Preconference 2020

Due to the Coronavirus situation, the Conference has been postponed to October. The Preconference will take place on October 14th and 15th.

Discussion about the Emphasis on Functional Relations within Behavior Analysis

The preconvention at the annual meeting of the Norwegian Association for Behavior Analysis in 2020 will focus on a discussion about functional relations. One, maybe the most important feature of behavior analysis, is an emphasis on the functional relations between behavior and the environment. A demonstration of functional relations between independent and dependent variables is part of a functional analysis, and such analysis is the basis for prediction and control. In behavior analysis, a dependent variable (target behavior) and an independent variable are functionally related if the behavior changes systematically with changes in the value of the independent variable. To put it a bit differently, in an experiment, the dependent variable is shown to be a function of the independent variable and nothing else. Prediction and control are not based on correlations between independent and dependent variables. A variety of topics regarding function relations from the view of the different domains of behavior analysis (theoretical, basic, applied, and service delivery) will be discussed at this preconvention. Hence, the goal is to discuss theoretical and practical aspects of the understanding of functional relations.

Schedule:

Wednesday	Presentations from 3:00pm to 7:00pm
Thursday	Presentations from 9:00am to 12:00pm Discussion from 12:00pm to 1:00pm