EABA History
The European Association for Behaviour Analysis (EABA) has a rich history rooted in the development and promotion of behaviour analysis in Europe. Established in 1999, EABA was formed as a professional organisation to advance the science and application of behaviour analysis across various domains.
Its inception was a response to the growing recognition of behaviour analysis as a powerful approach for understanding human behaviour and improving lives. EABA has been instrumental in fostering collaboration, disseminating research, and providing a platform for practitioners, researchers, and educators to exchange knowledge and ideas.
Over the years, the association has organised numerous conferences, workshops, and events, bringing together professionals from different countries and disciplines. EABA's history is a testament to its commitment to promoting evidence-based practices and its ongoing efforts to enhance the understanding and utilisation of behaviour analysis throughout Europe.
Please enjoy this nostalgic look back at our history and feel free to send any suggestions for revisions to the EABA secretary.
History of EABA
The idea of a European Association for Behaviour Analysis (EABA) was first suggested at the 4th International Congress on Behaviourism in November 1998 in Seville. During that congress an informal meeting took place that was attended by Fergus Lowe, Pauline Horne, and Tim Miles from Wales; Per Holth, Erik Arntzen, and Arne Brekstad, Norway; Paolo Moderato, Italy; Rafael Moreno, Spain; and Peter Harzem, USA. At that meeting it was decided to start preliminary work on creating the EABA. Further discussions were held at the EABG1999 conference in London and a committee was elected during this meeting to consider the administrative, financial, and professional issues associated with the creation of a Europe-wide association. The EABA Committee consisted of Mecca Chiesa, Scotland (now in Kent); Julian Leslie, Ireland; Michel Sokolowski, France; Rafael Moreno, Spain; Fergus Lowe, Wales; J.A. Farsethaas and Arne Brekstad, Norway; Luis Pérez-González, Spain; Harrie Boelens, Netherlands; and Paolo Moderato, Italy.
At the EMEAB IV meeting in Amiens in 2000 a decision was taken to formally establish the EABA that would seek to develop and promote behaviour analysis throughout Europe. At the meeting Professor Fergus Lowe was appointed the initial Chair of the EABA. Further discussions were held to develop the EABA at the 2001 EABG meeting in London and at the first International meeting of the Association for Behavior Analysis in November, 2001 in Venice.
In the EABG meeting Phil Reed was appointed interim President of the EABA by the attendees of the EABG business meeting. The initial goals of the EABA were (a) to act as a unifying body to promote behaviour analysis across Europe; (b) to organise the European congresses in experimental and applied behaviour analysis; (c) to foster collaboration between the member countries and organizations outside Europe (e.g., the Association of Behavior Analysis International); (d) to establish and maintain a web site; (e) to support the publication of the European Journal of Behaviour Analysis (EJOBA); and (f ) to work towards developing a democratic organisation representing behaviour analysts from both applied and basic domains from all countries in Europe. (Hughes, 2007).
Since then, the following positions on the Board of Directors were held (please let us know if you have corrections or information to fill the gaps, thank you):
President:
2001-2008 Interim Steering committee: Phil Reed, UK
2008-2013 Eric Arntzen, Norway
2013-2015 Robert Mellon, Greece
2015-2017 Zulma Gabriella Sigurðardóttir, Iceland
2017-2020 Eric Arntzen, Norway
2020-2021 Mickey Keenan, N.Ireland
2022-2024 Aifoe McTiernan, Ireland
2024- ... Karola Dillenburger, Germany; N.Ireland
Secretary:
2008-2011 Javier Virues-Ortega, Spain
2011-2015 Borge Stromgren, Norway
2015-2020 Christoph Bördlein, Germany
2020-2023 Catherine Storey, N.Ireland
2023-2025 Francesco Sulla, Italy
2025-... Dag Strømberg, Sweden
Treasurer
2001-2008 Interim Steering committee: Geraldine Leader, Ireland
2008-2011 Nanni Presti, Italy
2011-2013 Lise Roll-Petterssen, Sweden
2013-2017 Karola Dillenburger, Germany; N.Ireland
2017-2020 Alexandra Herman, Hungary
2020-2022 Hanna Steinunn Steingrimsdottir, Iceland
2022-2023 David Cole, Germany
2025-… Martin Rasmi Krippendorf, Norway
Applied representative
2008-2015 Neil Martin, UK
2015-2017 Christos Nikopoulos, Greece
2019-2020 Ciara Padden, UK
2021-2024 Berglind Sveinbjörnsdóttir, Iceland
2024-… Karel Pančocha, Czech Republic
Experimental/Basic Representative
2008-2012 Ricardo Pellon, Spain
2013-2015 Martti Tuomisto, Finland
2015-2017 Torunn Lian, Norway
2017-2021 Ricardo Pellon, Spain
2022-2024 Gabriela (Gabi) E. López-Tolsa, Spain
2024-… Jesus Alonso, Spain
Student Representative
2025-… Sergio Ramos Solis, Spain
References
Arntzen, E., & Pellón, R. (2021). A view on the development and current situation of behavior analysis in Europe. Behavior and Social Issues, 30(1), 346–360. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42822-021-00068-w
Hughes, C. J. (2007). The Experimental Analysis of Behaviour Group, UK and Europe. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 8(2), 105–107. https://doi.org/10.1080/15021149.2007.11434277
de los Santos, M., Hernández Eslava, V., Ávila, M., Alarcón Moya, E. C., Scolari, C., Ulloa, G., Jimenez-Gomez, C., Febres Cordero, D., Parejo, V., Chavez-Askins, M., Pezzotti, G., Vergara, D., Urcuyo, B., Argueta, L. R., Arroyave Tefel, J., Morhaim Esquenazi de Sfadia, R., Ríos Arroyo, E. I., Padilla Dalmau, Y. C., Gilbert, M., & Rodríguez, A. (2024). Regulation of behavior analysis in 15 countries of Latin America: Assessing the challenges and opportunities for implementation of the science. Behavior Analysis in Practice. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-024-01004-1
Keenan, M., Dillenburger, K., Konrad, M.-H., Debetencourt, N., Vuksan, R., Kourea, L., Pancocha, K., Kingsdorf, S., Brandtberg, H. J., Ozkan, N., Abdelnour, H., Da Costa-Meranda, M., Schuldt, S., Mellon, R., Herman, A., Tennyson, A., Ayvazo, S., Moderato, P., Attard, N., … Gallagher, S. (2022). Professional development of behavior analysts in Europe: A snapshot for 21 countries, Behavior Analysis in Practice. Behavior Analysis in Practice. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-022-00754-0
Kelly, M. P., Martin, N., Dillenburger, K., Kelly, A. N., & Miller, M. M. (2018). Spreading the news: History, successes, challenges and the ethics of effective dissemination. Behavior Analysis in Practice. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-018-0238-8
Kelly, M. P., & Trifyllis, I. (2022). Developing national occupational standards for behavior analysis. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 23(2), 196–214. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/15021149.2022.2137654
Further reading (de los Santos et al., 2024; Keenan et al., 2022; Kelly et al., 2018; Kelly & Trifyllis, 2022)