Behavioral Development SIG

By Gladys Williams

The DEV SIG displayed a poster at the ABAI Expo and held its business meeting on May 25, 2024.
The main mission of the Behavioral Development (DEV) SIG is to promote a behavioral developmental thrust within behavior analysis. We strive to bring behavior analysis to the broader world of child psychology and learning, comparative psychology, adult development and gerontology, sociobiology, education, behavioral economics, developmental disabilities and autism, and language development, among other fields. We do so by a) incorporating theories and findings from other areas into our research and b) by bringing professionals from outside traditional behavior analysis, including developmental psychology, to ABAI events and forming collaborations.

The Human Development Special Interest Group (DEV SIG) is a community of faculty, students, and practitioners who share an interest in human development along the life span. Many of our members are also part of other SIGs, such as Autism and Verbal Behavior. Currently, we have 112 members, and our membership is international, with representation from countries like Norway, Germany, Mexico, Italy, Spain, China, Korea, UK, Bosnia, Canada, and France. We welcome students from affiliated programs and those who share our mission to join the SIG. Our Facebook page is up and running, and we are actively trying to increase our membership and reach a wider audience: www.facebook.com/groups/behavioraldevelopmentSIG/ and our web page: devsig.abainternational.org. We are always looking to grow our membership.

The DEV SIG is represented in the ABAI annual convention program in Human Development (DEV). DEV SIG members consistently serve as DEV program area coordinators who help bring exciting presentations on a variety of topics related to behavioral development to the annual convention.

ABAI activities and participation:
The 2024 annual convention hosted one panel, 11 symposia, seven papers, and four workshops.
The Jack Gewirtz Student Research Award
During the 2021 annual meeting, we recognized Dr. Jack Gewirtz’s contributions and decided to rename a student award as the Jack Gewirtz Student Research Award. In the 2023/2024 academic year, three students received the award, each of whom had made significant contributions to the field of behavior analysis:
Ellis Smith, from Teachers College,Columbia University
Kenya Velasquez, from the University of Almeria, Spain
Lilian Morales, from Teachers College, Columbia University

In 2024, the DEV SIG organization hosted a symposium to allow award winners to present their studies. The title of the symposium was “The Shaping of Behavior Analysts as Scientist Practitioners.”
In 2024, we sent letters to psychology department chairs at universities with behavioral programs, requesting they encourage students to submit research papers to participate in the Jack Gewirtz student research award.

The DEV SIG—Prominent Invited Speakers:
In 2024, the DEV SIG organized a series of events that featured well-known speakers. One of the highlights was the B.F. Skinner Lecture presented by Dr. Karen Adolph from New York University. The lecture was titled “How Behavior Develops.” Another important presentation was the International Talk by Dr. Carmen Luciano from the University of Almeria. The talk was titled “The Scientist Behavior, Behavior Analysis, Relational Framing” and used a tree metaphor to explain how we can keep functional sap alive in our practices. Jessica Dudek from Teachers College, Columbia University and the Fred S. Keller School presented an Invited Tutorial titled “Humans Learn Language Through Observation: A Verbal Behavior Development Account of Language Acquisition.”
The activities mentioned above demonstrate the wide range of research interests held by members of the DEV SIG. Their focus spans across populations with and without developmental disabilities, both children and adults. Additionally, the group focuses on verbal, academic, and behavioral development throughout one’s lifespan. We greatly appreciate the contributions of all the session chairs, presenters, and discussants.

The Launching of the Behavior and Development Journal:
In March of 2024, we were thrilled to announce the launch of the online Behavioral and Development Journal. We invited all members of the DEV SIG to submit papers.

Treasure Department:
We informed our members that our treasurer, Vicci Tucci, passed away in January of 2024. Vicci Tucci was a remarkable individual, highly regarded in the field of behavior analysis, and a leading pioneer in the development of tools such as the Comprehensive Competent Learner Model, which was used to teach children and train professionals. Vicci was also known for her generosity and thoughtfulness towards others. She provided both her participation and financial support to our Special Interest Group. Her loss is deeply felt, and she will be greatly missed.

In the absence of a treasurer, our reconciler, Yseif Sun, temporarily assumed the responsibilities of the treasury department. She did an excellent job.

Membership for 2023–2024:
We encouraged members to renew their membership and devoted energy to increasing our membership. Currently, we have 112 members. As an interdisciplinary group with diverse interests and approaches, we have always been friendly and relatively informal. You can find us at our presentations, invited talks, business meetings, or the Expo. We warmly welcome new members and look forward to meeting you!