DOCSLIB.ORG

Data in Search of a Principle: a Review of Relational Frame Theory: a Post-Skinnerian Account of Human Language and Cognition

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Data in Search of a Principle: a Review of Relational Frame Theory: a Post-Skinnerian Account of Human Language and Cognition JOURNAL OF THE EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF BEHAVIOR 2004, 81, 189±204 NUMBER 2(MARCH) DATA IN SEARCH OF A PRINCIPLE: A REVIEW OF RELATIONAL FRAME THEORY: A POST-SKINNERIAN ACCOUNT OF HUMAN LANGUAGE AND COGNITION DAVID C. PALMER SMITH COLLEGE Responding to derived relations among stimuli and events is the subject of an accelerating research program that represents one of the major behavior analytic approaches to complex behavior. Rela- tional Frame Theory: A Post-Skinnerian Account of Human Language and Cognition (Hayes, Barnes-Holmes, & Roche, 2001) offers a conceptual framework for this work and explores its implications for verbal behavior and a variety of other domains of complex human behavior. The authors dismiss Skinner's interpretation of verbal behavior as unproductive and conceptually ¯awed and suggest a new de®- nition and a new paradigm for the investigation of verbal phenomena. I found the empirical phe- nomena important but the conceptual discussion incomplete. A new principle of behavior is prom- ised, but critical features of this principle are not offered. In the absence of an explicit principle, the theory itself is dif®cult to evaluate. Counterexamples suggest a role for mediating behavior, perhaps covert, thus raising the question whether a new principle is needed at all. The performance of subjects in relational frame experiments may be a mosaic of elementary behavioral units, some of which are verbal. If so, verbal behavior underlies relational behavior; it is not de®ned by it. I defend Skinner's de®nition of verbal behavior and argue that an account of relational behavior must be integrated with Skinner's analysis; it will not replace it. Key words: equivalence classes, de®nition of verbal behavior, private events, relational frame theory, relational frames, verbal behavior Relational frame theory made its debut in requires that, whatever our biases, we weigh 1985 in a paper presented by Steven Hayes it carefully. and Aaron Brownstein at a meeting of the The 13 chapters in the book are separate Association for Behavior Analysis and has fos- papers, written by shifting subsets of the 19 tered considerable empirical work, concep- authors. These subsets overlap considerably, tual discussion, and controversy ever since. It however, with either Barnes-Holmes, Hayes, has emerged as one of several major threads or both, contributing to every chapter, and it in the analysis of complex human behavior is evident that the chapters are intended not within behavior analysis, and the pace of ac- to represent separate theses but to be tivity has continually accelerated. Steve Hayes, smoothly integrated into a uni®ed position. at the University of Nevada in Reno, is the Therefore, I will simply refer to the contrib- principal architect of the theory, and Dermot utors as ``the authors,'' without distinction, as Barnes-Holmes and Bryan Roche at the Na- though each endorsed the whole. I will use tional University of Ireland in Maynooth are the abbreviation RFT to refer to the book; the its most active researchers and exponents, but italics differentiate it from RFT, which is com- their work has been supported by dozens of monly used in the literature as an abbrevia- colleagues and students. Relational Frame The- tion for the theory itself. To avoid confusion, ory: A Post-Skinnerian Account of Human Lan- I write out the term relational frame theory guage and Cognition (Hayes, Barnes-Holmes, & whenever I have occasion to mention it, ex- Roche, 2001) presents an overview of the the- cept when it appears in quotations. ory, discusses its role in language, develop- The purpose of the book is to provide a ment, and cognition, and shows how it might conceptual consolidation of work that has be extended to education, therapy, social pro- been evolving and expanding for over a de- cesses, and even religion. The scope of the cade. It is written for a broad audience, both book is ambitious, its tone con®dent and en- within and beyond behavior analysis; conse- thusiastic. That it is so vigorously advanced by quently, the authors use technical terms spar- such prominent and active behavior analysts ingly, and the experimental literature is re- viewed only lightly. Nevertheless, the book is Address correspondence to the author at Department controversial, for it suggests that we add a of Psychology, Smith College, Northampton, Massachu- new analytic tool to the workshop of the be- setts 01063 (e-mail: [email protected]). havior analyst. 189 190 PALMER Small changes in one's conceptual tools Chapter 3 discusses what I regard as one of can have far-reaching effects. Unfortunately, the most important problems in our ®eld, the the immediate effects are likely to be disrup- transformation of stimulus function. Succes- tive: Imagine trying to replace one brick in a sive chapters extend the analysis to analogical wall with a slightly larger brick. You can't sim- reasoning, thinking, problem solving, under- ply rearrange the neighboring bricks; if you standing, rule following, and ®nally the con- move one brick aside you must move the cept of self. Chapter 8 offers a summary and whole row. Perhaps most of the wall must overview of the ®rst seven chapters and come down and be rebuilt if you are to re- stands on its own. It is wisely inserted here to place that brick. Similarly, RFT suggests that permit the reader to rehearse and review the we replace some of our current concepts in main points of the preceding chapters. The the domain of verbal behavior with new and ®nal ®ve chapters discuss possible applica- different ones, but such terms cannot simply tions and extensions of the theory. Topics in- be squeezed into the