Echoes of the European Meetings for the Experimental Analysis of Behaviour

Abstract

The first three European meetings for the experimental analysis of behaviour were held in 1983 and 1988 at Liège, Belgium and in 1997 at Dublin, Ireland. These resulted in edited books consisting of chapters based primarily on invited addresses (and published in 1985, 1990, and 2000 respectively). The continuing impact of these books is assessed, based both on citation data and more personal judgements. It is concluded that these volumes contain some chapters of long-term significance. There are distinct themes running through them including the account of human operant behaviour and its relation to verbal behaviour, the relationship between experimental and applied behaviour analysis, and the widening arena in which behaviour analysis research occurs. It is also clear that opportunities to contribute to an edited volume often led to leaders in the field contributing papers that summarised and developed their theoretical accounts, and that this has been valuable to subsequent researchers and practitioners.