Instaurating a Trusting Applied Behavior Analysis Academic Community for Spanish Speakers Through Social Media

By Alvaro Arturo Clavijo Alvarez, 2021 International Development Grant

Staying up-to-date on behavior analysis (BA) is fundamental for psychology professionals and students. Even the general public could benefit by having more information about BA’s multiple applications. The “Centro de Investigación e Innovación en Análisis de la Conducta (CIIAC) [Research and Innovation in Behavior Analysis Center]” aims to become a reliable academic community that any Spanish speaker can join through social media (Facebook). The project could reach any person interested in BA, no matter the country because it is online. At the moment, the site has more than 1,000 followers and has reached more than 3,000 persons. The project will expand to other social media like YouTube and Instagram. The site’s content focuses on four topics: 1) ABA, all applied topics on how to solve common and not-so-common living problems; 2) conceptual, all the topics for keeping updated on research, conceptualization, and knowledge; 3) trending, all the BA news currently occurring in the country or the world, for instance, COVID-19 and the current actions that ABA can provide for protection and care; and 4) festivities, important and relevant dates related to BA to some extent, whether historical, applied, or investigative. Short explanations and references from essential books and trending scientific papers accompany all the publications, allowing followers to understand behavior analysis and its applications. As far as possible, the site will keep Spanish speakers from different countries updated with information about BA in applied and basic topics with free online access to content all year. Seven researchers compose the team that manages the project. They work in specific areas: choice behavior, aversive control, verbal behavior, behavioral evolution, gamification and education, clinical behavior analysis, self-control, reasoning, stimulus control, cooperation, and behavioral economics. Because of the team’s diversity, the site offers new content all year with further references. People interested in BA will trust what ABA and BA can do to solve social and individual problems.