hole left by discarded clude development, education, social pro- terms. Our entire conceptual edi®ce may cesses, psychopathology, therapy, and ®nally need to be recon®gured. For this reason, new religion and spirituality. The book, then, will concepts in science are generally resisted, appeal in different ways to different audi- particularly by those satis®ed with the status ences. Those with any interest in the concep- quo. Relational frame theory has already tual foundations of behavior analysis will want faced plenty of opposition, and whatever its to read the ®rst three chapters, whatever they merits, it is likely to continue to do so, for it think about relational frame theory, for there requires that we reexamine and perhaps is plenty of grist here. As I read the book in change some familiar fundamental concepts preparation for this review, I underlined and analytic tools. The authors do not shrink statements that I wanted to consider more from this task; rather, they embrace it with carefully. At the end of two chapters I found revolutionary zeal. that I had underlined nearly every passage; Consequently RFT is partly expository, part- moreover, I found myself turning to various ly polemical. The authors open the book with other sources to review foundational con- a vigorous attempt to persuade the reader cepts. Those who wish only to ®nd out what that the current conceptual tools of the be- relational frame theory is all about will want havior analyst are inadequate to an under- to read chapters 2 through 8, and can even standing of complex behavior. In particular, get by with reading chapter 8 alone. Those those concepts developed by Skinner in Verbal with strictly applied interests will be drawn to Behavior (1957) are described as insuf®cient the last ®ve chapters. In short, even if one is and sterile, an inevitable consequence of his skeptical of the authors' thesis, this book is erroneous de®nition of verbal behavior itself. likely to ®nd a place in one's behavioral li- They offer an alternative de®nition arising brary. from relational frame theory that they assert My repeated allusions to skepticism may is both adequate and productive. However, have already alerted the reader to my own they are emphatic that their new proposal lies reaction to the book. I was not persuaded by squarely within the scope of behavior analysis. the authors' conceptual analysis, and I will That is, they do not suggest that one must ¯y close this review by discussing some of my ob- to a more permissive paradigm but that re- jections. But I should reveal my biases. I am lational frame theory is a natural develop- an ardent fan of Skinner's Verbal Behavior. My ment within our own ®eld. This opening own speculations on the topic, however mod- chapter, which I will discuss again at the end est, are dear to me, and they are straightfor- of this review, touches on some of the most ward extensions of Skinner's position. I be- important concepts in our ®eld and will be lieve that his analysis is sound and serves as of very general interest, whether one is per- an excellent foundation for subsequent work; suaded by the authors or not. it is not a sacred text but a remarkable ®rst The next six chapters discuss the theory approximation to an operant analysis of ver- and its implications for our understanding of bal behavior. Despite my disagreement on language and cognition. Chapter 2 introduc- this score, however, I regard relational frame es technical terms and outlines the theory. theory with equanimity. The proponents of REVIEW OF RFT 191 the theory have been extraordinarily active glossy thoroughbred with weak legs. But the and are addressing some of the most formi- authors want to arouse our excitement with- dable questions in our ®eld. Moreover, the out simultaneously arousing our suspicious empirical work is important, however one scrutiny, and that can't be done. chooses to interpret it. Science is a selection- The preface trumpets the dawning of a ist enterprise, and variability is fundamental new day, and chapter 1 asserts that it is time to progress.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Deeply Felt Affect: the Emergence of Valence in Deep Active Inference
    Deeply Felt Affect: The Emergence of Valence in Deep Active Inference Casper Hesp†*1,2,3,4, Ryan Smith†5, Thomas Parr4, Micah Allen6,7,8, Karl J. Friston4, Maxwell J. D. Ramstead4,9,10 *Corresponding author (email: [email protected], twitter: @casper_hesp) †Shared first-authorship. These authors made equal contributions and are designated co-first authors. 1. Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands. 2. Amsterdam Brain and Cognition Centre, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands. 3. Institute for Advanced Study, University of Amsterdam, Oude Turfmarkt 147, 1012 GC Amsterdam, Netherlands. 4. Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK, WC1N 3BG. 5. Laureate Institute for Brain Research. 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136. 6. Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark 7. Centre of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark 8. Cambridge Psychiatry, Cambridge University, 18b Trumpington Road, Cambridge, CB2 8AH 1 9. Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, 1033 Pine Avenue, Montreal, QC, Canada. 10. Culture, Mind, and Brain Program, McGill University, 1033 Pine Avenue, Montreal, QC, Canada. 2 Abstract The positive-negative axis of emotional valence has long been recognised as fundamental to adaptive behaviour, but its origin and underlying function has largely eluded formal theorising and computational modelling. Using deep active inference – a hierarchical inference scheme that rests upon inverting a model of how sensory data are generated – we develop a principled Bayesian model of emotional valence. This formulation asserts that agents infer their valence state based on the expected precision of their action model – an internal estimate of overall model fitness (“subjective fitness”).
