Selecting Speakers for Behavior-Analytic Conferences: Policy Review and Recommendations

• Published in: Behavior and social issues Vol. 34; no. 1; pp. 110 - 133
• Main Authors: Kranak, Michael P., Onofrio, Olivia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.06.2025; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Behavior; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Clinical Psychology; Conferences; Forum on Diversity and Inclusion; Personality and Social Psychology; Professional training; Psychology; Representation; Conference speakers; Women and men; Dissemination; Diversity
• ISSN: 1064-9506; 2376-6786
• DOI: 10.1007/s42822-024-00193-2

Behavior-analytic conferences are integral to dissemination and continuing one’s education and professional development. Organizations that host conferences are charged with inviting speakers to serve as keynote or invited speakers who will provide attendees with informative and engaging behavior-analytic content. However, some research suggests discrepancies between the number of women and men who are invited to serve as keynote and invited speakers at conferences. Research also indicates that the same individuals are habitually serving as keynote and invited speakers at behavior-analytic conferences. These discrepancies in opportunities to serve as keynote and invited speakers can potentially limit the career growth of emerging professionals and the information being disseminated. In the current article, we surveyed all state and regional behavior analysis organizations and analyzed their policies for inviting individuals to speak at their conference. Results indicated that individuals are asked to serve as keynote and invited speakers primarily because of their popularity. Implications and recommendations for designing policies for selecting and inviting conference speakers are discussed.