Florida Tech’s School of Behavioral Analysis Represented at FABA Conference
By Savannah Wilson
It was 8:50 a.m. Sept. 27—almost time for Candace Fay ’22 M.S. to begin her presentation.
Fay, a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA) and behavior analysis doctoral student at Florida Tech, and her co-presenter, Shane Spiker, a BCBA in Ormond Beach, Florida, were patiently waiting for attendees to cease filing into the room before their 9 a.m. start.
As the clock ticked closer to the presentation time, the increasing crowd showed no sign of stopping. Once the audience reached room capacity, the remaining attendees stood outside the room, stacking the hallways. Some sat in nearby chairs, while others made do on the floor.
As Fay began her presentation, “Let’s Talk About Sex: A Systematic Review of Intimacy and Sexual Behavior Literature in Behavior Analysis,” echoes of her speech could be heard coming from the hallways, where audience members were watching the livestream.
As the informative yet pun-filled talk ended, Fay expressed her appreciation for all those in attendance.
“Thank you all for coming here today to listen to our presentations. Based on the number of people in this room and watching online outside in the halls, I’d say it’s true what they say: Sex sells!” she quipped, as the room erupted into thunderous applause.
Thus began the 43rd Annual Florida Association for Behavior Analysis (FABA) Conference.
Held at the Hyatt Grand Cypress Hotel and Resort in Orlando, Florida, Sept. 27-30, the conference drew behavior analysts from throughout the state and country.
Florida Tech was well represented at the event, boasting presentations from six faculty and 17 students.
Kelcie McCafferty ’23 M.S., Maddie Duke ’23 M.S. and Daniel Cymbal ’18 M.S., ’23 Ph.D., were among recent grads returning to the conference to present individual research.
McCafferty presented on the cutting-edge argument that applied behavior analytic practices, such as tactile feedback, maintain medical performance on standard procedures longer and at higher rates than the current practices. She plans to continue her research on the topic and eventually implement a systemwide change to how the medical field approaches teaching its students medical procedures.
In a powerful closing statement, McCafferty proclaimed that, “Changes such as these could save both money and lives.”
The data McCafferty presented indeed supports this claim, and her intervention has already been sought after by several doctors within the medical field.
Duke’s research provided an overview of the Association for Behavior Analysis International-related chapters’ diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) statements.
Duke, who still works closely with School of Behavior Analysis (SOBA) professor Jonathan Fernand, said she was very proud of the work she put in to make it to this level of presenting her research, which puts pressure on the companies of the field to make DEI statements that more properly represent their audiences.
Fernand commended Duke for her “continued research in an area that sorely needs the attention.”
Cymbal’s research focused on organizational behavior management. He discussed the application of behavioral science to the business and organizational world, specifically how performance changes are maintained over time. He recently published an article on the subject under the supervision of David Wilder, professor and SOBA head.
Fresh to her doctoral studies and riding the high of a successful standard presentation earlier in the day, first-time conference presenter Alyson Intihar ’23 M.S. said she had not seen herself getting to the point of presenting at such a large event. Now, she cannot wait to present again.
“Presenting was a worthwhile experience,” Intihar said, adding that she would be honored to do it again at future conferences.
Across the board, Florida Tech students and alumni seemed to amaze both their audience and their co-presenters with their poise and professionalism during the conference.
After their popular presentation at the beginning of the event, Spiker said co-presenting with Fay “was such an amazing experience!”
“It’s always exciting to meet someone up-and-coming in the field who shares your passion within the field,” he said. “I’m excited to see what she does in the future and wish her the best of luck.”