    [Show full text]
  • Redalyc.Introductory Comments to the Serie on Relational Frame Theory
    International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy ISSN: 1577-7057 [email protected] Universidad de Almería España Barnes Holmes, Dermot; Luciano, M. Carmen; Barnes Holmes, Yvonne Introductory comments to the serie on relational frame theory International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy, vol. 4, núm. 2, july, 2004, pp. 177-179 Universidad de Almería Almería, España Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=56040201 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy 2004, Vol. 4, Nº 2, 177-179 Introductory Comments to the Serie on Relational Frame Theory Dermot Barnes-Holmes1, M. Carmen Luciano2 and Yvonne Barnes-Holmes1 1 2 National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Ireland Universidad de Almería, España The Special Serie of the International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy is comprised of two editions dedicated specifically to Relational Frame Theory (RFT) that cover the key concepts, controversies, and applications associated with this approach. The first and present issue consists of articles covering a range of conceptual aspects of the theory and some new empirical evidence generated by it. The second issue, available in November of 2004, will be more concerned with research investigating applications of the account. Why this Special Serie? Relational Frame Theory is a modern behavioral account of human language and cognition that emerged in early work by Steven C. Hayes in 1991, and was thereafter more formally articulated in 2001 by the same author, along with Dermot Barnes-Holmes, and Bryan Roche.
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding Metaphor: a Relational Frame Perspective Ian Stewart and Dermot Barnes-Holmes National University of Ireland, Maynooth
    The Behavior Analyst 2001, 24, 191-199 No. 2 (Fall) Understanding Metaphor: A Relational Frame Perspective Ian Stewart and Dermot Barnes-Holmes National University of Ireland, Maynooth The current article presents a basic functional-analytic interpretation of metaphor. This work in- volves an extension of Skinner's (1957) interpretation of metaphor using relational frame theory (RFT). A basic RFI' interpretation of a particular metaphor is outlined, according to which the metaphor acquires its psychological effects when formal stimulus dimensions are contacted via the derivation of arbitrary stimulus relations. This interpretation sees the metaphor as involving four elements: (a) establishing two separate equivalence relations, (b) deriving an equivalence relation between these relations, (c) discriminating a formal relation via this equivalence-equivalence rela- tion, and (d) a transformation of functions on the basis of the formal relation discriminated in the third element. In the second half of the paper, a number of important issues with regard to the RFT interpretation of metaphor are addressed. Key words: metaphor, relational frame theory, equivalence-equivalence, transformation of func- tions, nonarbitrary relations In psychology, especially cognitive psychology, of an object or event" (pp. 81-82). The characterizing the processes involved in the comprehension of metaphor is not only an in- extended tact is a feature of more com- teresting challenge in its own right, but the spec- plex verbal behavior that occurs when ification of those processes also constitutes a a response is evoked by a novel stim- good test of the power of theories of language ulus that resembles a stimulus previ- comprehension in general.
