy eight benefits: (1) receiving VB News and having access (members only) to past issues on the website; (2) receiving emails about SIG-related events and opportunities; (3) joining the VB listserv to engage in discussions about verbal behavior; (4) becoming eligible to submit to the VB SIG awards; (5) becoming eligible to be elected to positions on the VB SIG Board; (6) becoming involved in the VB SIG student group; (7) gaining professional development; accessing our mini conferences and webinars at a discounted rate; and (8) joining an active community of people passionate about verbal behavior. Additionally, the SIG’s Board Members launched a new benefit for student members this past year, which consists of a mentorship program. Drs. Mirela Cengher (Membership Coordinator) and Tiffany Kodak (TAVB Editor) collaboratively outlined the process of developing this new resource for members. Within this program, students and junior researchers are paired with doctoral-level senior researchers, who shape their peerreviewing skills. Two pairs of mentor-mentees piloted the mentorship program, and the SIG is in the process of identifying its next pairs of mentor-mentees as all previous mentees have successfully met criteria to graduate out of this program. We are very proud to offer this newest benefit, and we are grateful to the 122 members who supported the VB SIG this year.

The VB SIG has continued to host online events in 2023. Speakers for these events included: Dr. Andy Bondy, who presented a talk entitled, A Deep Dive into the (Mis)Application of Skinner’s Verbal Behavior (July); Drs. Maria de Lourdes Passos, David Eckerman, David Palmer, Sakurako Tanaka, and Robert Vreeland, who participated in a panel entitled, Dr. John Mabry: A Memorial Celebration Panel Discussion (September); Drs. Judah Axe, Traci Cihon, April Kisamore, William Potter, and Mark Sundberg, who participated in a panel entitled, The VB SIG – A Historical Account from the Lens of Past Chairs (September); and Drs. Lina Slim, Barbara Esch, Heather Forbes, and Joanne Gerenser, who participated in a panel entitled, Behavior Analysts and Speech-Language Pathologists: Sharing Space in Practice and Research through Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practices (December). The style of these talks is unique in that each presenter speaks for about 50 min and then a member of our student group spends approximately 20 min interviewing the speaker after which we open the discussion to attendees for a 15 min question and answer period. We received positive feedback following each event, and the SIG is currently in the process of identifying speakers for a new series to be hosted in 2024.

In 2021, we marketed a new website design; in 2022, we unveiled a new VB SIG logo, making our brand easily visually recognizable and allowing us to expand our reach. In 2023, the SIG began distributing swag with this logo during the business meeting at the annual ABAI conference, further supporting these efforts. Notably, the VB SIG has seen increased engagement from potential new members and long-standing members of the verbal behavior community this past year in the form of increased donations as well as engagement with our Dissemination Coordinator and offers/requests to speak at our online events. We look forward to continuing this momentum into the next year. Further, the SIG has begun the process of establishing more formal collaborative initiatives with the Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior Special Interest Group (EAHB SIG), and there is discussion of doing so with the Speech Pathology Applied Behavior Analysis Special Interest Group (SPABA SIG) as well to further support our dissemination efforts. Finally, the SIG’s board members have also generated a plan to actively reach out to clinicians and researchers interested in Verbal Behavior to invite them to our community and provide them with access to our resources. This plan includes more targeted email campaigns to authors publishing in this area, as well as communication and collaboration with academic programs and faculty working with internship sites and clinicians to help spread the word.

Finally, the VB SIG’s Past Treasurer, Dr. Kathryn Glodowski, worked extremely closely with the SIG’s current Treasurer, Dr. Samantha Bergmann to ensure continuity in our efforts to obtain non-profit status and ensure a smooth pass off of these responsibilities.

Dr. Bergmann continues to work closely with both an accountant and the SIG’s lawyer, guiding the rest of the board members on these efforts. We are extremely excited to announce that as of February 2024, all the required documentation to obtain non-profit status has been filed and submitted. The VB SIG eagerly awaits the results, and plans to announce this change as an additional benefit both to members and potential donors, once governmental approval has been obtained.

The work of disseminating and promoting verbal behavior would not be possible without the diligent efforts of the VB SIG Board Members. There were three new VB SIG board members elected this past year: Dr. Meral Koldas, Ph.D., BCBA-D, who took over as the SIG’s Dissemination Coordinator; Dr. Ji Young Kim, Ph.D., BCBA-D, who took over as the SIG’s Membership Coordinator; and Dr. Samantha Bergmann, Ph.D., BCBA-D, who took over as the SIG’s Treasurer. Additionally, after the unexpected resignation of Dr. Stephanie Keesey-Phelan, Dr. Ciobha McKeown graciously took over as the SIG’s Grant Competition Coordinator. The SIG has yet to fill the position of Student Group Liaison, but is hopeful that this will occur prior to the annual convention in May. We will also continue to modify existing processes to ensure effective and efficient transfer of responsibilities following elections. The SIG also continues to maintain a close working relationship with Dr. Tiffany Kodak, as the Editor of The Analysis of Verbal Behavior. We would like to welcome our new VB SIG board members, and will be hosting elections for several board positions in 2024, as several of our current board members come to the end of their terms (i.e., Newsletter Editor, Professional Awards Coordinator, Secretary, Website Coordinator).

Current VB SIG board members include: Adrienne Jennings, Ph.D., BCBA-D (Grant Competition Coordinator), Andresa De Souza, Ph.D., BCBA-D (President), Angelica Aguirre, Ph.D., BCBA-D (Newsletter Editor), Ciobha (Grant Competition Coordinator), Danielle LaFrance, Ph.D., BCBA-D (Past President), Ji Young Kim, Ph.D., BCBA-D (Membership Coordinator), Lesley Shawler, Ph.D., BCBA-D (Professional Awards Coordinator), Meral Koldas, Ph.D., BCBA-D (Dissemination Coordinator), Robbie Hanson, Ph.D., BCBA-D (Secretary), Samantha Bergmann, Ph.D., BCBA-D (Treasurer), and Videsha Marya, Ph.D., BCBA-D (Website Coordinator).