    [Show full text]
  • Relational Frame Theory
    Cognitive and behavioral therapies (CBT) Relational Frame Theory Basic concepts and clinical implications A psychological treatment which is based on talking but that lacks a scientific theory of this very phenomena (talking) Niklas Törneke Jason Luoma Törneke/Luoma 2 2 Historical overview Behavioral tradition: Skinner and verbal behavior What is RFT about? Two problems: • Noam Chomsky • A lack of an extensive research program Cognitive tradition: Mental representations, schema Arbitrary applicable relational responding Two problems: (AARR) • Central phenomena cannot be manipulated A particular kind of behavior • Analysis of talking dissappeared when thinking was made the central issue Törneke/Luoma 3 Törneke/Luoma 4 Three questions to answer today Important concepts in behavior analysis 1. If languaging is behavior, what kind of behavior is it? •Stimulus Or: what are we doing? Stimulus and response are one unit 2. How does this kind of behavior interact with, or contribute to, our • Stimulus function behavior as a whole? Light as an example 3. What controls this kind of behavior? • Functional classes • Contingencies Törneke/Luoma 55 Törneke/Luoma 6 1 Stimulus function is transformed (changed, Stimulus relations which are not altered) as a result of the relation between directly trained stimuli • Sidmans experiments with language training Unconditioned stimulus Unconditioned response Train some relations between words/objects/sounds and get others ”for free” (without specific training) Condtioned stimulus Conditioned response • Example:
    [Show full text]
  • Interfacing Relational Frame Theory with Cognitive Neuroscience: Semantic Priming, the Implicit Association Test, and Event Related Potentials
    International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy 2004, Vol. 4, Nº 2, pp. 215-240 Interfacing Relational Frame Theory with Cognitive Neuroscience: Semantic Priming, The Implicit Association Test, and Event Related Potentials Dermot Barnes-Holmes*1, Carmel Staunton1, Yvonne Barnes-Holmes1, Robert Whelan*, Ian Stewart2, Sean Commins1, Derek Walsh1, Paul M. Smeets3, and Simon Dymond4 1National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Ireland, 2National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland, 3Leiden University, The Netherlands, 4Anglia Polytechnic University, United Kingdom ABSTRACT The current article argues that an important component of the research agenda for Relational Frame Theory will involve studying the functional relations that obtain between environmental events and the physiological activity that takes place inside the brain and central nervous system, with a particular focus on human language and cognition. In support of this view, five separate experiments are outlined. The first three experiments replicate and extend previous research reported by Hayes and Bisset (1998). Specifically, the research, using both reaction time and neurophysiological measures, supports the argument that there is a clear functional overlap between semantic and derived stimulus relations. Specifically, an evoked potential waveform typically associated with semantic processing (N400) is shown to be sensitive to equivalence versus non-equivalence relations. Experiments 4 and 5 indicate that these reaction time and evoked potential effects are not
    [Show full text]
  • Relational Frame Theory Relational Frame Theory a Post-Skinnerian Account of Human Language and Cognition
    RELATIONAL FRAME THEORY RELATIONAL FRAME THEORY A POST-SKINNERIAN ACCOUNT OF HUMAN LANGUAGE AND COGNITION Edited by Steven C. Hayes University of Nevada, Reno Reno, Nevada and Dermot Barnes-Holmes Bryan Roche National University of Ireland Maynooth, Ireland KLUWER ACADEMIC PUBLISHERS NEW YORK, BOSTON, DORDRECHT, LONDON, MOSCOW eBook ISBN: 0-306-47638-X Print ISBN: 0-306-46600-7 ©2002 Kluwer Academic Publishers New York, Boston, Dordrecht, London, Moscow Print ©2001 Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers New York All rights reserved No part of this eBook may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without written consent from the Publisher Created in the United States of America Visit Kluwer Online at: http://kluweronline.com and Kluwer's eBookstore at: http://ebooks.kluweronline.com To the memory of B. F. Skinner and J. R. Kantor They forged the way toward a naturalistic approach to human language and cognition A PERSONAL PROLOGUE Steven C. Hayes University of Nevada, Reno I have been asked by my coauthors to write a personal prologue to this volume. I am a bit embarrassed to do so, because it seems entirely too self-conscious, but I have agreed because it gives me a chance both to acknowledge a number of debts and to help reduce the harmful and false perception that RFT is a foreign intrusion into behavioral psychology. I would like first to acknowledge the debt RFT owes to Willard Day. I heard Willard speak in 1972 or 1973 as a beginning graduate student. His call to understand language as it is actually used became a lifelong commitment.
    [Show full text]
  • Deeply Felt Affect: the Emergence of Valence in Deep Active Inference
    LETTER Communicated by Ian Robertson Deeply Felt Affect: The Emergence of Valence in Deep Active Inference Casper Hesp* [email protected] Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/neco/article-pdf/33/2/398/1896849/neco_a_01341.pdf by guest on 01 October 2021 Department of Psychology and Amsterdam Brain and Cognition Centre, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands; Institute for Advanced Study, University of Amsterdam, 1012 GC Amsterdam, Netherlands; and Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, U.K. Ryan Smith* [email protected] Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK 74136, U.S.A. Thomas Parr [email protected] Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, U.K. Micah Allen [email protected] Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark; Centre of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus 8200, Denmark; and Cambridge Psychiatry, Cambridge University, Cambridge CB2 8AH. U.K. Karl J. Friston [email protected] Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, U.K. Maxwell J. D. Ramstead [email protected] Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, U.K.; Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Culture, Mind, and Brain Program, McGill University, Montreal H3A 0G4, QC, Canada *C.H. and R.S. made equal contributions and are designated co–first authors. Neural Computation 33, 398–446 (2021) © 2020 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. https://doi.org/10.1162/neco_a_01341 Published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.
    [Show full text]
  • A Relational Frame Theory Analysis of Coercive Family Process
    OUP UNCORRECTED PROOF – FIRSTPROOFS, Wed Oct 14 2015, NEWGEN CHAPTER A Relational Frame Theory Analysis 7 of Coercive Family Process Lisa W. Coyne and Darin Cairns Abstract This chapter provides a brief overview of direct conditioning models of coercive family process, and augments those accounts by application of relational frame theory and rule-governed behavior. Relational frame theory is a behavior analytic approach to symbolic processes—language and cognition—that extends Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior. It provides an empirical account of indirect conditioning, and as such, gives us a way to conceptualize coercive family process—and interventions—in a more fine-grained and comprehensive way that allows us to influence this process with greater precision, scope, and depth. In this chapter, we offer a detailed description of indirect conditioning processes that may be involved in the development and maintenance of family processes, as well as some future directions for a systemic intervention to reduce coercion. Key Words: relational frame theory, coercive family process, family systems, parenting, children, coercion Parenting, Family Systems, and Coercion and powerful than more distant, long-term ones. It is not surprising that people come to use pun- However, there may be other mechanisms at play, ishment to alter behavior in others, as it has immedi- which if understood, could offer a potent means for ate consequences that work in the short term. When helping families reduce coercive cycles. parents use punitive means to coerce a child, it often ends misbehavior quickly. On the other hand, when Operant Analysis of Coercive Families an oppositional child coerces a parent, the parent Coercion theory (Patterson, 1982) assumes that may “give in” by acquiescing or removing a demand.
    [Show full text]
  • Using Relational Frame Theory to Teach Prepositions to Children with Autism
    Northern Michigan University NMU Commons All NMU Master's Theses Student Works 4-2020 Using Relational Frame Theory to Teach Prepositions to Children with Autism Alexandra Vacha [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.nmu.edu/theses Part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Vacha, Alexandra, "Using Relational Frame Theory to Teach Prepositions to Children with Autism" (2020). All NMU Master's Theses. 626. https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/626 This Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at NMU Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in All NMU Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of NMU Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. USING RELATIONAL FRAME THEORY TO TEACH PREPOSITIONS TO CHILDREN WITH AUTISM By Alexandra Helen Vacha THESIS Submitted to Northern Michigan University In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Office of Graduate Education and Research April 2020 SIGNATURE APPROVAL FORM USING RELATIONAL FRAME THEORY TO TEACH PREPOSITIONS TO CHILDREN WITH AUTISM This thesis by Alexandra H. Vacha is recommended for approval by the student’s Thesis Committee and Department Head in the Department of Psychological Science and by the Dean of Graduate Education and Research. __________________________________________________________ Committee Chair: Dr. Jacob Daar Date __________________________________________________________ First Reader: Ashley Shayter Date __________________________________________________________ Second Reader: Dr. Seth Whiting Date __________________________________________________________ Department Head: Dr. Adam Prus Date _________________________________________________________ Dr. Lisa Schade Eckert Date Dean of Graduate Education and Research ABSTRACT USING RELATIONAL FRAME THEORY TO TEACH PREPOSITIONS TO CHILDREN WITH AUTISM By Alexandra Helen Vacha Children with autism often demonstrate deficits with the use of pragmatic language, including prepositions.
    [Show full text]
  • The Relation Between Components of Naming and Conditioned Seeing
    The Relation Between Components of Naming and Conditioned Seeing Derek Shanman Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy under the Executive Committee of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2013 © 2013 Derek Shanman All rights reserved ABSTRACT The Relation Between Components of Naming and Conditioned Seeing Derek Shanman In two experiments, I tested for the presence of conditioned seeing as a measureable behavior, which was measured by participants’ accuracy in drawing a stimulus, and how this behavior was related to the demonstration of the naming capability. In Experiment 1, participants demonstrated a correlation between drawing responses and speaker responses in a test for naming (i.e., incidental learning of language) (r(10) = .702, p <.02) . In Experiment 2, I tested for the effects of using a delayed phonemic response teaching intervention on the acquisition of the drawing responses. There were twelve participants in Experiment 1, six of whom then continued on to Experiment 2. In Experiment 2, I used a non-concurrent multiple probe across participants to test the effects of the phonemic response intervention on the numbers of correct listener, speaker, and drawing responses. The independent variable was the delayed phonemic response intervention to control for the presence of the names of the stimuli, which would be necessary for the demonstration of the speaker component of naming. Four of the six participants in Experiment 2 demonstrated both the acquisition of the speaker component of naming as well as the drawing responses as a function of the delayed phonemic response teaching intervention.
    [Show full text]
  • The ACT Two-Day Workshop Slides
    ~-~ Daniel J. Moran, Ph.D., BCBA-D An Intro to the Intro to ACT Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is …built on empirically based principles …aimed to increase psychological flexibility …using a mindfulness-based approach …with behavior change strategies …built on empirically based principles Severe substance abuse Social phobia Depression Smoking Obsessive-compulsive disorder Chronic pain Panic disorder Medical problems Generalized anxiety disorder Psychosis Post-traumatic stress disorder Workplace stress Trichotillomania and more... 1 ~-~ …built on empirically based principles Test Anxiety Mathematics Anxiety Public Speaking Anxiety in College Students Enhancing Psychological Health of Students Abroad Eating & Weight Concerns Smoking Substance Abuse …aimed at increasing psychological flexibility Psychological flexibility is: …contacting the present moment fully …as a conscious, historical human being, …and based on what the situation affords …changing or persisting in behavior …in the service of chosen values 2 ~-~ …using a mindfulness-based approach Mindfulness: …is much easier learned by experience …involves: paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally -Jon Kabat-Zinn …with behavior change strategies Behavior change strategies include: Applied Behavior Analysis strategies Ø Contingency management Ø Level systems Traditional Behavior Therapy strategies Ø Flooding Ø Exposure & ritual prevention Ø Social skills training Ø Behavior activation Eysenck defined behavior therapy as “the attempt to alter human behavior and emotion in a beneficial manner according to the laws of modern learning theory” (1964, p. 1). 3 ~-~ What is ACT? ACT is a functional contextual therapy approach based on Relational Frame Theory which views human psychological problems dominantly as problems of psychological inflexibility fostered by cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance.
    [Show full text]
  • Relational Frame Theory: Some Implications for Understanding and Treating Human Psychopathology
    International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy 2004, Vol. 4, Nº 2, pp. 355-375 Relational Frame Theory: Some Implications for Understanding and Treating Human Psychopathology Yvonne Barnes-Holmes*1, Dermot Barnes-Holmes1, Louise McHugh1, and Steven C. Hayes2 1 2 National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Ireland, University of Nevada, Reno, USA ABSTRACT In the current paper, we attempt to show how both the basic and applied sciences of behavior analysis have been transformed by the modern research agenda in human language and cognition, known as Relational Frame Theory (RFT). At the level of basic process, the paper argues that the burgeoning literature on derived stimulus relations calls for a reinterpretation of complex human behavior that extends beyond a purely contingency- based analysis. Specifically, the paper aims to show how a more complete account of complex human behavior includes an analysis of relational frames, relational networks, relating relations, rules, perspective-taking, and the concept of self. According to the theory, this analysis gives rise to a new interpretation of human psychopathology that necessarily transforms the applied science of behavior therapy. The current paper is divided into three parts. In Part 1, we provide a brief summary of the integrated history of behavioral psychology and behavior therapy, including their emphases on the principles of classical and operant conditioning as the basis for an account of human psychopathology. In Part 2, the core features of RFT are presented, including the three concepts of bidirectional stimulus relations, relating relations, and rule-governance that constitute critical components of the RFT approach to human psychopathology.
    [Show full text]